Does Insurance Cover Palliative Care?
Many private insurance companies and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) offer palliative care and hospice benefits. Medicare offers hospice benefits, and the extra Medicare plan (Part B) offers some palliative care benefits. Medicaid coverage of hospice and palliative care for people of limited incomes varies by state.
When Can Palliative Care Help?
Palliative care can help people of any age and at any stage in a serious illness.
Why Would Someone Need Palliative Care?
Palliative care is whole-person care. It can help patients manage the stress and burden of a serious illness and help them achieve their definition of quality of life. Palliative care can help patients cope with aggressive treatments by getting pain and side effects under control to help them fight the disease. Some studies have shown cancer patients who receive palliative care were more likely to complete chemotherapy and reported a higher quality of life than those who didn't receive palliative care.
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
is an organization of 3,800 physicians and other healthcare providers who are dedicated to improving the quality of life of patients facing life-threatening or serious conditions, answers questions about palliative care.
For more information about palliative care, visit
www.PalliativeDoctors.org
.