Senior Healthcare Direct and Your Medicare logo takes you to the home page

Medicare Hospice Coverage

Medicare hospice coverage may give you or a loved one the financial support needed for end-of-life care. Medicare can cover hospice costs, as long as certain eligibility requirements are met, such as:

  • The person is terminally ill, which means her or his life expectancy is six months or less
  • Beneficiary agrees to palliative care, rather than care to cure the illness
  • The person signs a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare benefits


Your doctor or attorney can help you make these decisions and put certification of them in place to protect your rights to care.

Services Covered Under Hospice Care

If the above information is true, Medicare hospice coverage can include a range of services, such as:

  • Skilled nursing services
  • Skilled therapy services
  • Medical supplies related to home health care
  • Short-term inpatient care
  • Respite care, up to five days at a time
  • Medical social services
  • Spiritual or religious counseling
  • Nutrition and dietary counseling
  • Durable medical equipment needed to relieve pain or manage your terminal medical condition
  • Hospice aides and homemaker services, which may include personal care services such as toileting, bathing, dressing and homemaker services, such as changing the bed, light cleaning and laundry


Your Medicare palliative care follows the same provided services. Be sure to double-check with your policy to ensure that your desired service is covered before accepting that care. It’s also important to note that Medicare may require you to obtain these services and equipment through only Medicare-approved providers.

 

Medicare Hospice Coverage Questions

What Does a Person Pay for Hospice and Palliative Care?

If you meet hospice qualifications under Medicare, you do not pay anything for that hospice care. That applies if you are utilizing Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B). If you are unsure if your medical care is covered or what your financial obligations may be, contact your policy provider for more insight and support.

You may need to pay for prescription drugs administered under hospice and palliative care. There is a $5 copay for each prescription drug.

Do Medicare Advantage Plans Cover Hospice and Palliative Care?

For Medicare Advantage, hospice care may be covered, as it is under Original Medicare. However, every plan is different. It is important to contact your plan administrator to get more information about whether your Medicare Part C coverage will provide the services you need in hospice.

Medicare Hospice Coverage Questions

What Does a Person Pay for Hospice and Palliative Care?

If you meet hospice qualifications under Medicare, you do not pay anything for that hospice care. That applies if you are utilizing Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A and B). If you are unsure if your medical care is covered or what your financial obligations may be, contact your policy provider for more insight and support.

You may need to pay for prescription drugs administered under hospice and palliative care. There is a $5 copay for each prescription drug.

Do Medicare Advantage Plans Cover Hospice and Palliative Care?

For Medicare Advantage, hospice care may be covered, as it is under Original Medicare. However, every plan is different. It is important to contact your plan administrator to get more information about whether your Medicare Part C coverage will provide the services you need in hospice.

Ready to Get Started?

Get FREE Medicare help today! Please enter your information and a licensed agent will contact you.

Name*
Terms & Conditions*

Sources

External sources include:


YM03312201