One major stumbling block, they said, is the federal Medicare program. Medicare will still not pay for many outpatient prescription drugs to relieve chronic cancer pain. Patients can get hospice care only when they have been told they have six months or less to live, and they must give up all other Medicare benefits. Hospice care is a program of medical and illness-related assistance for when a person with a terminal disease chooses to die at home with the support of family, friends and caring professionals. Hospice care emphasizes comfort measures and counseling to provide social, spiritual and physical support to the dying patient and his or her family.
All hospice care is provided under professional medical supervision.
Over 90 percent of hospice care is provided in the patient's home, although it can also take place in nursing homes or in most inpatient settings. Two primary functions of hospice care are to provide relief from pain and to provide support for both the terminally ill patient as well as their family. The physical pain arising from a terminal illness may be debilitating, frightening and even dehumanizing. Hospice providers have the skills and resources to permit persons to live as pain-free, as comfortable, and as full a life as possible. In addition to providing for the physical comfort of the dying person, hospice provides social and spiritual support for the patient and his or her family.