Who Pays for Hospice at Hospice Care Options in Central Georgia

Many private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid cover services provided by Hospice Care Options. The Hospice Benefit for Medicare patients helps cover medication, medical equipment and supplies, co-payments and family support counseling.

Medicare hospice patients must:

• Be covered by Medicare Part A
• Agree to “palliative, not curative care”
• Be certified by his or her physician as having a “medical prognosis that his or her life expectancy is six months or less, if illness runs its normal course”
• Continue to have a prognosis of six months or less; however, some patients are eligible for additional care as long as their prognosis continues to be limited

Patients in a Medicare Hospice program do not lose their other Medicare benefits. Usually, all costs associated with the care of the patient’s illness are covered under the program. At times, patients may be required to pay an out-of-pocket nursing home room and board fee. For more information about Medicare Hospice coverage, please click here.

The benefits provided by many private insurance companies are similar to those of the coverage provided by Medicare, although each plan and company differs. For information regarding your personal coverage, please contact your insurance provider.