Paying For Hospice
What hospice services will Medicare pay for?
Medicare pays for all services related to the terminal diagnosis including:
- Doctor services
- Nursing care and visits
- Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, bedside commodes
- Medical supplies such as skin care items, urinary catheters, incontinence items
- Medications for pain or symptom relief
- Hospice Aide services
- Social Worker visits
- Grief and loss counseling for patient and family/caregivers
- Short-term inpatient care for symptom control
- Short-term respite care for caregiver relief
What Medicare does not cover when choosing hospice care
- Treatment focused on curing terminal illness
- Medications required to treat non-terminal diagnosis
- Treatment and care not arranged by the hospice interdisciplinary team and unrelated to the terminal diagnosis
- Room and board charges for nursing homes or residential hospice centers
- Emergency room visits unless arranged by the hospice interdisciplinary team
- Ambulance transportation unless arranged by hospice interdisciplinary team
Private Insurance
Many private insurance companies now provide a benefit for Hospice as does Medicare and Medicaid. Be sure to read your insurance policy carefully to determine whether or not you have a Hospice care benefit. The patient's family will be responsible for any deductibles and co-insurance that are applied to the Hospice of Salina bill.
If you are unsure if your health insurance policy includes a Hospice benefit, ask your insurer; our social worker and billing clerk will work with you to find information. Call our office at (785) 825-1717 for assistance.