FINANCING
At Greenfield, we’re committed to providing the highest quality of care without creating undue financial hardship for our residents or their loved ones. We have experts on staff to help walk you through your financing options, which include (but not limited to):
* Greenfield promotional discounts
* Veteran benefits
* Tax deductions
* Long-term care insurance
Please contact us to learn more about financing your stay at Greenfield.
Is hospice care covered by Medicare?
So long as your hospice provider is Medicare- approved, original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B) does cover hospice. Medicare pays for hospice care whether or not you have a Medicare Advantage plan (an HMO or PPO) or another Medicare health plan. However, it is essential that you verify your hospice provider is approved (if you have a Medicare supplemental plan).
At which point does Medicare step in to cover hospice?
A doctor has to certify that a person, covered by Medicare, is unlikely to live longer than 6 months.
In order to receive this assistance a person must sign a statement stating that they are requesting palliative care, have no intention with regards to seeking out treatments to cure the illness, and are opting for hospice care instead of other Medicare-approved services to treat the illness.
What does Medicare cover?
Original Medicare covers an exhaustive range of supplies, prescriptions and services. These include:
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Doctor and nursing services.
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Medical equipment and supplies ordered by a health care provider for everyday or extended use (DME). For example, oxygen equipment, wheelchairs, crutches or blood testing strips for diabetics.
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Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Physical, occupational, and speech therapy services (when deemed appropriate to the plan of care).
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Nutrition counseling.
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Prescription medications needed control pain and relieve symptoms.
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Short-term inpatient care to help you manage pain or symptoms.
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Social work services, grief counseling, and chaplains, for both patient and family.
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Short term respite care (up to five days at a time) in order to allow the primary caregiver to rest (when being cared for at home).
What type of things are not covered by Medicare?
It will only cover services arranged by the hospice care team. Additionally, it will not cover things like room and board, treatments to cure illnesses, or any form of care a person may receive at an outpatient facility.
Does it cover other treatments that are not related to the terminal illness?
Medicare Part A will still pay to treat other illnesses, even if a person is receiving hospice benefits. However, one is still subject to the same deductibles and co-payments.
With regards to the Medicare Advantage plan, a person is allowed to keep it, even when receiving hospice benefits, so long as they keep paying the premiums for the coverage.
Are there any deductibles or co-pays?
With the exception of a few prescriptions and services (that may incur a small copay), there are no charges or deductibles for hospice care.
Does the Medicare hospice benefit cover people
with dementia?
If the life expectancy is less than 6 months, Medicare will cover dementia. As mentioned earlier in this article, a physician must certify that a persons life expectancy is not likely to be more than 6 months.
How long will Medicare pay for hospice services?
There are instances in which a person receiving hospice care, lives more than the projected life expectancy of 6 months. In these instances, Medicare will continue to pay for hospice care. However, it does require a doctor or hospice director to re-certify that the persons life expectancy is still less than an additional 6 months. Any further extensions, after that point, will require doctor re-certifications every two months.
One final point of note. If a person is discharged from hospice, Medicare will still cover the cost if they need to be readmitted due to a change of their condition.