Medicare now covers comfort dialysis for hospice patients—with a 10-session cap
H.R. 8376 — Concurrent Care for Comfort Act · Filed by Mike Kelly (R-PA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows Medicare to pay for palliative (comfort-focused) dialysis services separately from hospice care for patients with end-stage renal disease who choose hospice. Currently, hospice covers most services in a bundled payment, but this bill carves out dialysis as a separate billable service, capping it at 10 sessions per year initially, with the Secretary of Health and Human Services able to adjust that limit after 2029 based on data and stakeholder feedback.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to expand Medicare coverage for a specific palliative care service (dialysis) for hospice patients, clarifying and enabling concurrent access to both services. It is a targeted healthcare policy change, not a broad reform or carve-out for industry benefit.
What the text implies
- The 10-session annual cap may be insufficient for some patients' comfort needs, potentially forcing difficult end-of-life decisions based on session limits rather than medical necessity.
- The bill delegates significant authority to the Secretary to redefine 'palliative dialysis services' and adjust session limits after 2029, creating regulatory uncertainty for providers and patients.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
renal dialysis facilities; hospice providers; dialysis equipment manufacturers