Reimbursement Is the Road to Equity: How Policy Is Unlocking a New Era in Supportive Care
For too long, some of the most effective, compassionate, and human-centered services in healthcare—like care navigation and supportive care—have been undervalued or altogether invisible on the balance sheet.
But that’s starting to change.
Thanks to recent updates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), including the creation of Principal Illness Navigation (PIN) codes and expanded telehealth reimbursements, we are witnessing a rare and critical alignment between what patients need and what the system is finally willing to pay for.
At OneVillage, we’re seizing this moment. We’re aligning our platform and provider network with these new billing codes so that the support we offer—navigating insurance, coordinating care, reducing burnout for families—is not just emotionally valuable, but financially sustainable. These updates allow us to deliver services at scale, while keeping them accessible to every family navigating cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other serious illnesses.
Why Policy Changes Matter—And What They Make Possible
This is more than a billing change. It’s a structural shift—one that validates supportive care as a core part of the care continuum.
And history has shown us just how powerful policy changes like this can be.
When CMS first approved reimbursement for hospice care in 1982, it legitimized a whole category of end-of-life care and led to exponential growth in access and provider participation. When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandated coverage for preventive services without cost-sharing, utilization rates surged and health outcomes improved across underserved populations. And most recently, the expansion of telehealth reimbursement during the COVID-19 pandemic made virtual care a permanent fixture in the healthcare landscape.
According to a 2023 report by the Commonwealth Fund, policy interventions like these are among the most effective tools for addressing systemic inequities in healthcare delivery (source).
We now have that same opportunity with supportive care.
The Power of Advocacy—and Why We Must Keep Pushing
None of these changes happened in a vacuum. They were driven by persistent advocacy—from physicians, patients, families, nonprofit organizations, and yes, from startups like ours that have seen firsthand the cracks in the system.
At OneVillage, we’re proud to have contributed our voice to these discussions, and we remain committed to shaping future reforms. Because when the rules of the game change, everything else becomes possible: reimbursement brings sustainability, sustainability brings scale, and scale brings equity.
That’s why we’re not just reacting to policy—we’re helping build the infrastructure to deliver on its promise. Our AI-powered platform, combined with human-led care, is uniquely positioned to translate legislative progress into real-world impact for employers, health systems, and most importantly, the families we serve.
Looking Ahead
We believe that supportive care—insurance navigation, mental health coaching, caregiver support—is healthcare. And now, with reimbursement pathways finally catching up, we’re laying the foundation for a system that recognizes and pays for the whole-person care people actually need.
This is just the beginning. But it’s a milestone worth celebrating—and a reminder of why policy and advocacy are so critical to building a better future.
Let’s keep going.
—Ashley Yesayan
Founder & CEO, OneVillage
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sources & Further Reading:
- CMS Principal Illness Navigation Codes Overview – CMS.gov
- Hospice Care: An Historical Perspective, Journal of Palliative Medicine –PubMed
- Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Preventive Service Use, Health Affairs – HealthAffairs.org
- Telehealth After COVID-19: Policy Implications for Care Equity, Brookings – Brookings.edu
- Closing Equity Gaps Through Policy, Commonwealth Fund – CommonwealthFund.org
