Medicare Part A covers hospice care when the eligibility requirements are met. Hospice focuses on comfort and symptom management for a terminal illness rather than treatment intended to cure that illness.
Eligibility and covered services
The person must have Part A. A hospice doctor and the regular doctor, if there is one, must certify a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its usual course. The person must accept palliative care instead of curative treatment for the terminal illness and related conditions, sign a hospice election statement, and use a Medicare-approved hospice.
The hospice benefit can include nursing and medical services, drugs for pain and symptom control, equipment and supplies, aide and homemaker services, social work, counseling, therapy, short-term inpatient care, and short-term respite care. The hospice team develops the plan of care and arranges services related to the terminal illness.
Medicare does not generally pay room and board at home, in a nursing home, or in an assisted living facility. Care for the terminal illness obtained outside the hospice arrangement may not be covered. A person may stop hospice at any time and return to other Medicare-covered treatment.
Costs and benefit periods
There is generally no charge for covered hospice care from a Medicare-approved hospice. A copayment of up to $5 may apply to each outpatient prescription for pain and symptom management. The person may pay 5 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care. Other costs apply to covered treatment unrelated to the terminal illness.
Coverage begins with two 90-day benefit periods, followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. Continued certification is required. Original Medicare pays for hospice related to the terminal illness even when the person remains enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
What to do next
- Ask for a copy of the hospice election statement and plan of care.
- Ask for the written list of items, services, and drugs the hospice considers unrelated to the terminal illness.
- Contact the hospice before obtaining hospital, ambulance, or other care related to the terminal illness.
- Review Medicare’s hospice coverage rules.
Sources
Coverage and costs can change each calendar year. Check current Medicare rules and current plan documents before receiving care. A provider’s estimate is not a Medicare coverage decision. Final payment depends on the claim and the applicable coverage requirements.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Medicare rules and plan benefits can change.