[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 149 (Thursday, September 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE IMPROVING ACCESS TO ADVANCE CARE PLANNING ACT

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 15, 2022

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce 
legislation to remove barriers to increase access to advance care 
planning in the Medicare program.
  As we look for ways to lower health care spending, how we approach 
end of life care must be part of the conversation. When more than 90 
percent of health care expenditures are spent on treating chronic 
conditions, it's clear that we shouldn't spend money on unwanted care 
and instead empower patients and families to think about these 
decisions before it is too late.
  Improving Medicare coverage of voluntary discussions with providers 
about living wills, power of attorney, and other end-of-life treatment 
preferences can allow for these delicate and complex conversations to 
happen in a thoughtful manner.
  Since 2009, I have introduced multiple pieces of legislation and 
built bipartisan support to improve Medicare coverage of these services 
to ensure that patients' wishes are respected and families are well 
prepared for this emotionally demanding time. In 2015, the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put forward a proposal, based on 
my Personalize Your Care Act, to allow physicians to bill for advance 
care planning. In the first year alone, these codes were used by more 
than 22,000 providers on behalf of more than 570,000 beneficiaries.
  In the last two and a half years, we've seen tremendous loss and we 
must meet this moment. This legislation does just that by making this 
service free for beneficiaries and letting clinical social workers 
offer the service, allowing more patients to access this benefit.
  I urge support for this legislation.

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