Hospice’s Bad Reputation Amid Fraud Crisis Will Hurt Patients, Industry Experts Warn

While acknowledging that changes must be made to the hospice industry, health policy researchers and providers worry that negative attention and the potential for overly punitive regulations could put patients at risk.

By: Laurie Udesky

Outlets: KFF Health News

Published: July 29, 2026

Words: 1,350

Last Updated: 5 days, 11 hours ago

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Mark Vantrease regularly sees his Vietnam War buddies over breakfast, attends his grandchildren’s Little League games, and, when he’s up to it, tends to his lush front-yard garden, which is dotted with shells retrieved from his abalone-diving days.

Time is precious for him. Last year, doctors told the 76-year-old former truck driver that a combination of heart failure, lung disease, and liver damage had left him with only six months to live. “That was about …

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