Yes! Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A, and covers a wide range of services selected by your hospice team in your plan of care. Medicare beneficiaries pay very little for care services covered under the hospice benefit.
Medicare Part A Coverage
Medicare beneficiaries pay nothing for hospice care as part of Medicare Part A coverage. Prescription medications for pain and symptom management will have a copay of only up to $5 each, unless the drugs are not covered by the hospice benefit or Part D. Inpatient respite care may cost 5% of the Medicare-approved amount.
You can receive your hospice care at a facility, but Medicare will not pay for your room and board.
Medicare Hospice Coverage
When your hospice doctor and your primary physician certify that you have a life expectancy of up to six months, you are covered for hospice care outlined in the plan of care created by your hospice team. You can receive additional services after six months pass, if both doctors meet again to recertify that you are terminally ill.
Medicare covers a wide variety of services to provide comfort care for people with terminal illness. Medicare-covered hospice care can include doctor’s services, nursing and medical services, durable medical equipment intended for pain relief or symptom management, medical supplies, pain medication, aide services, homemaker services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, social services, dietary counseling, spiritual counseling, grief counseling, short-term inpatient pain or symptom management care in a Medicare-approved facility, inpatient respite care in a Medicare-approved facility for up to five days at once, and other covered services to manage pain and symptom relief.
What To Know About Hospice Care
To qualify for hospice care, your doctors will have certified that you are terminally ill, you must accept comfort care instead of care intended to cure your terminal illness, and you have to sign a statement electing hospice care instead of the Medicare-covered treatments for your condition.
It is important to note that after you begin receiving hospice care, Medicare will not cover treatment intended to cure your terminal illness, and will only cover inpatient, outpatient, or ambulance transportation for care that is not related to your terminal illness.
Your hospice doctor and regular doctor can help you decide which course of treatment is the best way forward in your condition. Comfort care under the hospice benefit encompasses the services you need to manage pain and symptoms, and your family can receive grief counseling as part of these services.
Understanding your benefits is an important way to take full advantage of the healthcare available to you. For more individual coverage concerns, speak with an agent at Magellan Healthcare who can help you find the plans with the most coverage in your area. Book an appointment today.
