Widen CMS coverage of spiritual care? Yes, say ministry providers

By LISA EISENHAUER

A proposal that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cover spiritual care for select groups of patients insured by both Medicare and Medicaid gets a thumbs up from spiritual care leaders in the Catholic health ministry.

A call for CMS to widen its coverage of spiritual care as an optional service for patients insured in capitated managed care plans for dual eligible populations was put forward in January in Health Affairs in the opinion piece “Requiring Integrated Care Plans To Offer Spiritual Care To Dually Eligible Individuals.”

Currently, spiritual care is a covered service only for Medicare enrollees receiving hospice care and for

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