Palliative Care Costs and Benefits
Palliative care, a relatively new medical term, has been provided by hospice programs for more than 30 years. It is now being used by other healthcare providers as well to help people who are seriously ill. Palliative care and hospice focus on helping a person be comfortable by addressing issues causing physical or emotional pain or suffering. The goals of palliative care are to improve the quality of a seriously ill person’s life and to provide support to the family during and after treatment. The goals of hospice are to relieve symptoms and support patients with a life expectancy of months, not years, and their families. Hospice is a defined set of services, while palliative care is not.
The caringinfo.org web site has information on helpful subjects such as:
- What is Hospice?
- What is Palliative Care?
- Choosing a Hospice
- Choosing a Palliative Care Program [PDF]
Two of your biggest questions may be how much palliative care and hospice cost and how you will pay for it. Hospice is covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the Medicaid Hospice Benefit, and most private health insurance plans. Palliative care may be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or your private health insurance or long-term care insurance plan, HMO, or other managed care organization. If you don't have insurance, or your insurance does not cover hospice, don't let worries about cost keep you from contacting hospice. While each hospice has its own policies concerning payment, it is a tradition of hospice to offer services based on need, rather than on the ability to pay.
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