People With Medicare

Hospice Coverage

What does Medicare cover?

Medicare’s hospice benefits cover:

• Doctor visits

• Nurses to care for you

• Medical equipment and supplies

• Drugs to make symptoms or pain better

• Hospice aides and homemakers

• Physical, speech, and occupational therapy to help you move, talk and do daily activities

• Social workers

• Advice on what to eat

• Grief and loss counseling for you and your family

• Short-term, inpatient care if you need to go to the hospital to treat a problem not related to your illness, or to improve your comfort. For example, your doctors may want someone to watch you closely if they change your drugs.

• Short-term respite care to give your caregivers a break

• Any other Medicare-covered services needed to manage your pain and other symptoms. Your hospice team must recommend these.

What will Medicare NOT cover?

Under hospice, Medicare will not cover the following:

• Treatment to cure your terminal illness.

• Prescription drugs to cure your illness. Medicare will cover drugs to make your symptoms or pain better.

• Care from another hospice provider that your hospice medical team did not name. But, you can change your hospice provider if you like.

• Room and board in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare will cover short-term inpatient or respite services but only when your hospice team arranges them. You may pay a small copayment for respite care.

NEXT: What Does It Cost?