How Costs Are Covered

1. The patient is eligible for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
2. The patient’s doctor and a hospice medical director certify that the patient is terminally ill and has six months or less to live if the illness runs its normal course
3. The patient signs a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered benefits to treat the terminal illness
4. The patient receives care from a Medicare-approved hospice program

Services Hospice Provides Under the Hospice Medicare Benefit:

• Doctor services
• Nursing care
• Medical equipment
• Medical supplies
• Social worker services
• Spiritual care
• Dietary counseling
• Volunteers
• Grief counseling for patient and family
• Medications for symptom control or pain relief
• Medical supplies and equipment related to the terminal diagnosis
• Hospice aide and homemaker services, such as light housekeeping and meal preparation
• Physical and occupational therapies, as appropriate for the plan of care
• Music, pet, and/or massage therapies as appropriate for the plan of care. (Please call to see if these are available in your area.)
• Speech-language pathology services, as appropriate for the plan of care
• Short-term inpatient and respite care
• Any other Medicare-covered services needed to manage pain and other symptoms, as recommended by the hospice team

IMPORTANT: Medicare will continue to cover costs of benefits for any health problems that are not related to the patient’s terminal illness or covered under the Hospice Medicare Benefit.