Access to Palliative Care in the U.S. is available but often times very widespread but gradually improving in the Healthcare system. Palliative care provide certain treatments that may help to relieve patients from the side effects, symptoms and stress of serious chronic diseases, often to remedy the pain, nausea, dizziness, anxiety and depression cause from illness, as opposed to the disease itself. End of Life care has been at the forefront of conversation due to the advances in public health, medicine, and health care. Terminally Ill patients are sometimes afforded hospice, end of life and palliative care when options to continue life is no longer available. Most Americans no longer pass away suddenly from disease, injury or infection with all the advances in procedures, facilities, technology and medicine. At any given time during treatment patients can rely on healthcare providers to inform them of choices when end of life is imminent due to severe illness or incurable conditions that end in the termination of life. Palliative care then has become a part of the end of life plan for those who are in medical positions facing dire results.
According to a featured article on the DADS website on Palliative Care:
“When considering Palliative care unlike hospice care, you do not have to be dying or give up curative treatments to receive palliative care. The term “palliative care” is sometimes mistakenly used to mean end-of-life care, but palliative care is a treatment available to anyone of any age who is suffering from the discomforts, symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Palliative care is used effectively to provide relief from many chronic conditions and their treatments, too. Older persons who are living with one or more chronic illnesses may benefit from palliative care long before they need end-of-life or hospice care. Unlike hospice care, palliative care may be used for as long as necessary.”
In the U.S. Palliative Care is limited for those without insurance coverage and some insurance does not cover Palliative care under their policies, but some government steps may eventually increase access to those patients facing debilitating illnesses. Many hospitals across Texas and many other U.S. States are providing or offering Palliative care in some capacity but even with its dramatic growth nationwide complete palliative care services remain unavailable to many patients. Many states have laws to require doctors, hospitals and nursing facilities to offer and deliver Palliative care for patients who need it. To date Congress S. 1334 – Patient Choice and Quality Care Act of 2017 bill in the House and the Senate outlined the expansion of existing pilot projects in Medicare to extend community-based palliative care services delivered by teams of doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains to patients who are not in hospice care.
