Medicare now covers end-of-life planning talks—free, starting 2027

What it does

This bill expands Medicare coverage of advance care planning services—conversations between patients and healthcare providers about end-of-life preferences, future medical decisions, and advance directives. It makes these services free to Medicare beneficiaries (no copay or deductible starting January 1, 2027), allows them to be delivered via telehealth without geographic restrictions, and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to educate providers about the new benefit.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to add advance care planning services as a covered Medicare benefit with zero cost-sharing for beneficiaries. This is a straightforward healthcare access expansion, not a tax provision, deregulation, or narrow carve-out.

What the text implies

• Removal of cost-sharing (copay/deductible) effective January 1, 2027 may increase utilization of advance care planning conversations, potentially reducing downstream emergency interventions and hospitalizations for patients with clear end-of-life preferences.
• Telehealth expansion for advance care planning removes geographic barriers, potentially improving access in rural areas where in-person specialist availability is limited.
• The bill does not specify payment rates for advance care planning services; rates will be determined by CMS, creating uncertainty about provider reimbursement adequacy and potential supply-side constraints.
• MedPAC study requirement (due June 30, 2027) suggests Congress recognizes data gaps about current utilization and barriers; findings may inform future policy adjustments or payment model changes.

Who it affects

Ordinary Medicare beneficiaries gain access to free advance care planning conversations with no cost-sharing, improving their ability to make informed decisions about end-of-life care and reducing barriers to planning. Providers gain a new reimbursable service, but the primary beneficiary is the patient population gaining access to a preventive/planning service previously underutilized due to lack of coverage.

Who stands to gain

• healthcare providers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical social workers
• telehealth platforms and remote care delivery services

Named in the bill

Medicare, Social Security Act, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Senate Committee on Finance, House Committee on Ways and Means, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, HCPCS codes 99497 and 99498, CPT codes (advance care planning)

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Sep 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Sep 18, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Finance · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 7 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Mark Warner, the sponsor, reported $2,246,650 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Compassion & Choices — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.