WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), both members of the Senate Finance Committee, and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Phil Roe (R-TN), a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation designed to give people with serious illness new tools to plan for their care, and empower them to have those choices honored.
The Patient Choice and Quality Care Act of 2017 offers a person-centered approach to planning for care and treatment of patients with advanced illness by testing and evaluating new models for the delivery of care to patients with serious illnesses, and enhancing existing Medicare coverage for end-of-life services to help ensure that the care a patient receives is in line with their values and choices. The bill also provides $50 million in grants to promote public and provider education about advance care planning and care.
“When faced with a serious illness, we must empower individuals to have the freedom to control how they will live and be taken care of for the rest of their lives. Having early conversations on this very difficult topic can help families and patients have their wishes known and their voices heard,” said Sen. Warner, whose mother, Marjorie, passed away from Alzheimer’s disease in 2010 at the age of 81.“One of my biggest regrets is not having these discussions with my own mother, who suffered for 11 years with Alzheimer’s. Nine of those years, she couldn’t speak. Our bill will help patients get the care that they want, and allows their doctor and providers to better understand the choices they and their loved ones have made for their future.”