Quality End-of-Life Care Requires a Team Approach and Act of Congress
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Coalition for Medicare Advance Directive, composed of health insurers, medical providers, and concerned seniors, seeks to improve end-of-life care by passing legislation to ensure advance directives are completed with Medicare enrollment.
ORGANIZER:
The Coalition for Medicare Advance Directives is a grassroots initiative spearheaded by emergency physician and TEDx speaker Kevin Haselhorst, MD. He wrote “Wishes To Die For” to inspire people to get their wishes in front of their fears, creating a new groundwork for advance care planning and advance directives.
Rather than piecemeal an advance directive from a menu of life-sustaining options, Dr. Haselhorst encourages people to look at the bigger picture of “the end” from the emergency department perspective as in the article Death and End-of-Life Care in Emergency Departments in the US.
The idea of encouraging seniors to choose from three succinct wishes and deciding which one is the best advance directive will improve end-of-life care. Medical providers need to clearly understand the final wishes of seniors and Medicare needs to pay only for what’s in their own best interest.
The coalition seeks support from health insurers, medical providers, and family members whose loved ones’ lives were devastated at the end because their wishes were unspoken or disrespected.
Our collective purpose is to improve end-of-life care and pass The Medicare Advance Directive Act (MAD-act), holding Medicare accountable for seniors’ right to self-determination and a smooth end-of-life transition by requiring them to complete advance directives with Medicare enrollment
CONTRIBUTING PREDESSORS TO THE COALITION:
- Nathan A. Kottkamp, National Health Care Decisions Day
- Sen. Mark Warner, Expand Access to Advance Care Planning
- Sen. Susan Collins, Expand Access to Advance Care Planning
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Expand Access to Advance Care Planning
- Edo Banach, National Association of Hospice and Palliative Care
- Ellen Goodman, the Conversation Project
- Shoshana Underlieder, MD, End Well
- R. Sean Morrison, MD, Mount Sinai Geriatrics and Palliative Care
- BJ Miller, MD, Mettle Health Palliative Care
- Michael Hebb and Angel Grant, Death Over Dinner
- Dr. Bernard Crettaz, Death Cafe
- John Amoroso, Lovell Foundation
- Sarah Ascher, Arizona End-of-Life Partnership
- Sandra Severson, Thoughtful Life Conversations
- Joan Bretthauer, Gateway End-of-Life Coalition
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- JOIN the Coalition for Medicare Advance Directives
- HELP hold Medicare accountable to seniors in life-threatening situations
- SUPPORT Medicare as an accountability partner for seniors
An accountability partner helps others work through challenging situations to reach their goals. When seniors face life-threatening situations, Medicare becomes accountable for the support and resources needed. This partnership works best when both parties share the same goal of self-determination to achieve final wishes.
DONATIONS:
Accepted after January 1, 2023