Questions people ask
What hospice won't tell you?
The honest answer is that a good hospice tells you these things at the start, before anyone signs. Hospice does not provide a caregiver in the home all day and night. It does not pay room and board. Treatment meant to cure the terminal illness stops. And you can leave hospice at any time and return to regular Medicare coverage. If a hospice is not telling you this, ask.
Reviewed by our medical director, October 12, 2026
On this page (5 sections)
What a good hospice tells you at the start
Medicare's rules require it. Under 42 CFR 418.24, the election statement you sign must say that hospice is comfort care rather than care to cure the illness. Under 42 CFR 418.52, the hospice must explain your rights in plain language before care starts, including the right to choose your own doctor.
So the things people fear a hospice hides are the things a hospice is required to say. The team visits on a schedule set by the plan of care, and family or hired caregivers provide daily care between visits. A hospice nurse answers the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The common worries and the plain answers
| The worry | The plain answer |
|---|---|
| Someone will be in the home all the time | No. The team visits on a schedule, and the family does daily care with the team's training. Continuous nursing at home is only when medically necessary during a symptom crisis |
| Hospice pays for the nursing home or assisted living | No. Medicare does not pay room and board where you live. The resident, family or long-term care insurance pays it, or Medi-Cal for eligible nursing facility residents |
| All treatment stops | Treatment meant to cure the terminal illness stops. Comfort care, symptom medicines and equipment begin. Medicare continues to cover conditions unrelated to the terminal illness |
| You cannot change your mind | You can. Choosing hospice is your decision. You can stop hospice at any time and return to regular Medicare coverage. You have the right to choose your hospice |
| There is no break for the caregiver | Inpatient respite care gives the family caregiver a rest, up to 5 days at a time, in a contracted facility |
See patient rights.
What this means for your family
- Ask every hospice the same four questions before you sign: who gives daily care, what is not covered, what stops, and how to leave.
- Plan the daily care early. The team teaches you how to give medicines and move someone safely. If no one can give daily care, tell the social worker early.
- Ask about costs early, including room and board if the person lives in a facility. We check your benefits and tell you your costs before care starts.
- Check the hospice itself in public records. See how to verify a hospice.
Related questions
Does hospice mean giving up?
No. Hospice does not mean giving up, and it does not speed up or slow down dying. The goal of care changes from curing the illness to comfort and dignity.
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.
What if we want to try a new treatment later?
A person can stop hospice at any time by signing a revocation statement, and regular Medicare coverage resumes. They can return later if a doctor certifies they are eligible.
Read more
The fuller pages: what hospice provides, paying for care and how to verify a hospice.
About this page
- Written by
- Beta Hospice care team
- Clinically reviewed by
- our medical director
- Last reviewed
- October 12, 2026
- Next review
- April 12, 2027
How we write and review this site
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Hospice care coverage (opens in a new tab)
- 42 CFR 418.24: Election of hospice care (opens in a new tab)
- 42 CFR 418.52: Patient's rights (opens in a new tab)
- 42 CFR 418.108: Short-term inpatient care (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 (844) 646-4434 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