One question, one plain answer
Questions people ask about hospice
Each page here answers one question that people in the Inland Empire type into a search engine about hospice: which two conditions are needed to start, what hospice will not tell you, what the 80/20 rule and the 36 month rule are, whether Medicare pays 100 percent, and how long Medicare pays. Every answer links to the fuller page and lists its sources.
Medically reviewed by Oscar Chien, MD, Medical Director, October 12, 2026
On this page (2 sections)
In this section
Two conditions for hospice
Two things must both be true to start hospice under Medicare: a doctor certifies six months or less, and the person elects hospice. What each one means.
Read moreWhat hospice won't tell you
A good hospice tells you these at the start: no all-day caregivers, room and board is not covered, curative treatment stops, and you can leave at any time.
Read moreThe 80/20 rule
The 80/20 rule limits a hospice's inpatient days to 20 percent of its total Medicare patient days in a year. It caps the provider, not any patient's care.
Read moreThe 36 month rule
A Medicare rule for hospice owners: a majority ownership change within 36 months means re-enrolling as a new provider. It does not limit a patient's time.
Read moreDoes Medicare cover hospice
Yes. Medicare Part A covers hospice care for a terminal illness: the team, symptom medicines, equipment and short inpatient stays.
Read moreHow long Medicare pays
There is no fixed limit. Medicare pays for hospice in two 90-day periods, then unlimited 60-day periods, as long as a doctor recertifies before each one.
Read moreWhat hospice provides, and what it doesn't
A yes, no or it-depends answer for 14 things families ask about: hospital bed, oxygen, aides, 24-hour care, IV fluids, antibiotics, therapy, diapers, labs.
Read moreHospice and dialysis
Sometimes: dialysis stops if kidney failure is the hospice diagnosis; if the terminal illness is something else, it can often continue.
Read moreWhen to call hospice for dementia
Anyone can call hospice about dementia. A doctor certifies eligibility. The signs families notice, and what Medicare's dementia guidance looks for.
Read moreHospice myths and facts
Ten things families believe about hospice and what is true under Medicare: giving up, the last days, morphine, your own doctor, cost and leaving.
Read moreDoes morphine speed up death?
No, in the doses hospice uses for pain and breathlessness. What morphine does, why it is started, what families notice and who decides.
Read moreHow long hospice lasts
Half of people on Medicare hospice in 2024 had 19 days or less; the average was about 100 days. Why stays differ by illness and setting, and what it means.
Read moreHospice for old age
Old age alone is not a hospice diagnosis, but many frail, declining older adults are eligible. The signs doctors look at, and what to do if it is too soon.
Read moreHow to use these answers
Start with the question closest to yours. Each page gives the direct answer first, then where the rule comes from, what it means for your family, and a few closely related questions. The answers are general information. They are not medical advice and they do not decide whether someone is eligible. For a question about your own situation, talk with your doctor or a hospice nurse.
For shorter answers to many more questions, see questions and answers. For the basics, start with hospice care and paying for care.
About this page
- Written by
- Beta Hospice care team
- Medically reviewed by
- Oscar Chien, MD, Medical Director
- Last reviewed
- October 12, 2026
- Next review
- April 12, 2027
You do not have to decide alone.
Call (877) 258-7129 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 person鈥檚 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