What does hospice cost?
For most families on Medicare, nothing. Here is the honest, complete picture, including the small exceptions.
What's covered.
The Medicare hospice benefit is one of the most complete benefits in American healthcare. For an eligible patient, it covers everything related to the terminal illness:
- All visits: nurse, physician, aide, social worker, chaplain and volunteer
- Medication related to the terminal illness, delivered to the home
- Durable medical equipment: hospital bed, oxygen, wheelchair, walker, commode
- Medical supplies, dressings and incontinence supplies
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy where they aid comfort
- Dietary counseling
- All four levels of care, including inpatient and respite care
- Bereavement support for the family for thirteen months after a death
The small print, stated plainly.
We would rather you hear this from us than find it later:
- Medicare may allow a copayment of up to five dollars per prescription for symptom medication. Many plans waive it.
- Respite care can carry a coinsurance of about five percent of the cost of that stay.
- Room and board is not covered. If your relative lives in a nursing home or assisted living, that rent continues as before.
- Treatment aimed at curing the terminal illness is not covered while on hospice. Care for unrelated conditions continues under regular Medicare.
- Care arranged outside the hospice team is not covered. Call us first and we will arrange it.
Who pays for it.
Medicare Part A covers the hospice benefit for eligible patients. Illinois Medicaid and most private plans and managed care plans follow the same structure. If you are not sure what your plan does, call us and we will check it for you rather than sending you to a phone tree.
And if there's no coverage at all?
Call anyway. Nobody should be working out their insurance in the middle of this. We will look at what is available, and we will tell you what your options are, including the ones that are not us.
Questions families ask about the money.
No. There is no deposit, no admission fee, and nothing to pay before care starts.
For most families it costs considerably less, and Medicare covers the hospice benefit in a way it does not cover ongoing hospital care.
Nothing happens. The benefit is renewable in further periods for as long as a patient remains eligible. Plenty of people are on hospice longer than six months.
Yes. A patient can revoke the benefit at any time, for any reason, and can be readmitted later.
No. Visits, equipment and related medication are billed to the hospice benefit, not to you.
We'll check your coverage for you.
One call, and we will tell you exactly what your plan does. No obligation.