Guides › Coverage guide
Yes, and unusually comprehensively. The Part A hospice benefit covers the team, the medications, the equipment and the supplies for the terminal illness. The exclusion families hit is room and board.
Three conditions. The patient is entitled to Medicare Part A; a physician certifies a terminal illness with a prognosis of roughly six months or less if the disease runs its normal course; and the patient signs an election choosing hospice care instead of curative treatment for that illness.
The prognosis is a clinical judgement, not a prediction that must come true. Patients who live longer than six months continue to qualify as long as a physician recertifies that the prognosis still holds.
The benefit runs in periods: two initial 90-day periods, followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. Each renewal requires recertification of the terminal prognosis, and from the third period onward a face-to-face encounter with a hospice physician or nurse practitioner before the period begins.
This structure is why "hospice for two years" is possible and legitimate for slowly progressive conditions such as dementia — and also why enrolment patterns get scrutinised.
Very little, in most cases. A small copay may apply for each symptom-control prescription, and a share of the cost applies to inpatient respite care. Everything else related to the terminal illness is covered. Conditions unrelated to the terminal illness continue under regular Medicare with normal cost sharing.
Federal copay caps and coinsurance rates change over time. Confirm current amounts with Medicare.gov or the hospice's admissions staff.
Certification is a floor, not a recommendation — 6,669 providers meet it. What separates them is visible in published data: the Hospice Care Index, the family survey, live-discharge patterns, and how often they deliver crisis-level care. Browse hospices by state, or read hospice vs palliative care if you are still deciding whether it is the right time.
There is no lifetime limit. Care runs in two 90-day periods followed by unlimited 60-day periods, each requiring a physician to recertify that the six-month prognosis still applies.
No. Hospice covers hospice care wherever the patient lives, but not the facility's room and board. That is usually paid by Medicaid, long-term care insurance, or the family.
If the prognosis no longer supports certification, the patient is discharged from hospice and returns to regular Medicare coverage. They can elect hospice again later if they qualify.
Yes. The patient may name their regular physician as the attending physician, working alongside the hospice team.
Records for 14,690 nursing homes, 5,597 assisted living facilities and 28,152 hospice, home health, dialysis and rehabilitation providers: search by name or city · nursing homes · hospice · home health · dialysis · inpatient rehab · nursing home groups · other ownership groups.
This guide is general information from public sources, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Program rules and dollar figures change annually and vary by state — verify with Medicare.gov, your state Medicaid agency, or a certified elder law attorney before acting.