Paying for Hospice

Medicare covers the full cost of hospice care for terminally ill individuals who choose the hospice benefit and agree to stop seeking curative treatments. Most private insurance plans also cover hospice care and reimbursements vary by plan. As a not-for-profit hospice provider, Hospice of Chattanooga never turns away a terminally-ill individual because of an inability to pay for our services. We rely on support from the community and donations made to The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation subsidize our non-reimbursed care.

As stated above, Medicare and most policies cover costs associated with hospice care, such as:

• Home visits from hospice team members
• Medical equipment (including wheelchairs, beds, commodes, oxygen)
• Medical supplies
• Medications for the terminal illness
• Grief support services

Generally, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance will not pay for:

• Treatment, including medications, equipment and supplies, for conditions unrelated to the life-limiting illness.
• Care from physicians or other health care providers that is not set up by hospice.
• Room and board if you live at home, in a nursing home, or in a hospice residential facility.
• Emergency room visits, inpatient facility care, and ambulance transportation, unless arranged by your hospice medical team.