Paying for Hospice
Explore how Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, VA/Tricare, and self-pay options work for hospice. Reid Health never turns away anyone based on ability to pay.
Coverage for hospice services
Receiving hospice care shouldn’t add financial stress for patients or families. Reid Health hospice services are covered through a variety of programs designed to ease the burden of medical costs during this important time.
Our team works closely with patients, loved ones, and insurance providers to ensure coverage is clear, coordinated, and worry-free. No one is ever denied hospice care based on their ability to pay.
What insurance is accepted
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Private insurance
- Government programs (VA, Tricare)
- Self-pay
Medicare hospice benefit: What's covered
Under Medicare’s Hospice Benefit, many hospice services are covered 100% when related to terminal illness or conditions deemed part of that illness. Coverage includes:
- Nurse and community health aide visits
- Social work and chaplain support
- Bereavement services for family
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Approved medications
- Routine home care, respite care, inpatient care, and continuous care
Medicare will also continue to cover care for unrelated conditions (such as dental and podiatry) when not part of hospice services.
What isn't covered by hospice
Hospice care focuses on comfort — not cure — so certain services are excluded:
- Curative treatments (such aschemotherapy and dialysis)
- Emergency room visits or hospitalizations not approved by the hospice team
- Diagnostics and tests unrelated to the hospice diagnosis
- Room and board in assisted living or long-term care (unless covered under a separate agreement)
- Care by private caregivers outside the hospice plan
How long Medicare pays for hospice
To qualify, a patient generally must be certified by a provider as terminally ill, with a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its normal course. If the patient lives beyond six months and still qualifies, the hospice benefit can be recertified in 60-day increments.
If the hospice medical director determines the patient is no longer terminally ill, services under hospice could end.