Hospice care for a terminally ill Medicare beneficiary is covered primarily under:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Hospice care is a Medicare Part A benefit designed for terminally ill beneficiaries who choose comfort care rather than curative treatment. To qualify, a Medicare doctor must certify the beneficiary has a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, and the beneficiary must elect hospice care. Part A covers hospice services, including nursing, pain medication, and supportive care, with limited cost sharing. Part D, Medigap, and the catastrophic phase relate to prescription drug coverage and cost-sharing, not to the hospice benefit itself.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Part D covers outpatient prescription drugs through private plans; hospice services, including most hospice-related drugs, are a Part A benefit.
- C) Medigap supplements Original Medicare's cost sharing; it is not the primary payer for hospice care.
- D) Catastrophic coverage is a Part D cost-sharing phase for drug spending, unrelated to hospice care.
Memory hook
Hospice hangs under Part A. Comfort care for the terminally ill, paid by the hospital side of Medicare.