After a beneficiary enrolls in a Medicare Advantage plan, hospice care continues to be covered by:

Why A is correct

Medicare Advantage plans must provide all Original Medicare covered services, but one important exception remains: hospice care continues to be paid for by Original Medicare Part A, not by the MA plan. When an MA enrollee elects hospice, Original Medicare takes over the hospice benefit while the MA plan continues to cover other covered services. This federal rule makes Original Medicare the correct payer for hospice under an MA enrollment, so option A is correct.

Why the other options are wrong

• B) Hospice is not left to the MA plan's discretion; Original Medicare Part A is statutorily responsible for the hospice benefit even for MA enrollees. Federal law reserves hospice to Original Medicare, removing it from the MA plan's discretion.
• C) Part D covers prescription drugs, not hospice services; the hospice benefit itself is a Part A coverage item. Part D pays for drugs only, and hospice is a service benefit rather than a drug benefit.
• D) A Medigap policy generally cannot be held alongside a Medicare Advantage plan; MA plans do not coordinate with Medigap, and Medigap does not pay hospice under MA. Medigap and MA generally cannot be held together, so no Medigap pays hospice under MA.

Memory hook

MA takes over your care, but hospice stays with Original Medicare Part A — the one string never cut.