‘‘(A) PALLIATIVE CARE.—Information, re-
sources, and communication materials about 
palliative care as an essential part of the con-
tinuum of quality care for patients and families 
facing serious or life-threatening illness (includ-
ing cancer, heart, kidney, liver, lung, and infec-
tious diseases; as well as neurodegenerative dis-
ease such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or 
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). 
‘‘(B) PALLIATIVE
CARE
SERVICES.—Spe-
cific information regarding the services provided 
to patients by professionals trained in hospice 
and palliative care, including pain and symptom 
management, support for shared decision mak-
ing, care coordination, psychosocial care, and 
spiritual care, explaining that such services may 
be provided starting at the point of diagnosis 
and alongside curative treatment and are in-
tended to— 
‘‘(i) provide patient-centered and fam-
ily-centered support throughout the con-
tinuum of care for serious and life-threat-
ening illness; 
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‘‘(ii) anticipate, prevent, and treat 
physical, emotional, social, and spiritual 
suffering; 
‘‘(iii) optimize quality of life; and 
‘‘(iv) facilitate and support the goals 
and values of patients and families. 
‘‘(C) PALLIATIVE CARE PROFESSIONALS.— 
Specific materials that explain the role of pro-
fessionals trained in hospice and palliative care 
in providing team-based care (including pain 
and symptom management, support for shared 
decision making, care coordination, psychosocial 
care, and spiritual care) for patients and fami-
lies throughout the continuum of care for seri-
ous or life-threatening illness. 
‘‘(D) 
RESEARCH.—Evidence-based 
re-
search demonstrating the benefits of patient ac-
cess to palliative care throughout the continuum 
of care for serious or life-threatening illness. 
‘‘(E) POPULATION-SPECIFIC MATERIALS.— 
Materials targeting specific populations, includ-
ing beneficiaries of Medicare, Medicaid, and the 
Veterans Health Administration, and patients 
with serious or life-threatening illness who are 
among medically underserved populations (as 
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defined in section 330(b)(3)) and families of 
such patients or health professionals serving 
medically underserved populations, including 
pediatric patients, young adult and adolescent 
patients, racial and ethnic minority populations, 
and other priority populations specified by the 
Director. 
‘‘(2) 
REQUIRED
PUBLICATION.—Information 
and materials disseminated under paragraph (1) 
shall be posted on the internet websites of relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, including the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Medi-
care & Medicaid Services, and the Administration on 
Aging. 
‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—The Director shall consult 
with appropriate professional societies, hospice and pallia-
tive care stakeholders, and relevant patient advocate orga-
nizations with respect to palliative care, psychosocial care, 
and complex chronic illness with respect to the following: 
‘‘(1) The planning and implementation of the 
dissemination of palliative care information under 
this section. 
‘‘(2) The development of information to be dis-
seminated under this section. 
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‘‘(3) A definition of the term ‘serious or life- 
threatening illness’ for purposes of this section.’’. 
SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION. 
(a) RESTRICTION
ON
THE
USE
OF
FEDERAL 
FUNDS.—None of the funds made available under this Act 
(or an amendment made by this Act) may be used to pro-
vide, promote, or provide training with regard to any item 
or service for which Federal funding is unavailable under 
section 3 of Public Law 105–12 (42 U.S.C. 14402). 
(b) ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION.—As used in this 
Act (or an amendment made by this Act), palliative care 
and hospice shall not be furnished for the purpose of caus-
ing, or the purpose of assisting in causing, a patient’s 
death, for any reason. 
SEC. 6. ENHANCING NIH RESEARCH IN PALLIATIVE CARE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title IV of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 409K. ENHANCING RESEARCH IN PALLIATIVE CARE. 
‘‘The Secretary, or his or her designee, shall develop 
and implement a strategy to be applied across the insti-
tutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health to 
expand and intensify national research programs in pallia-
tive care in order to address the quality of care and quality 
of life for the rapidly growing population of patients in 
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the United States with serious or life-threatening illnesses, 
including cancer; heart, kidney, liver, lung, and infectious 
diseases; as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as de-
mentia, Parkinson’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral scle-
rosis.’’. 
(b) EXPANDING NIH RESEARCH REPORTING TO IN-
CLUDE
PALLIATIVE
CARE
RESEARCH.—Section 
402A(c)(2)(B) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 282a(c)(2)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and, be-
ginning January 1, 2026, for conducting or supporting re-
search with respect to palliative care’’ after ‘‘or national 
centers’’. 
Æ 
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