Does Medicare Cover Hospice Care?
Yes. Medicare covers hospice care under Part A (Hospital Insurance) for people who are terminally ill. To qualify, your hospice doctor and your regular doctor (if you have one) must certify that you have a life expectancy of 6 months or less and that you choose comfort care instead of treatment aimed at curing your illness. There is no deductible for the hospice benefit, and you pay nothing for covered hospice services from a Medicare-approved provider. Your only possible out-of-pocket costs are up to $5 for each prescription drug for pain or symptom relief and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for short-term inpatient respite care.
What Medicare hospice covers and who qualifies
The Medicare hospice benefit is part of Part A (Hospital Insurance). Hospice is for people who are terminally ill and have decided to focus on comfort rather than on treatments meant to cure the illness.
To qualify, both your hospice doctor and your regular doctor (if you have one) must certify that you are terminally ill, meaning a life expectancy of 6 months or less. You also sign a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered treatments for your terminal illness.
Once you start hospice, the benefit covers a wide range of care related to your terminal illness and any related conditions. Care is provided by a team that may include doctors, nurses, aides, social workers, and counselors.
- Pain management and symptom relief
- Nursing care
- Medical equipment and supplies related to the terminal illness
- Hospice aide and homemaker services
- Social work services
- Spiritual and grief (bereavement) counseling
- Short-term inpatient care and short-term inpatient respite care
How long Medicare pays for hospice (benefit periods)
Medicare hospice care is provided in benefit periods. You can get hospice for two 90-day benefit periods, followed by an unlimited number of 60-day benefit periods. There is no overall time limit as long as you remain eligible.
At the start of each benefit period after the first, a doctor must recertify that you are still terminally ill. Beginning with the third benefit period, a hospice physician or hospice nurse practitioner must have a face-to-face meeting with you (within the 30 days before that period begins) before recertifying your terminal illness.
If you live longer than 6 months, you can stay on hospice as long as the hospice medical director or doctor recertifies that you remain terminally ill.
What hospice costs you under Medicare (2026)
The Medicare hospice benefit has no deductible. You pay nothing for covered hospice services from a Medicare-approved hospice provider. Your possible costs are limited and small.
- Deductible for hospice: $0
- Covered hospice services: $0
- Prescription drugs for pain and symptom management related to the terminal illness: a copayment of up to $5 per prescription
- Inpatient respite care (short-term care so your caregiver can rest): 5% of the Medicare-approved amount. This copayment cannot be more than the inpatient hospital deductible, which is $1,736 per benefit period in 2026.
- You keep paying your monthly Part A and Part B premiums. Part A is premium-free if you (or a spouse) have 40 or more quarters of Medicare-covered work; otherwise it is $311/month at 30-39 quarters or $565/month with fewer than 30 quarters in 2026. The standard Part B premium is $202.90/month in 2026.
The four levels of hospice care
Medicare recognizes four levels of hospice care. Your hospice team decides which level fits your needs at any given time, and the level can change as your condition changes.
- Routine home care: the most common level, provided where you live (your home, a nursing home, or an assisted living facility)
- Continuous home care: short-term, around-the-clock nursing care at home during a medical crisis to keep you comfortable
- General inpatient care: care in a facility for symptoms that cannot be managed at home
- Inpatient respite care: short-term care in an approved facility (up to 5 consecutive days at a time) to give your usual caregiver a rest
What Medicare hospice does not cover
Choosing hospice means Medicare stops paying for treatment intended to cure your terminal illness. A few things fall outside the hospice benefit.
- Treatment meant to cure your terminal illness (you have chosen comfort care instead)
- Room and board, if you live at home, in a nursing home, or in a hospice inpatient facility. The exception is short-term respite care.
- Care from a hospice provider that your hospice team did not arrange, unless it is unrelated to your terminal illness or is emergency or respite care
- Note: Medicare still helps pay for treatment of health problems that are not related to your terminal illness, and you keep your other Medicare coverage for those conditions.
Medicare Advantage, your doctors, and leaving hospice
If you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can still choose hospice. Once your hospice benefit starts, Original Medicare (not your Medicare Advantage Plan) pays for your hospice care related to your terminal illness. You can stay in your Medicare Advantage Plan, and it continues to cover care that is not related to your terminal illness.
You can keep your regular doctor or nurse practitioner and have them help manage your care as part of the hospice team.
You can stop (revoke) hospice care at any time and return to standard Medicare coverage. If you revoke, you give up the remaining days of hospice coverage in that election period, but you can choose hospice again later if you become eligible.
To find a hospice, you can use the Medicare Care Compare tool at Medicare.gov, ask your doctor or hospital discharge planner, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Frequently asked questions
Is there a deductible for Medicare hospice care?
No. The Medicare hospice benefit has no deductible, and you pay nothing for covered hospice services from a Medicare-approved provider. The only possible costs are up to $5 per prescription for pain and symptom drugs and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care.
How long can I stay on Medicare hospice?
There is no overall time limit. Hospice is covered for two 90-day benefit periods, followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods. A doctor must recertify your terminal illness at the start of each period after the first, and starting with the third period the recertification follows a face-to-face meeting with a hospice physician or nurse practitioner.
Does Medicare Advantage cover hospice, or does Original Medicare pay?
Once you elect hospice, Original Medicare pays for your hospice care related to your terminal illness even if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan. You can stay in your Medicare Advantage Plan, which continues to cover care unrelated to your terminal illness.
Does Medicare hospice cover room and board?
Generally no. Medicare hospice does not cover room and board if you live at home, in a nursing home, or in a hospice inpatient facility. The exception is short-term inpatient respite care, for which you pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount (capped at the 2026 inpatient deductible of $1,736).
Can I leave hospice and go back to regular Medicare?
Yes. You can stop (revoke) hospice care at any time and return to standard Medicare coverage. When you revoke, you forfeit the remaining days of hospice in that election period, but you can elect hospice again later if you still qualify.
Do I still pay my Medicare premiums while on hospice?
Yes. You continue to pay your monthly Part A and Part B premiums while receiving hospice care. Most people get premium-free Part A (with 40+ work quarters); the standard Part B premium is $202.90 per month in 2026.
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Medicare Login Guide is an independent resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or any government agency. This article is for general information only — confirm current figures and your specific options at medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.