US Lawmakers Urge HHS to Tighten Hospice Oversight in 13 Assisted-Suicide States
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 9
US Lawmakers Urge HHS to Tighten Hospice Oversight in 13 Assisted-Suicide States
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 9
Summary
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers asked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS to impose stricter hospice reporting rules around medically assisted suicide, citing risks to elderly and disabled patients.
The letter seeks monitoring of coercion and discrimination, including whether insurers deny life-sustaining treatment while covering assisted-suicide drugs, and whether providers comply with the federal ban on using public funds for such services.
Lawmakers also warned current witness requirements may not shield patients from financial abuse if witnesses stand to gain through wills or life-insurance payouts.
Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., allow physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less; Aging with Dignity said at least 14,446 Americans have died this way since 1997.