Palliative care is a type of comfort care that focuses on pain and symptom management for chronic conditions or serious illnesses, often including emotional support as well as medical treatments. While many seniors receive palliative care at local hospitals, clinics, or hospices, some families seek in-home comfort services at a personal residence. But who pays for palliative care at home? The answer depends on your loved one’s unique medical condition, what services they require, and where they choose to receive care.
Palliative care can help seniors navigate life-limiting illnesses and chronic health issues. To be eligible to receive palliative care, your parent must have a doctor’s referral for their condition.
Palliative care professionals often provide support for seniors with a variety of conditions, which may include the following:
Palliative care teams focus on managing pain and debilitating symptoms of these and other illnesses. Caregivers can also provide emotional support, spiritual guidance, and help with decision-making about treatment and care options.
Our free tool provides options, advice, and next steps based on your unique situation.
Some insurance policies will likely cover the medical services of at-home palliative care including home health services and prescriptions. However, the broad spectrum of in-home palliative care services may not be fully covered.
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance often cover inpatient and outpatient palliative care. Your loved one’s unique medical situation and where they choose to receive care — whether at a hospital, hospice, or local medical center — will affect coverage.
Read more: Medicare, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care
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Seniors and their families opting for in-home palliative care should be aware that there are likely some treatments and medications that won’t be covered. Copayments, coinsurance, and policy premiums will likely still apply before palliative services are covered.
Because coverage varies depending on condition, place of treatment, and insurance plan, be sure to connect with your parent’s insurance agent or Medicare representative to get personalized cost quotes.
If your family member’s insurance doesn’t cover the entire cost of in-home palliative care, there are other options to consider. Families often take a mix-and-match approach to pay for home care.
While it can be hard to support a parent as they’re navigating a serious medical condition, being prepared to manage finances together can make the journey less difficult.
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
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