How is hospice care covered?
Hospice may be paid by a third party payer such as Medicare, Medicaid Title 19, private insurance, or other reimbursement, such as the Community Options Program. Hospice may be paid by private pay, in which the patient is responsible for payment of all fees. Hospice care is a covered benefit under Medicare, the federal insurance program available to people age 65 or under Medicare disability. To qualify for hospice under Medicare, certain diagnoses and criteria must be met. Patients with a life expectancy of six months or less are eligible for hospice under Medicare. (Medicaid and most private insurers follow the Medicare guidelines.) The staff at The Kathy Hospice will be able to work with patients to help them complete the paperwork needed to elect the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Are there different kinds of hospice care? Hospice is not a building, but refers to a special kind of care for the terminally ill and their families. There are four different types of care under hospice: Home
