How the Medicare hospice benefit works

Who qualifies

1. 1

   You have Part A

   Hospice is a Part A benefit, and it isn't only for cancer.
2. 2

   A doctor certifies a terminal illness

   Your doctor (if you have one) and the hospice doctor certify that your life expectancy is 6 months or less if the illness runs its normal course.
3. 3

   You choose comfort care

   You accept care to relieve symptoms instead of treatment to cure the terminal illness, and sign a statement choosing hospice.

Before deciding, you can have a one-time consultation with a hospice doctor, even if you don't choose hospice.

What hospice covers

• Doctor and nursing care, with a nurse and doctor on call 24 hours a day.
• Medical equipment and supplies, like a wheelchair, walker or bandages.
• Drugs for pain and symptoms.
• Hospice aide and homemaker services, therapy, social work and dietary counseling.
• Grief counseling for you and your family.
• Short inpatient stays for pain or symptoms that can't be managed at home.
• Respite care: a short stay in a facility, up to 5 days at a time, so your caregiver can rest.

What you pay

Hospice care

$0 from a Medicare-approved hospice. No deductible.

Prescriptions for pain and symptoms

Up to $5 each.

Respite care

5% of the Medicare-approved amount, never more than the Part A deductible in total ($1,736 in 2026).

Room and board

Not covered at home or in a nursing home, except during short inpatient or respite stays the hospice arranges.

Premiums

You keep paying your Medicare premiums and any plan premiums.

Your other care and your plan

Care for other conditions

Original Medicare still covers care unrelated to the terminal illness, with the usual costs.

Your own doctor

You can keep your regular doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant as your attending doctor.

Medicare Advantage

Original Medicare pays for hospice even if you stay in your plan. If you keep paying its premium, the plan still covers unrelated care (or you can use Original Medicare for it), extras like dental, and drugs not related to the illness.

Medigap

Helps with the hospice drug and respite costs, and with unrelated care.

• Call the hospice team before going to the hospital or ER. Care the hospice didn't arrange may not be covered.

Your rights

Choose and change your hospice

Compare hospices on Medicare.gov's Care Compare. You can switch hospice providers once in each benefit period.

Leave hospice any time

Your regular Medicare starts again, and you can come back later if you qualify. No one should ask you to sign papers to leave that you didn't ask for.

A list of what isn't covered

Since October 1, 2026, every hospice must give new patients, within 5 days, a written list of drugs, items and services it considers unrelated to your terminal illness and won't cover, with the reasons.

Appeal a discharge

If the hospice says you no longer qualify, ask your state's BFCC-QIO for a fast review. How appeals work.

• Never accept gifts for signing up, and don't give your Medicare number for "free" services. If you aren't terminally ill, you shouldn't be in hospice.

Common questions

Keep reading

• Does Medicare cover home health care? Who qualifies and what's includedMedicare pays in full for part-time skilled care at home if you're homebound and need skilled nursing or therapy. What "homebound" means, what's covered and not, and what to do if an agency stops your care.
• Does Medicare cover nursing home care? Skilled nursing vs. long-term careMedicare covers short-term skilled nursing facility care after a qualifying hospital stay, up to 100 days, but not long-term nursing home care. The 3-day rule, 2026 costs, and what to do when coverage ends.
• How to appeal a Medicare denial: steps and deadlinesYour plan or Medicare said no. The first step and its deadline for Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Part D, fast appeals when care is ending, the 2026 prior-authorization deadlines, and who can help for free.