November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time to reflect on one of the most sacred duties of healthcare: accompanying individuals and families through serious illness and the final stages of life with compassion, dignity, and hope.

At Solidarity HealthShare, we affirm the fundamental Catholic teaching that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses inherent dignity from conception to natural death. As a ministry and health sharing community, we stand with our members through every season of life, including its most vulnerable moments.

The Gift and Purpose of Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice and palliative care are a vital support for patients and families of patients navigating serious illness and/or the final stages of life. Palliative care focuses on relieving pain, managing symptoms, and improving quality of life at any stage of serious illness. Hospice care provides compassionate support for those nearing the end of life, prioritizing comfort, spiritual support, and the presence of loved ones. Both are rooted in recognizing the fullness and value of life. 

Solidarity shares into comprehensive palliative and hospice services, including:

• At-home hospice care
• Inpatient hospice care
• Pain and symptom management
• Emotional and spiritual support

Do No Harm: Rejecting Euthanasia and Protecting Ethical Care

In a time when euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are increasingly promoted as “compassion,” we reaffirm an essential truth: true compassion never abandons the person, nor seeks to end life prematurely.

Euthanasia is not medical care, nor is it mercy.

It contradicts the physician’s sacred obligation to do no harm and the Catholic moral teaching that life is a precious gift, not a commodity.

Our commitment is to support patients, families, and clinicians in choosing life-affirming and ethically sound care, even amidst complex medical decisions.

Ethical Guidance When It Matters Most

Decisions regarding end-of-life care are some of the most difficult a family will ever face. To support our members and providers through these challenging moments, Solidarity partners with the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC).

Whenever a member or practitioner encounters a difficult moral or medical question, particularly regarding life-sustaining treatment, NCBC bioethicists are available to help discern the right and ethical path rooted in faith and authentic Catholic moral teaching.

No one should face these decisions alone, and Solidarity stands with you.

A Better Model: Removing Financial Incentives Against Life

In the current insurance and Medicare model, hospice providers often receive decreasing reimbursement the longer a patient remains in hospice. This creates a disturbing financial pressure that may discourage ongoing treatment or subtly incentivize hastening death.

This is a grave ethical concern and one that has no place in compassionate healthcare.

At Solidarity, our health sharing model does not create incentives to rush death or limit appropriate care. We share into necessary care as long as it is needed, especially when a person is in the greatest need of prayer, comfort, and medical support.

Every moment of life has value.

Every day matters.

Every person matters.

A Ministry of Compassion and Hope

As we honor National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, we are reminded why we support this ministry that is so close to our hearts:

• To accompany members through serious illness with dignity
• To promote ethical, life-affirming medical care
• To support families and clinicians with guidance rooted in faith
• To protect the vulnerable when they need us most

Caring for the suffering is not only medicine, but also ministry.

We also recognize that November is a sacred month in the life of the Church, beginning with All Souls’ Day, when we remember and pray for all the faithful departed. This month, we have been especially mindful of and praying for our friends, family, and Solidarity members who have passed from this life. Their memory inspires us to continue building a health sharing ministry rooted in dignity, faith, and eternal hope.

May Christ, the Divine Physician, bless all who work in palliative and hospice care, and grant comfort and peace to you and loved ones facing illness, suffering, or the final journey home.

In Solidarity,