Bill · S. 5219· Senate(119-S-5219)
Compassionate Care Act
- Introduced
- 8/3/2026
- Last activity
- 8/3/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Richard Blumenthal
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Compassionate Care Act aims to improve end-of-life care through several initiatives. It establishes a national public education campaign to inform citizens about advance care planning and the right to direct medical decisions. The bill also focuses on provider education through a new website, a training pilot program for medical schools, and updated continuing education curricula. Additionally, it mandates the development of quality measures for end-of-life care across different provider settings. The legislation includes permanent extensions for telehealth use in hospice recertification and advance care planning. Finally, it directs various studies regarding national uniform policies and a potential national advance directive registry.
Yes
Would people over 65 be better off under this?+7
The bill focuses heavily on end-of-life care and advance planning, which directly benefits older populations.
Would retired people be better off under this?+7
The bill enhances the quality and autonomy of end-of-life care planning, which is highly relevant to retirees.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+5
The bill expands access to end-of-life care through permanent telehealth extensions and improved advance care planning resources.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Public Awareness: A national public education campaign will inform the public about the importance of advance care planning and the right to participate in healthcare decisions (Section 102).
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Enhanced Provider Knowledge: The creation of a public provider website and the establishment of an advance care curricula pilot program aim to improve how healthcare professionals handle end-of-life discussions and services (Sections 111 and 112).
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Standardized Quality of Care: The development of specific end-of-life quality measures across different provider settings is intended to have a positive impact on the quality of care received (Section 113).
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Improved Access via Telehealth: The bill extends the use of telehealth for hospice recertification and removes certain geographic requirements for advance care planning telehealth services (Sections 121 and 122).
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Better Integration of Wishes: By studying the usability and portability of advance directives, the bill seeks to ensure that a patient's medical preferences are more easily recognized when they move between different healthcare settings (Section 201).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Administrative Burden on Providers: The mandate to develop and report on specific end-of-life quality measures includes a requirement for the Director to take into account the potential administrative burden placed on healthcare providers (Section 113).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Retirees+7Good For Seniors+7
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+5
- 8/5/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/3/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California