Does Medicare Cover Hospice Care?

Coverage · Facility & End-of-Life Care

This covers Medicare and hospice care — comfort care for a terminal illness.

Does Medicare cover hospice care?

Yes — Medicare covers hospice care for a terminal illness, at little or no cost. Part A covers hospice when a doctor certifies you are terminally ill (a life expectancy of 6 months or less) and you choose comfort care over care aimed at curing the illness. It covers nursing, medical equipment, drugs for symptom control, aide and homemaker services, counseling, and respite care.

Which part of Medicare covers it?

Part A.

What you pay

You pay nothing for hospice care itself. You may pay a small copay (up to $5) for each prescription for symptom control, and 5% for inpatient respite care.

Exact dollar amounts change every year — see Medicare costs for 2026 for the current deductibles and coinsurance, or a Medigap plan can cover most of this cost-sharing for you.

The limits people get wrong

Once you elect the hospice benefit, Medicare stops paying for treatment intended to cure the terminal illness (you keep coverage for unrelated conditions). You can leave hospice and return to standard Medicare at any time.

Related services

• Does Medicare cover skilled nursing facility care?
• Does Medicare cover mental health care?

Related Medicare guides

• All service coverage · drug coverage · dental, vision & hearing.
• Medicare costs · Glossary · Medicare Help Center.

Get a Real Answer for Your Situation — Free

Whether hospice care is covered — and what you’ll owe — depends on the details of your care and your plan. Call us free at 435-219-5120 (TTY: 711) and we’ll tell you what Medicare covers in your case, and whether a different plan would cover it better. No cost, no pressure.