Does Medicare cover hospice care?

Medicare Part A covers all hospice services related to your terminal diagnosis at no cost to you. This includes nursing care, physician services, medications for symptom control and pain relief, medical equipment, and supplies.

You may have small copayments for respite care (short-term inpatient care to give caregivers a break) and outpatient medications, but these are limited to $5 per prescription. All other hospice services are fully covered with no out-of-pocket expenses.

Medicare hospice coverage is not limited to a specific time period. As long as your physician certifies that you remain eligible, you can continue receiving hospice care for as long as needed, even beyond six months.