The End-of-life Access to Supportive and Essential care Act of 2025 (EASE Act) would require hospitals to provide information about hospice programs to individuals upon discharge under the Medicare program, expanding the current set of discharge-related information. The bill amends Section 1861(ee)(2)(D) to add details about the availability of home health services and hospice care through programs that participate in the Medicare program and serve the patient’s geographic area, including individuals who are likely to need hospice or home health services.
The amendments take effect for discharges occurring on or after January 1, 2026. The change does not create a new entitlement or guarantee coverage; it creates an obligation to inform patients so they can make timely decisions about end-of-life care and align discharge planning with available community resources.
At a Glance
What It Does
Hospitals must provide information on hospice programs and home health services to Medicare patients at discharge. The information must reflect hospice availability through programs that participate in the Medicare program and that serve the patient’s area; the amendments apply to discharges on or after January 1, 2026.
Who It Affects
Hospitals and discharge-planning teams; Medicare beneficiaries likely to need home health or hospice services; hospice programs that participate in Title XVIII and the home health agencies serving the patient’s locality.
Why It Matters
Gives patients a clear, local set of end-of-life care options at a critical decision point, supporting informed choices and continuity of care while shaping discharge planning workflows.
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What This Bill Actually Does
This bill broadens the information hospitals must share with Medicare beneficiaries at discharge to include hospice care options and home health services. It expands the existing discharge-information rule by requiring hospitals to disclose the availability of hospice programs that participate in the Medicare program and serve the patient’s geographic area, as well as the availability of home health services for individuals likely to need them after leaving the hospital.
The language ties the information to the area where the patient resides and clarifies who is considered likely to need hospice or home health services. The amendments apply to discharges occurring on or after January 1, 2026.
The bill does not create a new entitlement or mandate coverage; rather, it ensures patients can access relevant options during discharge planning, potentially shaping subsequent care decisions and referrals. In practical terms, hospitals would need to coordinate with participating hospice providers and home health agencies to maintain current lists and facilitate timely information delivery to patients and families.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill expands discharge-information requirements to include hospice care availability.
Hospitals must also inform patients about home health services upon discharge.
Information must reflect hospice options from participating programs serving the patient’s area.
The amendments apply to discharges on or after January 1, 2026.
No new entitlement is created; the act focuses on information provision to patients and families.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Expanded information requirement: hospice and home health
The amendment inserts hospice care and home health services into the list of information hospitals must provide to Medicare beneficiaries at discharge. This includes clarifying that the availability of home health services and hospice care must be communicated where relevant, and that information should reflect services available through programs that participate in the Medicare program and serve the patient’s geographic area. The change expands the scope of discharge planning to ensure patients understand what end-of-life support options exist in their locality.
Effective date
The amendments apply to discharges occurring on or after January 1, 2026. This creates a concrete transition point for hospitals to implement updated discharge-information processes and to align their referral pathways with participating hospice programs and home health agencies.
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Who Benefits
- Medicare beneficiaries who are discharged and are likely to need hospice or home health services gain timely, locally relevant information to guide decisions.
- Family caregivers and surrogate decision-makers benefit from advance awareness of available end-of-life care options and potential service links.
- Hospice programs that participate in the Medicare program gain greater visibility and potential referrals from hospital discharge processes.
- Home health agencies serving the patient’s locality benefit from clearer, more actionable discharge information that connects patients to post-acute services.
Who Bears the Cost
- Hospitals’ discharge-planning teams incur upfront time and administrative costs to identify, verify, and present up-to-date hospice and home health options.
- Hospices participating in the Medicare program may receive more inquiries and referrals, requiring staffing to respond and coordinate with hospitals.
- Home health agencies may experience higher inquiry volumes and need to coordinate with hospitals to address patient needs efficiently.
- Medicare program administrators and contractors may need to adjust information systems and guidance to reflect the new discharge-information requirements.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central tension is between ensuring patients have access to accurate, locally relevant information at discharge and the administrative burden placed on hospitals to maintain and verify current hospice and home health availability across their service areas.
The bill creates an information-sharing obligation but does not alter coverage or entitlement for hospice or home health services. Implementation hinges on hospitals maintaining accurate, up-to-date lists of hospice programs that participate in the Medicare program and serve the patient’s geographic area.
Questions remain about how hospitals verify the availability of services in diverse settings, how “likely to need” is determined, and how quickly information can be refreshed as networks change. For regions with sparse hospice networks, the expanded requirement could test hospital readiness and trigger broader community coordination.
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