Comfort, dignity and support for the whole family
Hospice care
Hospice is care that focuses on comfort and quality of life when an illness can no longer be cured. A team of nurses, a doctor, aides, a social worker and a chaplain comes to wherever the person lives: a private home, a family member's home, an assisted living or board-and-care home, or a nursing facility. You do not need to have everything figured out to call us. Most families start with a question.
Reviewed by our medical director, September 24, 2026
On this page (9 sections)
What is hospice?
Hospice is a team and a plan, not a single visit or a fixed package. The person and family work with the hospice team on a plan of care written together. Hospice is for people with a serious illness when a doctor certifies that life expectancy is six months or less if the illness runs its usual course. People can stay on hospice longer than six months as long as a doctor continues to certify that they are eligible.
Hospice does not mean giving up, and it does not speed up or slow down dying. It means the goal of care changes from curing the illness to comfort, dignity and time with the people who matter.
What hospice includes, and what it does not
| Included when it is part of the plan of care | Not included |
|---|---|
| Nursing visits and a nurse by phone 24 hours a day | Treatment meant to cure the terminal illness |
| A hospice doctor's oversight, working with the person's own doctor | Room and board where the person lives, including assisted living or a nursing facility |
| Medicines for pain and symptom control | Care from providers the hospice team did not arrange |
| Medical equipment such as a hospital bed, oxygen and a wheelchair, and supplies | Emergency room visits or hospital stays that the hospice team did not arrange, unless unrelated to the terminal illness |
| Hospice aide help with bathing and personal care | A caregiver in the home all day and night |
| Social work, spiritual care, dietary counseling | |
| Short inpatient stays for symptoms that cannot be managed at home, and short respite stays to rest the caregiver | |
| Grief support for family, before and after a death |
The exact services, medicines and equipment depend on the person's needs and the plan of care. Medicare continues to cover conditions unrelated to the terminal illness. The hospice team explains what is included before anyone signs anything. See what hospice provides.
Who is on the hospice team
Nurses
Check and manage pain and other symptoms, teach family caregivers, and answer the phone at any hour.
Hospice doctor
Oversees the plan of care with the person's own doctor.
Hospice aides
Help with bathing, dressing and personal care.
Social worker
Helps with practical and emotional concerns, planning and community resources.
Chaplain
Spiritual support for any faith or none, only if wanted.
Volunteers and grief support
Companionship and support for family, including after a death.
Where hospice happens
Most hospice care happens wherever the person calls home, including assisted living and board-and-care homes and nursing facilities. When symptoms cannot be managed at home, short-term inpatient care can be arranged. Read more about where care happens and the four levels of hospice care.
What happens when you call
- Step 1
Tell us what is happening
Share the general situation and where the person is. You do not need every detail before calling.
- Step 2
Understand the options
A member of the hospice team explains what care would look like for this person and arranges the clinical and coverage review.
- Step 3
Plan together
If the person chooses hospice and the requirements are met, the person, the family and the hospice team write the plan of care together.
Who pays for hospice?
Medicare covers hospice care related to the terminal illness. Under Medicare, most people pay nothing for hospice care itself. There can be a copay of up to $5 per prescription for symptom medicines and 5% of the Medicare amount for inpatient respite care. Medicare does not pay room and board where you live. Medi-Cal covers hospice, and most private plans include a hospice benefit. We check your benefits and tell you your costs before care starts. See paying for care.
How is hospice different from palliative care?
Palliative care is extra support for symptoms and stress that can start earlier, while treatment for the illness continues. Hospice is for the time when treatment to cure the illness has stopped or is no longer wanted. See hospice vs palliative care and palliative care.
How to choose a hospice
Compare the care, the response plan and the people, not only the brochure. Medicare's Care Compare publishes information and quality measures for every hospice. Use it as one input, then ask each hospice:
- Who answers after hours, and how quickly will a family hear back?
- Which medicines, equipment and supplies would be included in the plan?
- How are pain, symptoms and sudden changes handled?
- What teaching, respite and grief support is there for the family?
- How will the hospice keep the person's other doctors informed?
Read how to choose a hospice and how to verify a hospice in California.
Common questions
Does hospice mean a nurse is in the home all the time?
No. The hospice team visits on a schedule set by the plan of care, and a nurse is available by phone 24 hours a day and can visit when needed. During a short symptom crisis, continuous nursing care at home may be provided when medically necessary. Family or hired caregivers provide day-to-day care. See levels of care.
Can we keep our own doctor?
Yes. The person can choose their own doctor to be the attending physician, who works with the hospice doctor on the plan of care.
Can someone leave hospice?
Yes. A person can stop hospice at any time and return to regular Medicare coverage, and can come back to hospice later if they are eligible. A person can also change hospice providers once in each benefit period.
How long can someone be on hospice?
Hospice is provided in benefit periods: two 90-day periods, then unlimited 60-day periods, as long as a doctor continues to certify that the person is eligible.
About this page
- Written by
- Beta Hospice care team
- Clinically reviewed by
- our medical director
- Last reviewed
- September 24, 2026
- Next review
- March 24, 2027
How we write and review this site
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Hospice care coverage (opens in a new tab)
- 42 CFR 418.202: Covered hospice services (opens in a new tab)
- National Institute on Aging: What are palliative care and hospice care? (opens in a new tab)
- Medicare Care Compare: Find and compare hospices (opens in a new tab)
These sources support the general information on this page. For one personās care and coverage, talk with the hospice team.
You do not have to decide alone.
Call (909) 347-7000 any time, or leave your number and someone from Beta's hospice team will call you. No decision is needed to call. Most families start with a question.
Only a hospice doctor, together with the personās own doctor, can confirm hospice eligibility. A website cannot.
- A nurse answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- You can stop hospice at any time
- You have the right to choose your hospice