About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

HRD-83-72 1 (1983-07-12)

handle is hein.gao/gaobabnbo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: UNITED STATES' GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE 1WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 F er . - i tsid, the - HUMAN RESOURCES tI.:Ia~f DIVISION O-. Via B-207300 RELEASED The Honorable Bill Archer House of Representatives Dear Mr. Archer: Subject: Comments on the Legislative Intent 122087 of Medicare's Hospice Care Benefit (GAO/HRD-83-72) Your June 2, 1983, letter asked us a number of questions concerning the recently enacted Medicare hospice care benefit. As agreed to with your office, this report will address the legislative intent behind the hospice reimbursement requirements contained in Medicare law, the payment cap set by the law, and the discretion the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has in setting the payment rate. Your other questions will be addressed at a later time. BACKGROUND There is no standard definition of what a hospice is or what services an organization must provide to be considered a hospice. However, it is generally agreed that the hospice concept in the United States is a program of care in which an organized interdisciplinary team systematically provides pallia- tive care (relief of pain and other symptoms) and supportive services to patients with terminal illnesses.1 The team also assists the patient's family in making the necessary adjustments to the patient's illness and death. A hospice's objective is to make the patient's remaining days as comfortable and meaningful as possible and to help the family cope with the stress. Section 122 of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (Public Law 97-248) (TEFRA) provided for Medicare cov- erage of hospice care as of November 1, 1983. The program is to terminate on October 1, 1986, unless the Congress takes action to reauthorize it. The law limits hospice care to beneficiaries having a life expectancy of 6 months or less. A beneficiary can iSee Hospice Care--A Growing Concept in the United States (HRD-79-50, Mar. 6, 1979) for a more detailed discussion. (106250)

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most