Will Your Doctor Be Reimbursed for End-of-Life Planning?
If you are caring for someone who has early-stage dementia, it's a good idea to sit down with them and their doctor to talk about their wishes for the end of their life. I know it's hard, but the earlier you can do this, the better. And if your loved one is living with more advanced dementia, it's equally as important that you meet with their doctor on your own to discuss end-of-life planning. Such discussions are extremely important not only for your loved one but for your own well-being in the future when you may face heartrending decisions about their care.
Research shows that family caregivers who have a chance to talk to their loved one's doctor about advance care planning feel less guilt after their decisions as caregivers after their loved one dies. But many of us don't even know if our insurance covers end-of-life discussions. And doctors often do not initiate these conversations. It's usually up to us as caregivers to ask if such disucssions are covered and to schedule them.
Unbelievably, Medicare does not currently reimburse doctors for these kinds of discussions, which partly explains why many doctors do not take the time to talk to family caregivers about advance care planning. Such coverage was dropped from the Affordable Care Act five years ago because of an unfounded fear of "death panels." There is hope, however; the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to make a decision by November about whether or not to reimburse doctors for end-of-life discussions.
In my post this week for cargivers.com I describe
- what end-of-life discussions may include;
- some info about MOLST/POLST forms and how they can help with advance care planning;
- where we stand as a nation with insurance coverage for advance care planning; and
- how you can support pending legislation in the House of Representatives that would mandate such coverage by Medicare and Medicaid.
I also share my own discussion with my mother's doctor about her end-of-life care.
Read "Are End-of-Life Discussions Covered by Your Medical Insurance?" here.