Hospice Advocates Convene on Capitol Hill for NHPCO and HAN Hospice Action Week 2024

Washington, D.C. – Over 100 hospice and palliative care advocates from across the country gathered in the Nation’s Capital to mark the annual Hospice Action Week, hosted by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s advocacy affiliate, The Hospice Action Network (HAN). The advocates from 35 states met with over 150 congressional offices on July 12, 2024, for Hill Day meetings, to discuss key policy issues that impact the hospice and palliative care community and the beneficiaries of those services.

IAGH President, Kevin Tutunjian, a MyHospice Ambassador for HAN, led the Southern California delegation, who met with the House Congressional offices of Los Angeles and Orange County Representatives, as well as the legislative offices of the two US Senators from California. “Advocacy is storytelling, and we all have a compelling story to tell. Through advocacy, we can impact real change to ensure the longevity and efficacy of the hospice benefit, as we look towards the future of delivery of care at home,” said Tutunjian. 

Advocates of Hospice Action Week 2024 came from all cross-sections of the provider community, including industry leaders, CEOs, clinicians, government relations personnel, bereavement counselors, and state organization leaders. The legislative priorities at front and center of these meetings with Members of Congress addressed issues around program integrity measures and increased oversight, and expanding access to hospice and palliative care through permanent telehealth flexibilities, meaningful improvements to advance health equity, and finding novel solutions to dealing with the workforce crisis. Other significant policy asks included expanding benefits for our Nation’s Veterans and modernizing the hospice benefit through innovation in care delivery for the serious-ill.