Who Pays for Palliative Care?

Coverage for comfort-focused palliative care varies by provider and insurance plan.

Check with your carrier or health plan to find out what is covered, what is not covered and whether you are responsible for co-pays, out-of-pocket costs or other charges.

Is Palliative Care Covered by Medicare?

Medicare Part B and Medicaid cover some types of palliative care, but you might have co-pays for some treatments and medications that are not covered. The same holds true for private plans, which typically cover palliative care, but each member’s plan may be different.

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a healthcare specialty that focuses on managing the pain, symptoms and stress of a serious illness for patients of any age and at any stage of a disease.

Typical palliative care solutions are:

• Symptom management
• Pain management
• Help navigating treatment options
• Advance care planning
• Comfort measures that support quality of life and referrals to community resources

Palliative care solutions can be used side by side with other primary treatments, and they also can be an option for patients who are eligible for hospice but are not yet emotionally ready to stop curative treatments in favor of end-of-life care.

Learn More: Hospice Care vs. Palliative Care

Source: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2019: “Palliative Care or Hospice?”