What a nightmare! Imagine being in the merciless hands of private equity at the most vulnerable time in your life – when you (or someone you love) is terminally ill and in hospice. [shudder]
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/opinion/hospice-care.html
Our Hospice System Subverts the Very Point of Hospice Care
By Sandeep Jauhar, The New York Times, March 2, 2026
…
The main problem was funding. In 2024, the average per-patient Medicare payment to hospice agencies was about $200 a day, with an annual cap of $33,500. That outlay would barely pay for a part-time aide, yet it is also needed to cover medications, medical equipment and nurse visits. So hospice agencies are forced to shift the bulk of responsibilities to families as the dying process unfolds over weeks or months…
[snip horror stories]
Compounding all these issues is the fact that dying in America is increasingly corporatized. Today, about three-quarters of hospice agencies are for-profit, and many are owned by private equity companies. It is hardly a stretch to imagine that many of these companies skimp on care to protect their bottom line… [end quote]
Most people want to die at home (burdening their caregivers) rather than in a hospice facility but either way care can be lacking in the help that people need.
Every situation is different…but speaking only for myself … I’m glad I live in Washington State where assisted suicide is legal.
Wendy
