Who Qualifies For Medicare Hospice? 
To qualify for Medicare hospice , the person must have Medicare Part A , be diagnosed as terminally ill by a Medicare qualified physician and by the hospice medical director -LRB- terminally ill is described as having less than 6 months anticipated to live -RRB- , sign a form choosing hospice over other Medicare services , and receive care from a Medicare approved hospice program . The hospice benefit includes two 90-day hospice benefit periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day benefit periods . If the patient decides to get treatment to cure his/her illness , hospice care is not covered . However , hospice does provide treatment for pain and symptom relief . 