People With Medicare

Hospice Eligibility

You can get Medicare hospice benefits if:

• You are eligible for Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A), and

• Your doctor and the hospice medical director both certify that you are

  • Terminally ill and

  • Expected to die within six months, and

• You choose hospice care and waive your right to other Medicare-covered benefits to treat your terminal illness, and

• You get care from a hospice program that Medicare approves.

Talk with your medical team before you start to get any of these services. Make sure Medicare approves your hospice. Or you may have to pay the entire cost of these services.

What happens if I continue living beyond 6 months?

You can still get hospice care as long as you are terminally ill. The hospice medical director or other hospice doctor must certify that you are terminally ill.

You can get hospice care for two periods of 90 days each. After that, you can get an unlimited number of 60-day periods. At the start of each period of care, the hospice medical director or other hospice doctor must recertify that you are terminally ill.

Can I stop hospice care if it is not right for me?

Yes. You have the right to stop getting hospice care for any reason. You can also stop hospice care if your health improves or your illness goes into remission. Once you stop your hospice care, you go back to the same type of Medicare coverage you had before you chose a hospice. And, if you are eligible, you can go back to hospice care at any time.

Learn more about Medicare and the hospice benefit.

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