Two people hold handsMedicaid Working Group Member Rebecca Gorges, in collaboration with five scholars, examined the influence of spousal characteristics on the decision to use hospice services in end-of-life care. They examined data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) from the period of 2000-2011, investigating 1567 dependents who were married or partnered at the time of death. Their research was able to identify that spousal educational level was a predictor of hospice use, and encouraged further research into familial characteristics in relation to disparities in hospice use.