Medicare can bridge the communication gap between physicians and patients with serious illnesses by explaining palliative care in lay terms as “outpatient person-centered care for serious illness” (Medicare Plan C). Medical treatment upholds patient-centered care (Medicare Directive A), and hospice provides home-centered care (Medicare Directive .
If Pele were eligible for Medicare, he would choose “Medicare Advance Directive C” during enrollment. Pele is not a U.S. citizen, and U.S. seniors are not given an opportunity to choose an advance directive at enrollment. Congress needs to enact end-of-life respect through legislation requiring seniors to be informed of self-determination with critical medical decisions each year.