Hospice CARE Act of 2024

The Hospice CARE Act of 2024 imposes a 5-year moratorium on new hospice program enrollment under Medicare, with exemptions allowed only for areas with insufficient hospice care access. The bill requires enhanced oversight for newly enrolled hospice programs, including more frequent surveys and prepayment medical reviews for programs with "aberrant billing patterns." It also establishes new reporting requirements for hospice ownership and control, adjusts payment rates for hospice care to better reflect costs, and adds requirements for physician certifications of terminal illness. The bill directly affects Medicare-certified hospice programs, Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services which will implement these provisions.