YOUR HOSPICE BENEFIT: PLANNING THE JOURNEY

We are used to preparing for the milestones of our lives. Going on vacation, buying a new house, starting a family – all require extensive planning in order to do it right. But how much do we plan for the most major transitions of our lives, namely, the bookends of birth and death? None of us have any choice or influence on who will be with us when we are born, but we can choose who can support and comfort us as we come to the end of our lives.

 

At Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod, we sometimes hear about the reluctance of families to call us in, despite the fact that they may be overwhelmed with the burden of caring for a seriously ill family member. Asking for help can be an issue, though we offer a wide range of services that provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to the patient and family wherever they are. Often, people assume there will be prohibitive fees. What they don’t realize is the fact that every American is entitled to hospice care.

 

Hospice care and services is a health care benefit, providing specialized care to those experiencing a life-limiting illness when curative treatments are no longer an option. It’s important to understand this benefit before the need to access it arises. Medicare provides a hospice benefit that covers all care and services related to the terminal/life-limiting illness. In order to use this benefit, the attending physician must certify that the patient’s life expectancy is six months or less, should the disease run its’ normal course. If the doctor would not be surprised at the prospect of the patient no longer being alive in that time frame, then the case could be hospice-appropriate. If the patient’s condition should improve during that time, they can always be discharged, and come back on the benefit at a later time when needed. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the law requires that all insurance policies written in the state must have a hospice benefit.

 

However, not all hospice benefits are the same. The hospice Medicare benefit covers all skilled needs such as nursing, social work, personal care services, medications and medical equipment related to the terminal diagnosis. This means that families can receive needed support such as home visits, medications delivered, hospital beds, oxygen tanks, all covered by the hospice benefit. Many insurance policies mimic the Hospice Medicare benefit. As consumers, we should all be aware of the specific benefits of our own policies. Attempting to navigate them during a time of crises or uncertainty is difficult at best.

 

Caregivers, consumers and healthcare policyholders alike should be aware of the following:

 

·        The hospice benefits that cover you and your loved ones.

·        The wishes you and your loved ones have for their own end-of-life care.

·        Your physician’s thoughts on hospice services and end-of-life care.

·        The hospice providers who service your area, and the services they provide to meet your needs.

·        Not all hospices are the same, so if you have a preference, make sure you inform your doctor of that preference.

·        Patient choice is primary. You as the patient or as the health care proxy have the right to choose your provider.

 

Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod is the community’s original hospice. Founded in 1981, we remain today as the only freestanding non-profit here specializing in this unique field. We are the only hospice offering a dedicated hospice residence, the Mary McCarthy Hospice House in Sandwich, in addition to providing services in people’s homes, the hospitals, and long-term care facilities. We are also the only one to offer specialized grief support to children and young adults through our Kids Grieve Too!Ò program. Other hospice services, both for-profit and non-profit, have sprung up on the Cape in the last few years. It’s important for everyone to be aware of the different choices available, and ask for the one you want by name. Information is only a phone call away, 24 hours a day at 508-957-0200, or on the web at www.hospicecapecod.org. Nurses are available to provide free confidential consultations.

 

Think of this particular issue as you would your life insurance or your retirement account; the more you know, and the sooner you’re prepared, the less you’ll have to worry when the time comes to use it.