The Medicare Hospice benefit was created to provide palliative medical care and support services to terminally ill beneficiaries and their families.
Hospice care allows a beneficiary to stay in their home during the final stages of their illness.
This can be determined by looking at your red, white and blue Medicare card. The patient must complete a Notice of Election with their hospice provider choosing the hospice benefit instead of traditional Medicare benefits for services related to their terminal illness. The hospice agency must be a Medicare-certified provider. Traditional Medicare will cover treatments not related to the terminal illness. Active treatment for the terminal illness Care provided by a hospice other than the one you filed your Notice of Election with.