Another step toward healthcare reform — proposed new legislation from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.):
The Senior Navigation and Planning Act of 2009 will:
* enhance Medicare and Medicaid coverage of advanced illness care management services;
* require doctors to provide patients with information on living wills and other planning tools;
* give providers incentives to achieve accreditation and certification in hospice and palliative care;
* encourage more comprehensive discharge planning; and* increase public awareness about the importance of end-of-life planning.