Hospice myths, and the facts

What’s true

Hospice is care that comes to the person. It’s usually given at home, though it may also be covered in an inpatient facility.² Nearly every hospice day is spent at the routine home care level: 98.8% of the hospice days Medicare covered in 2024.¹

What’s true

Hospice is built for people with a life expectancy of six months or less.³ Yet half of the Medicare patients who died on hospice in 2024 had been on it for 19 days or less, and more than a quarter came only in the last week of life.¹ Coming earlier means more visits, more help for the family and more time to plan. When is it time for hospice? describes the signs.

What’s true

Choosing hospice means choosing comfort care instead of care to cure the terminal illness.³ The care keeps coming: nurse visits, medicines for pain and symptoms, equipment and supplies, and support for the family.² And after hospice starts, Medicare still covers care for health problems that aren’t related to the terminal illness.²

What’s true

A person can choose to include their regular doctor in their hospice care, and can still see their regular doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.²

What’s true

A person always has the right to stop hospice care, at any time.² They can also change hospice providers once during each benefit period.² Can you leave hospice? explains how both work.

What’s true

Medicare covers two 90-day benefit periods, then an unlimited number of 60-day periods. At the start of each period after the first 90 days, the hospice medical director or another hospice doctor recertifies that the person is still terminally ill.² If the person’s health improves, they may no longer need hospice, and if they’re eligible later, they can come back.²

What’s true

Medicare’s rules don’t name a diagnosis. Hospice is for anyone with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less.³ Among the Medicare patients who died on hospice in 2024, those with neurological conditions had averaged 169 days of hospice over their lifetime, and those with COPD 133, compared with 51 for cancer.¹ Who qualifies for hospice? goes illness by illness.

What’s true

Studies have shown no link between opioid use, like morphine, and early death. Opioids can also ease shortness of breath near the end of life.⁴ Morphine and comfort medicines in hospice answers the rest.

What’s true

A hospice nurse and doctor are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.² That isn’t the same as someone in the house all day. Does hospice mean someone there 24 hours? explains what hospice does at 2 AM, and what it doesn’t do.

What’s true

With Medicare, a family pays nothing for hospice care from a Medicare-approved hospice, apart from a copayment of up to $5 per prescription for pain and symptom medicines.³ Inpatient respite care, a short stay that gives the caregiver a rest, costs 5% of the Medicare-approved amount.² One thing the hospice benefit doesn’t pay for is room and board, like the monthly cost of a nursing home or assisted living.² Who pays for hospice? covers Medi-Cal, health plans and veterans.