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VITAS Healthcare

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  • Hospice & Palliative Care Basics
    • Hospice & Palliative Care Basics
    • About Hospice Care
    • When is it Time for Hospice?
    • The Hospice Care Team
    • Paying for Hospice
    • Hospice FAQs
    • About Palliative Care
    • End-of-Life Care Planning
  • Care Services
    • Care Services
    • Hospice Care at Home
    • Hospice Interdisciplinary Care Team
    • Inpatient Hospice Care
    • What is Palliative Care?
    • Personalized Care Plans By Condition
    • Emotional and Spiritual Care
    • Event Calendar
  • Family & Caregiver Support
    • Family & Caregiver Support
    • Caregiving
    • Support by Medical Condition
    • What to Expect from Hospice
    • Grief and Bereavement
    • Blog: VITAS Stories
    • Support Groups
  • For Healthcare Professionals
    • For Healthcare Professionals
    • VITAS Advantage
    • Hospice and Palliative Care Eligibility Guidelines
    • Benefits of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • Education and Training
    • Medicare Hospice Benefit & Physician Billing
    • Partner Organizations
    • Care During COVID-19
    • Telehealth Hospice Admissions
    • Blog: Making the Rounds
    • Downloadable Hospice Information
  • Careers
    • Careers
    • Browse VITAS Careers
    • FAQs about Working in Hospice
    • Why Work at VITAS?
    • Jobs Fairs & Events
    • VITAS Hospice Career Insights
    • Employee Reviews & Testimonials
    • Get Customized Job Alerts and Info

How to Pay for Hospice

Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance all pay for hospice. It's very rare for a patient or family to have any out-of-pocket expenses.

Who Pays for Hospice?

Terminally ill patients do not usually have to pay for hospice care, and many use the Medicare Hospice Benefit. Here's what it includes and how it works.

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Medicare and the Cost of Hospice

Medicare covers the cost of hospice, and you qualify for Medicare if you meet certain conditions. See what they are.
    A couple looks at paperwork while their daughter points to it

    Insurance and Hospice

    Private insurance plans generally cover hospice and palliative care costs in full, but the terms and conditions of eligibility of each plan will vary.

    A couple on a sofa looks over paperwork and a laptop sitting on their coffee table

    Hospice and the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI)

    Starting in 2020, healthcare providers will no longer accept Social Security numbers for Medicare transactions. Your new Medicare card has the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) number you need.

    A VITAS team member at the Care Connection Center, ready to answer a call

    Contacts & Billing Info

    Patients, families and healthcare professionals who have a question for VITAS can find contact information in our Help Center.

    • Patient contact information
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Hospice care downloads
    • Payment information
    • Online bill pay
    Go to Help Center
    • About Hospice Care
      • 10 Facts About Hospice
      • Hospice and Holistic Therapies
      • Hospice and Morphine
      • Hospice Care Myths and Facts
      • Hospice Glossary
      • Hospice is a Full Range of Care
      • Hospice Puts the Patient and Family in Control
      • Inpatient Hospice or Home Hospice Care?
      • The 4 Levels of Hospice Care
      • What Happens if I Get Better While in Hospice Care?
      • Home Health Care or Hospice Care?
    • When is it Time for Hospice?
      • Is it Time for Hospice? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself
      • How to Choose a Hospice Provider
      • Talking About Hospice With Your Family
      • Hospice Checklist
      • Who Makes the Hospice Decision?
      • Talking to Your Doctor about Hospice
      • Hospice Is a Choice
      • Hospice Is Not Giving Up
      • Quality Hospice Care Takes Time
    • The Hospice Care Team
      • A Day in the Life of a Hospice Physician
      • A Day in the Life of a Hospice Nurse
      • A Day in the Life of a Hospice Social Worker
      • What Do Hospice Social Workers Do?
      • A Day in the Life of a Hospice Chaplain
    • Paying for Hospice
      • Who Pays for Hospice?
      • Medicare and the Cost of Hospice
      • Insurance and Hospice
      • Hospice and the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI)
    • Hospice FAQs
      • FAQs about Hospice Services
      • FAQs about Paying for Hospice
      • FAQs about Hospice and Medical Conditions
    • About Palliative Care
      • What is Palliative Care?
      • Hospice vs. Palliative Care: What's the Difference?
      • How Palliative Care Helps Families and Caregivers
      • How Can Palliative Care Help Cancer Patients?
      • Paying for Palliative Care
    • End-of-Life Care Planning
      • Living Wills and Advance Directives
      • Having a Conversation about the End of Life
      • Does Hospice Require You to Sign a DNR?
      • What is a Do Not Intubate Order?
      • Challenges in Pediatric End-of-Life Care
    • Palliative FAQ

    Call Us 24/7

    800.582.9533 Frequently Asked Questions
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    • VITAS® CARE SERVICES
      • Hospice Care at Home
      • 24/7 Telecare Services
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      • What is Palliative Care?
      • Personalized Care Plans By Condition
      • Hospice Interdisciplinary Care Team
      • Emotional and Spiritual Care
      • All VITAS Services
    • FOR FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS
      • Caregiving
      • Support by Medical Condition
      • What to Expect from Hospice
      • Grief and Bereavement
      • Blog: VITAS Stories
      • Share Your Experience
      • Memory Bears
      • More Family & Caregiver Support
    • FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
      • Hospice Eligibility Guidelines
      • Telehealth Hospice Admissions
      • Education and Training
      • Careers
      • FAQs about Working in Hospice
      • Partner Organizations
      • Blog: Making the Rounds
      • Clinicians: Sign Up for Our Emails
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