Bob Filner: “I thank Mr. Miller for bringing us this bill, because working with Mr. Michaud of Maine, we have an important piece of…”

“I thank Mr. Miller for bringing us this bill, because working with Mr. Michaud of Maine, we have an important piece of legislation that most people would have thought dealt with a problem that didn't exist. Mr. Speaker, hospice and palliative care is a continuum of comfort-oriented and supportive services provided across settings, including hospitals, extended facilities, outpatient clinics and private residences. The VA offers a complement of hospice and palliative care options as part of a comprehensive health care benefit of provided to all veterans who are enrolled in our system. Under current law, a veteran receiving hospice care in a nursing home is exempt from any applicable copayments. However, if the hospice care is provided in any other setting, such as an acute-care hospital or at home, the veteran may be subject to an in-patient or out-patient primary care copayment. This policy penalizes a veteran who chooses to remain at home for their hospice care or who, out of medical necessity, receives hospice care in an acute care setting. Mr. Miller recognizes this injustice, and through H.R. 2623, corrects the inequity by exempting all hospice care provided through VA from copayment requirements. It would also align VA with the Medicare program, which does not impose copayments for hospice care. At the end of life, veterans should not have to worry about paying for the comfort that the hospice care provides.”