Hospice is a program of care and support for terminally ill patients in Texas and their families. It focuses on providing the patient with the best quality of life and comfort possible rather than curing the illness.
Medicare or Medicaid
Terminally ill individuals can have their entire cost of care or part of it covered by Medicare, that is, if the hospice provider is Medicare approved. For the terminally ill patient to be eligible, they must have been given ut-most six months of life expectancy or met other criteria set by Medicare.
Medicaid also provides similar benefits as Medicare. However, its usually only available to patients with little income or limited assets.
It’s important to note that if you are using government programs to cover hospice care costs, once benefits begin, you cannot use them to pay for treatment like prescription drugs or surgeries. Further, under hospice law, costs for other unrelated medical conditions must come from other forms of payment.
Veteran’s benefits
If the patient is a veteran, they may be eligible for hospice benefits through the Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA will cover all costs of care related to the terminal illness and also provides additional benefits like bereavement counseling for the family.
Private insurance
Some private insurance plans may also cover hospice services. It is important to check with the insurer to see if hospice services are included in the patient’s benefits package. Some policies have limitations on how much they will pay or what types of services they will cover.
Private pay
Individuals that don’t qualify for government benefits or have private insurance can still receive hospice services but will have to pay out of pocket. Many hospices offer sliding scale fees based on income or charity care for those that cannot afford to pay.
Hospice care at home can be very costly, but there are options available to help ease the financial burden. If you or a loved one is terminally ill, be sure to explore all your options to ensure that you receive the best quality of care possible.