Is Hospice care only good for six months? What if my loved one lives more than six months when receiving the hospice benefit?
No, hospice care is not limited to six-months of care for terminally ill individuals.
A terminally ill patient may receive hospice care for as long as necessary when a physician certifies that he or she has a life expectancy of six months or less. While many insurance companies, as well as the Medicare Hospice Benefit, require that a terminally ill patient have a prognosis of six months or less, they do not limit hospice care to six months. A physician must recertify a patient in order for them to receive the Hospice benefit after six months.