Does Medicare cover hospice? If not, and private insurance does not, then is it private pay?

Thank you IrishEyes & geewiz for both your answers. I really appreciate you both taking the time to do that. We will be seeing the doctor this week, with my Aunt, and will discuss this more with her -- as she has mentioned hospice herself, I doubt that she will hestiate to write the script. Even though both my parents were in hospice, my Mom at home, and my Dad in a nursing home for the last 2 weeks of his life; and both experiences were challenging and emotionally tough, both were able to make informed decisions about hospice care, and were mentally "together" enough to do so. My Aunt is a very different personality, and has some dementia, so the circumstances are more cloudy. Thank you again, I'm just walking through this, one day at a time, and having trust in a Higher Power. I want to help my aunt, but take care of myself too. Catlover

Perhaps each hospice is different, but I have now signed 3 different people into hospice. 2 were covered by Medicare and Medicare paid and the 3rd was under medicaid and they paid the hospice fees. Please note, home health is different from in home hospice. I'd suggest you get a list of hospice agencies that cover your Aunt's geographic area and call them to see what they offer and if they accept medicare (most do). Different hospice groups offer different services so choose the one that offers what your aunt needs. The one I am using now sends an aide 2 hours/day five days a week. In addition, a nurse checks weekly (more frequently as needed), the chaplain comes bi-weekly as does a social worker. They contribute to certain meds and provide diapers and ointments. I would be VERY surprised if hospice was not covered for your aunt. You will need a script from the doctor but the hospice assessment can generally be done with in 24 hours. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Hello Catlover,

I just signed up about an hour ago to look for answers as well. I'm caretaker for my 76 year old friend who is in "home hospice" at our house. He has been in the program for about 3 weeks with daily nurse visits. In the past week, he has declined rapidly as well. Today I found out that Medicare will not cover "in home hospice extended care", but will cover some at a facility.I offer this information as I just learned of it a few hours ago. I'm sure one of the veteran posters will offer you some more detailed advice in a short time. I thought I would add my 2 cents and say hello.