MAP for Care Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new program within Medicare to help beneficiaries make and store advance directives, which are legal documents like living wills that tell doctors what kind of medical care you want if you become too sick to speak for yourself.
• Medicare would work with accredited companies to keep these documents in a secure, digital format. Your family and doctors could see your medical wishes quickly online instead of searching for paper files during an emergency.
• Participation is completely voluntary. You can sign up, change your mind, or update your medical wishes at any time. The program must follow strict HIPAA privacy rules to keep your personal health information safe.
• The government would provide a website with easy-to-find advance directive forms for every state, including both official state forms and alternative forms submitted by outside groups, making it simpler for seniors to find the right legal paperwork.
• If passed, the Department of Health and Human Services would have up to five years to get the program running. After launch, links to advance directive resources would appear on all Medicare enrollment applications.