title: The Medicare Hospice Benefit: ten years of federal policy for the terminally ill.
abstract: The Medicare Hospice Benefit has served terminally ill persons and their families since 1983.  The political and social development of this policy combined both humanitarian and cost-saving strategies.  Although this federal hospice program has mainstreamed care of the terminally ill and provided multiple services, four major constraints of the benefit package are identified and explored.  As the United States draws closer to health care reform, it is important that we analyze this policy before we devise new ways to care for the dying and their families.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social Work, Portland State University, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Mike
mesh_terms: D035082:Federal Government; D006291:Health Policy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006699:Home Care Services; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000266:history; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare; D014481:United States