California Passes Pediatric Palliative Care Waiver

At a time when many states are making extreme cuts to their Medicaid programs, California goes characteristically against the grain and passes the Pediatric Palliative Care Waiver. California is the third state to pass such a law that will ensure that pediatric patients who are still undergoing curative treatments will also have access to expert palliative care treatment.

According to the press release issued by Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition:

"Under the new system, the services that will be added to the package of current MediCal offerings include: community-based care coordination; respite care; expressive therapies such as art and music; family training; and bereavement counseling. These new benefits effectively enable children living with certain medical conditions who are under age 21 and eligible for full-scope MediCal to access community-based support services through a licensed hospice provider concurrent with ongoing curative therapies intended to cure their disease or prolong their lives."

I applaud California for taking a position on this matter. Children with life-threatening illnesses need the comprehensive support that a hospice and palliative team can provide without having to make the decision to stop curative treatments. I would love to see Medicare loosen their restrictions on hospice and palliative care so Medicare recipients could receive the same type of benefits.

Pediatric Palliative Care

The Tiniest of Patients: Perinatal Hospice

The Nick Snow Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Act of 2006

Partnering for Children

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