Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act
- Sponsor
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
- Committees
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Mar 19, 2026
Bottom line
The bill aims to significantly bolster the palliative care and hospice workforce and public awareness through targeted education, training, and research funding.
What it actually does
This bill establishes and expands federal grant programs to increase the number of permanent faculty in palliative care at various health education institutions and to train health professionals in hospice and palliative care. It creates academic career awards, workforce development fellowships, and career incentive awards for individuals pursuing advanced degrees in palliative care. Additionally, the bill mandates the dissemination of palliative care information to the public and enhances the National Institutes of Health's research efforts in this field.
Proponents argue
Supporters argue that the bill addresses a critical shortage of palliative care professionals, improves the quality of life for patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses and their families, and ensures that health professionals across various disciplines are equipped to provide integrated, patient-centered care. They emphasize the importance of early integration of palliative care alongside curative treatments to enhance patient outcomes and support for caregivers.
Opponents contend
No specific opposition arguments are identified in the bill text or common public discourse regarding palliative care education and research. Potential concerns, if any, might revolve around the overall cost of new federal programs or the scope of federal involvement in medical education, but these are not explicitly articulated as opposition to this specific bill's intent.
The bill is concise and well-structured, allowing for a relatively quick and clear understanding of its provisions for an informed reader.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(a)
Palliative Care and Hospice Education Programs
This section authorizes federal grants to eligible entities, such as medical and nursing schools, to create or operate programs that train health professionals in palliative and hospice care. These programs will focus on comprehensive care, including patient and family engagement, integrating palliative care with other medical services, and working with community partners to address care gaps for individuals with serious or life-threatening illnesses. Activities can include clinical training, interprofessional training, and community-based programs.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this provision directly addresses the workforce shortage by funding the creation and expansion of essential training programs, ensuring a steady supply of qualified professionals capable of delivering integrated palliative care.
Critics contend
No specific opposition is typically raised against funding for education programs in palliative care, though general concerns about federal spending or program efficacy could be raised.
Tradeoffs
Balancing the need for broad training across various health disciplines with the depth of specialized training required, and ensuring equitable distribution of programs to underserved areas.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(b)
Palliative Medicine Physician Training
This section allows the Secretary to award grants to medical schools, teaching hospitals, and graduate medical education programs to support the training of physicians specializing in palliative medicine. These projects must be based in accredited hospice and palliative medicine fellowship programs, staffed by experienced teaching physicians, and offer training across various care settings, including acute care, hospices, and home care. The training options include 1-year retraining for faculty and 1- or 2-year programs for physicians who have completed other medical specialties.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(c)
Palliative Care and Hospice Academic Career Awards
This program provides "Palliative Care and Hospice Academic Career Awards" to junior faculty (nontenured) in medical, nursing, social work, physician assistant, and chaplaincy education programs. The awards aim to support their career development as academic specialists in hospice and palliative care. Recipients must be board-certified or board-eligible in hospice and palliative medicine or have completed required specialty training in their respective disciplines, and commit to spending a majority of their funded time on teaching and developing skills in interprofessional team-based palliative care.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(d)
Palliative Care Workforce Development
This subsection authorizes grants to Palliative Care and Hospice Education Programs to offer short-term intensive fellowships. These fellowships are designed for current faculty members and appropriately credentialed volunteer faculty and practitioners from various health disciplines (e.g., medicine, nursing, psychology, pharmacy, social work, physician assistant, chaplaincy) who lack formal palliative care training. The goal is to enhance their knowledge, clinical skills for serious illness care, and interdisciplinary teaching abilities. Each award is capped at $150,000, with a maximum of 24 programs receiving funding.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(e)
Palliative Care and Hospice Career Incentive Awards
This program offers grants to institutions on behalf of individuals pursuing advanced degrees (doctorate, masters, or other advanced degrees) with a focus on interprofessional team-based palliative care. Eligible individuals include advanced practice nurses, social workers, physician assistants, pharmacists, chaplains, and psychologists. A condition of receiving the award is a commitment to teach or practice palliative care in health-related educational, home, hospice, or long-term care settings for a minimum of 5 years after completing the award period.
Section 3(b), new PHSA Section 832
Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training for Nurses
This section authorizes the Secretary to award grants to eligible entities, such as nursing schools and healthcare facilities, to develop and implement programs specifically for training and educating individuals in providing interprofessional team-based palliative care. These programs are intended to be coordinated with the broader programs under Section 759A and can be used for training individuals, developing curricula, training faculty, or providing continuing education in palliative care for various settings (educational, hospital, home, hospice, long-term care).
Section 4, new PHSA Section 904(a) and (b)
Dissemination of Palliative Care Information
This section authorizes the Director to disseminate information to patients, families, and health professionals about the benefits of palliative care. If the Director chooses to disseminate information, it must include specific content such as defining palliative care, detailing services provided (e.g., pain management, shared decision-making), explaining the role of professionals, highlighting evidence-based research, and providing materials tailored for specific populations (e.g., Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, veterans, pediatric patients, racial/ethnic minorities). This information must be posted on the websites of relevant federal departments and agencies, including the VA, CMS, and Administration on Aging.
Section 5(a)
Restriction on Use of Federal Funds for Abortion Services
This subsection explicitly states that none of the funds made available under this Act can be used to provide, promote, or train with regard to any item or service for which federal funding is unavailable under Section 3 of Public Law 105-12 (42 U.S.C. 14402). This refers to a long-standing federal restriction on the use of federal funds for abortion services.
Section 5(b)
Prohibition on Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide
This subsection clarifies that palliative care and hospice services, as defined and supported by this Act, are not to be furnished for the purpose of causing, or assisting in causing, a patient's death for any reason. This explicitly excludes euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide from the scope of services promoted or funded by the Act.
Section 6(a), new PHSA Section 409K
Enhancing NIH Research in Palliative Care
This section mandates the Secretary, or their designee, to develop and implement a strategy across all National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes and centers. The purpose of this strategy is to expand and intensify national research programs specifically in palliative care. This research aims to improve the quality of care and quality of life for the growing population of patients in the U.S. with serious or life-threatening illnesses, including various cancers, heart, kidney, liver, lung, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Amends Section 831(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act to explicitly include "hospice and palliative nursing" as an area eligible for nurse education, practice, and quality grants.
Section 3(a)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice for updating existing statutes, integrating new priorities into established frameworks rather than creating entirely new ones for every specific area.
Case for: Proponents argue this ensures that palliative nursing receives appropriate attention and funding within broader nursing education initiatives, recognizing its critical role in patient care and providing a clear pathway for funding.
Case against: No specific opposition is identified for this technical amendment, as it expands eligibility without removing other areas.
Estimated impact: Potentially increases the number of nursing programs and trainees focused on hospice and palliative care by making them eligible for existing grant streams.
Amends Section 402A(c)(2)(B) of the Public Health Service Act to require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to include reporting on research with respect to palliative care in its biennial report to Congress, beginning January 1, 2026.
Section 6(b)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice for ensuring accountability and transparency by updating existing reporting mechanisms to reflect new programmatic priorities.
Case for: Proponents argue that this reporting requirement ensures accountability and allows Congress and the public to track progress and identify gaps in palliative care research, ensuring NIH's strategic plan is effectively implemented.
Case against: No specific opposition is identified, as this is a standard reporting mechanism that does not impose significant new burdens.
Estimated impact: Increases transparency and oversight of NIH's palliative care research activities, potentially influencing future research priorities and funding allocations.
A Palliative Care and Hospice Education Program under this section shall not duplicate the activities of existing education centers funded under this section or under section 753 or 865.
Section 2(a), new PHSA Section 759A(a)(2)(C)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice to prevent redundant federal spending and ensure efficient use of resources by requiring new programs to coordinate with or complement existing ones.
Case for: Proponents argue this clause ensures fiscal responsibility and maximizes the impact of federal funding by preventing the creation of overlapping programs, thereby optimizing resource allocation for palliative care education.
Case against: No specific opposition is identified, as preventing duplication is generally seen as a positive administrative measure.
Estimated impact: Ensures that new grant programs are additive rather than duplicative, potentially leading to more efficient use of the authorized $15 million annually.