Hospice

While the first three levels of hospice care all pertain to the patient’s level of need, level four is all about a caregiver’s needs.

When a hospice patient faces severe symptoms and pain that can’t be managed at home, their hospice team may recommend general inpatient care (GIP), also known as level three hospice care.

The short answer is yes. Medicare does indeed cover hospice care, and in fact, original Medicare beneficiaries pay nothing for most hospice care services. However, in order to receive Medicare, patients need to meet specific eligibility criteria.

If you have private health insurance from your employer or retirement plan, you may already be aware of your basic benefits such as prescription and health care coverage. It becomes a bit more murky when you are applying it to specific procedures, which includes things like hospice and palliative care.

Decisions about when to stop feeding a hospice patient should be based on what’s best for the patient's quality of life. Here’s what to consider.

But does Medicare cover caregiving? There’s a lot of confusion about this topic. Let’s clear it up. We’ve compiled some of the most frequently asked questions about Medicare and hospice. Here are the answers.