Dear readers, I recently had my own experience with Medicare when my 92-year-old mother reached the final stages of her hospice. I feel it is important that I explain hospice so that others who have a terminally ill loved one can know the value of it. This message comes from the hospice provider who cares for my mother.
Dear Toni: A hospice can help those who are caring for a family member with a serious health problem during the dying process.
Can you explain to your readers what hospice means? I’m sure it will help those going through the same thing you are going through. Hospice gives the primary caregiver some peace of mind during a stressful time. – Sharon, Houston
Dear Sharon: Thank you for helping my mother transition from living at home to a nursing home as her dementia had progressed. Hospice is a topic that many caregivers may not fully understand. Many wait too long to discuss this type of care with their loved one’s doctor.
Most Americans believe that hospice exists only to enable people to die peacefully in their final days.
I was lucky because the home health agency that cared for my mother claimed she was eligible for hospice care and advised me to speak to her primary care doctor and explain that she was terminally ill and needed hospice care. Since this process began more than two years ago, this transition was less stressful.
Here is some helpful information about the hospice:
■ Healthcare professionals working in the hospice system include doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, registered nursing assistants and volunteers. A hospice provider goes to where the patient lives to provide care.
■ The 2024 Medicare & You manual explains what hospice is and that Medicare covers hospice services under Part A. The doctor ordering hospice care must certify that a patient is terminally ill and has six months or less to live. When a patient agrees to hospice care, they are agreeing to receive palliative care instead of treatment to cure the illness and must sign a statement that they are choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered treatments for the terminal illness.
■ Hospice care can be recertified every six months by a hospice director or hospice physician if the patient is still terminally ill (as in my mother’s case). Hospice care is billed through the original Medicare insurance.
■ For terminal illnesses, hospice provides all medical care, and unrelated health problems are covered by original Medicare or Medicare Advantage insurance plans. (Copayments apply.) Medicare-certified hospice care is usually provided in the home or in a facility such as a nursing home or assisted living facility.
Medicare costs in hospice:
– You pay nothing for hospice care (Medicare pays).
■ For outpatient prescriptions for pain and symptom management, you must pay up to $5 per prescription.
■ You pay nothing for Medicare-approved inpatient respite care, which is a five-day stay in a Medicare-approved facility so a home caregiver can get some rest.
Know that hospice offers comfort, dignity, love and support. Talk to your loved one’s doctor if you have concerns or need advice about a terminal health problem.
Toni King is a writer and columnist on Medicare and health insurance topics. If you have a question about Medicare, email [email protected] or call 832-519-8664.
