Does Medicare pay for hospice?
Yes, in full — and it's the most generous Medicare benefit nobody uses in time.
Medicare Part A covers hospice in full for eligible patients. No copays for hospice services. No deductibles. The benefit is one of the best-designed parts of the Medicare program and chronically underused.
Eligibility: a Medicare-enrolled patient with a physician's certification that they have a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less if the disease runs its expected course. The patient signs an election statement choosing hospice instead of curative treatment for the terminal condition.
What Medicare covers in hospice, in full:
- Nursing visits and an on-call nurse 24/7
- Hospice aide visits for personal care
- Medical social services
- Chaplain or spiritual support, if wanted
- Medications related to the terminal illness
- Medical equipment (hospital bed, oxygen, wheelchair, commode)
- Medical supplies (gloves, wound care, briefs)
- Physical, occupational, speech therapy, when appropriate
- Short-term inpatient care for symptom management
- Up to 5 days of inpatient respite care so the family caregiver can rest
- Bereavement support for the family for 13 months after the patient's death
What hospice doesn't cover:
- Room and board if the patient lives in an assisted living community or nursing home — that's still paid out of pocket or by Medicaid
- Treatments aimed at curing the terminal condition
- Care from providers not arranged by the hospice team (with limited exceptions)
The benefit can be used at home, in an assisted living community, in a nursing home, in a hospice inpatient unit, or in a hospital under specific conditions. Most hospice happens at home, which is where most people say they want to be at the end.
If your parent is hospice-eligible and not enrolled, the family is leaving the most family-friendly Medicare benefit on the table.