What does hospice cost?
Almost all of it is covered by insurance. Here is what that covers.
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
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 coverage.
No. Visits, equipment and related medication are billed to the hospice benefit, not to you.
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.
We'll check your coverage for you.
One call, and we will tell you what your plan covers.