What Medicare Hospice Covers—and What It Does Not
Covered team visits, medications, equipment, inpatient care, respite, and the room-and-board gap.
Start here
Medicare hospice covers the hospice team, symptom-management medications, related equipment and supplies, and short-term inpatient or respite care arranged by the hospice. It generally does not pay room and board or round-the-clock custodial caregiving at home.
What to have in front of you
- The notice, bill, decision, or discharge paperwork connected to the problem
- The person’s full name, date of birth, address, insurance information, and identification
- A short timeline with dates, names, phone calls, and what changed
- Copies of medical, school, financial, or care records that directly support the request
What to say when someone answers
“Please explain which diagnosis and conditions the hospice considers related, what equipment and medicines are covered, and which costs remain ours.”
Small but useful: Write down the person’s name, the date, the exact next step, and when you should call again.
Do this in order
- 1
Request the written plan of care and hospice election statement.
- 2
Ask for the addendum listing items, services, and drugs the hospice says are unrelated and will not cover.
- 3
Clarify routine home care, continuous home care, inpatient respite, and general inpatient care.
- 4
Ask who pays for facility room and board, private caregivers, ambulance trips, emergency-room care, and unrelated treatment.
What happens next
The hospice should arrange covered care and explain non-covered items. Coverage decisions can change when the plan of care changes.
If they say “we’ll put you on the list”
If a needed item is denied, request the reason in writing, ask for clinical review, contact Medicare, and consider changing hospice providers if the relationship cannot be repaired.
Official sources
Checked August 5, 2026. Programs, hours, funding, and enrollment lists can change. Confirm details directly before relying on them.