Medicare to cover end-of-life care preference counseling

Beginning in January 2016, Medicare will cover counseling sessions for patients who wish to discuss their end-of-life care options with their physician. Counseling sessions will be voluntary. Medicare will pay $86 for the first 30 minutes of advance care planning if the counseling takes place in a physician's office, $80 if in a hospital setting. An additional 30 minutes of consultation time, in any setting, will be covered up to $75. The dollar amounts may be adjusted by locale, depending on the prevailing rates in that geographic region. Medicare recipients may request counseling at any time: when they are well, or have received a serious diagnosis, or are receiving palliative or hospice care. 

Responses to the original proposal were overwhelmingly positive, and the Obama Administration's ruling has been strongly supported by the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association. The challenge remains, however, to make sure doctors and families are on board and honor a patient's end-of-life wishes. Read more about the new Medicare ruling here.

Read more about legal plans for end-of-life legal planning here.