Health Insurance And Hospice Care
Hospice is one option that many individuals and families fail to consider when dealing with the final years or months of a loved one's life
. While some perceive this as only an option for the wealthy, others believe that it can only be a feasible option if there is someone with medical experience to provide care for the loved one when a hospice worker is not available. Though these are fairly widespread beliefs, they are nevertheless incorrect.Most people would choose to pass away in the comfort of their home with their close friends and family members close by, but unfortunately many people that otherwise would be able to do so are unable to due some of the previously mentioned common misconceptions. Since almost everyone seems to end up in a nursing home these days once their ability to function and health and diminished to a serious extent, it would seem nonsequiter to assume that this is the only option available.
However, this is not the case. Individuals with Medicare (yes, Medicare!) may indeed be eligible for coverage for hospice care through their policy. Patients of any age with Medicare that have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have been medically certified as having only six months or less left to live are eligible. If, perchance, the patient continues to live beyond that six month period of hospice care, coverage will generally be extended as long as the patient is believed to still be within the six month period of dying.
The vast majority of hospice patients pass away in thirty days or less, but others may go on for years with a similar medical outlook in regards to expected lifespan. Hospice care is administered by an interdisciplinary team of medical professionals including nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, and even volunteers who ensure the patients needs are being met. Many hospice programs also offer through health insurance counseling services for the ill person and their close family members as they go through the grief process.
Treatment is generally not focused on curing or preventing disease, since at the point of requiring hospice care, a disease has generally already taken its toll on the body and been deemed terminal. Rather, the focus is on ensuring the patient's comfort and reducing any pain or discomfort during their final days.
Another misbelief in regards to hospice care in the United States is that a patient must be diagnosed with terminal cancer or AIDS to obtain the care. This is simply not the case at all, as patients may be eligible for hospice care for other conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's, renal failure, end-stage heart disease, end-stage lung disease, and a number of other conditions. Essentially, if a diagnosis is acceptable on a death certificate, it would qualify a patient for obtaining hospice care through their health insurance provider.
Actual coverage varies depending on one's actual health insurance company and specific policy, but most do indeed offer coverage for this choice of care.
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