Who pays for care?

Hospice care is covered by Medicare with a small co-pay requirement. It is covered under Medicare Part A (hospital insurance). Medicare beneficiaries who choose hospice care receive a full scope of comfort-focused medical and support services for their terminal illness. Hospice care also supports the family and loved ones of the patient through a variety of services. 

Most private insurances cover hospice care and mimic the Medicare benefit package. Some insurance policies have a cap on how much can be spent on hospice care. MediCal covers Hospice care as well.

To be eligible for hospice, the following three criteria needs to be met:

• The patient’s doctor and the hospice medical director use their best clinical judgment to certify that the patient is terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less, if the disease runs its normal course;
  
• The patient chooses to receive hospice care rather than curative treatments for his/her illness; and
  
• The patient enrolls in a Medicare-approved hospice program.

If you would like to discuss payment for hospice care in more detail, please contact Dwight Wilson, Mission Hospice & Home Care CEO at (650) 554-1000.