National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jul 10, 2026   |   2:42PM   |   Washington, DC

US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. urging HHS and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish reporting requirements in the hospice program to monitor physician-assisted suicide for discrimination against individuals with disabilities, older adults, and other vulnerable populations.

The Members warned that physician-assisted suicide “raises significant informed consent issues as well as concerns about disability and age discrimination” and noted that the vast majority of patients receiving physician-assisted suicide are enrolled in hospice.

The Members wrote in their letter, “We urge HHS and CMS to establish reporting requirements to monitor physician-assisted suicide for discriminatory practices and oversee compliance with federal funding restrictions within hospice programs. All hospice patients—regardless of disability, age or financial means—deserve compassionate end-of-life care that is free of coercion and discrimination.”

Lankford and Kaine were joined by US Representatives Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC-03) and Lou Correa (D-CA-46), who led the letter in the House.

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“Every person has inherent worth and dignity, including those facing their final days,” said Lankford. “Hospice should be a place of compassion, comfort, and care, where the suffering are surrounded by loved ones and quality health care, not a place where they feel quietly pressured to end their lives through assisted suicide. Federal law is clear that taxpayer dollars cannot pay for assisted suicide, and discrimination against the aged and disabled is prohibited. HHS and CMS have a responsibility to make sure vulnerable people are protected. We’re simply asking them to do that job.”

“Everyone deserves to make their own decisions regarding end-of-life care,” said Kaine. “Where patients are making these choices, they should be free of discrimination and coercion. That is why my colleagues and I are calling on HHS and CMS to exercise oversight to make sure all patients are treated with dignity, including and especially at the end of their lives.”

“As a practicing physician of 35 years, I have dedicated my career to saving lives and comforting my patients, said Murphy. “The oath all physicians take is ‘to do no harm’. Physicians who take part in assisting suicide are breaking that oath. It is a great tragedy that people feel that life offers them no recourse other than to end their lives. Rather than suicide we should invest more in palliative care and hospice which are much more acceptable forms of medical care. Sadly abuses, such as the lack of informed consent and discriminatory practices, have occurred and patients and their families have been wronged. The House of Medicine should not participate in assisted suicide when we have other humane alternatives to offer.”

“All Americans deserve access to quality care, free from discrimination, and that’s why I’m joining my colleagues in urging HHS and CMS to protect patients from discrimination based on age, disability, diagnosis, or other factors when pursuing physician-assisted suicide,” said Rep. Correa. “We must have guardrails to make sure everyone receives compassionate end-of-life care regardless of their circumstances.”