Ms. Brooks has an aggressive cancer and would like to know if Medicare will cover hospice services in case she needs them. What

Answer: Yes, you are eligible to receive benefits. Hospice care is provided to patients expected to live six months or less. Since exact life expectancy can be hard to determine, Medicare hospice benefits cover two initial 90-day periods followed by any number of 60-day periods. This allows terminally ill patients to maintain hospice care as long as a hospice physician continues to certify that the patient has a six-month prognosis or less.

Some patients may remain under palliative care for months or even years despite their terminal status.