Cost & Coverage
Does Medicare cover hospice care?
What's included at no cost to your family
Your care team
Nursing visits, aide support, social worker, chaplain, and volunteer support — coordinated with your own doctor.
Medications
Medications related to the hospice diagnosis — symptom relief and comfort.
Equipment & supplies
Hospital bed, oxygen, wheelchair, and the supplies care requires, delivered to the home.
Coverage, plainly
Medicare
The Medicare hospice benefit covers hospice care for eligible patients — certified by a physician, focused on comfort. Most families pay nothing out of pocket for covered services.
Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal provides hospice coverage for eligible Californians, mirroring the Medicare benefit for those who qualify.
Private insurance
Most plans include a hospice benefit — we help you check yours before care begins.
If none of these apply
Call us anyway. We'll talk through your situation honestly and point you the right way.
Questions families ask about cost
Are there any out-of-pocket costs?
There are no co-pays or deductibles for services related to the hospice diagnosis.
Will we get a bill?
For covered hospice services, families typically receive no bill. Before care begins, we walk through your specific coverage so there are no surprises.
Does choosing hospice mean losing our doctor?
No — your doctor stays involved, and we coordinate closely with them.
How do we find out what applies to us?
Call the 24/7 line — a no-cost consultation answers eligibility and coverage for your specific situation.
The benefit, explained
How the Medicare hospice benefit actually works
Medicare covers hospice under Part A. To qualify, a doctor and the hospice medical director certify a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course; the patient chooses comfort-focused care instead of treatment meant to cure; and care comes from a Medicare-approved hospice provider.
What it includes
Doctor and nursing services · pain and symptom management · medications related to the terminal illness · medical equipment and supplies · home health aide support · physical, occupational, and speech therapy for comfort · social work, counseling, and spiritual support · short-term inpatient care and respite stays to give caregivers a break.
What it generally doesn't
Room and board in a nursing home or facility (outside covered short-term stays), and treatment intended to cure the terminal illness after choosing hospice — and you can leave hospice at any time to pursue treatment again.
Medi-Cal
California's Medi-Cal offers a hospice benefit that mirrors Medicare's for eligible Californians — including many families who don't qualify for Medicare. If a loved one has both, they work together.
Every situation is a little different — Medicare Advantage plans, nursing-home residents, longer prognoses. Call us and we'll walk through what applies to your family before care begins, at no cost.