Do Medicare Advantage plans cover hospice?

A Medicare Advantage plan cannot provide or cover hospice services to its members.

Medicare Advantage plan members who need hospice care receive services from a Medicare-certified hospice under Original Medicare (Part A). 

Upon enrollment and annually thereafter, Medicare Advantage plans must inform members of the availability of hospice care and Medicare-certified hospices in the plan’s service area.  

A Medicare Advantage plan will continue to cover services that are not related to the terminal illness. 

For awhile, it looked as though there would be changes. In 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) started a three-year demonstration project to test the inclusion of hospice services in Medicare Advantage plans. In 2024, there were 13 Medicare Advantage Organizations testing the hospice benefit in 690 counties. But, CMS decided to terminate the demonstration as of December 31, 2024. Medicare Advantage members who need hospice services will continue to receive them under Part A through a Medicare-certified hospice.