Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on relieving pain, symptoms, and stress for people with a serious illness at ANY stage. Unlike hospice, palliative care can be provided alongside curative treatment. We track 189 providers offering palliative care. Medicare covers palliative consultations, and it is available in hospitals, clinics, and increasingly at home.
Key takeaways
- Palliative care is symptom management for serious illness, appropriate at ANY stage, not just end of life.
- You can receive palliative care while still pursuing curative treatment like chemotherapy or surgery.
- Delivered by a team: physician, nurse practitioner, social worker, chaplain. Coordinated with your primary treatment team.
- Medicare Part B covers palliative care consultations. Home-based palliative programs are expanding, sometimes covered by Medicare Advantage plans.
- Different from hospice: palliative has no 6-month prognosis requirement and does not require stopping curative treatment.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is medical care focused on relieving the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Unlike hospice, palliative care does not require a terminal prognosis and does not require you to stop treating the underlying disease. You can be receiving chemotherapy for cancer and also getting palliative care to manage the nausea and pain that come with it. Palliative teams typically include a physician or nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, a social worker, and often a chaplain. They coordinate with your primary treatment team (oncologist, cardiologist, etc.) to make sure symptom management does not conflict with disease treatment. Palliative care can start at diagnosis of a serious illness like cancer, heart failure, COPD, kidney disease, or ALS. Research consistently shows that early palliative care improves quality of life, reduces hospitalizations, and in some studies extends life.
How much does palliative care cost?
Median: $5,200/month · based on 189 palliative care providers we track
Palliative care visits in a hospital, clinic, or office are covered by Medicare Part B like any other specialist visit: you pay the Part B deductible and a 20 percent coinsurance unless you have supplemental insurance. Medicare Advantage plans often have set copays for specialist visits.
Home-based palliative care is a newer model that some Medicare Advantage plans, private insurers, and value-based care programs cover. Fee-for-service Medicare does not have a dedicated palliative-care-at-home benefit, though some services (nurse visits, telehealth) can be covered under existing benefits.
Many hospitals now have inpatient palliative care teams that see patients during a hospital stay at no additional cost beyond the regular hospital bill. Ask your hospital about palliative consultation.
Who is palliative care right for?
Palliative Care is usually the right fit when your loved one is:
- Serious illness diagnosis: cancer, heart failure, COPD, kidney disease, liver disease, ALS, MS
- Advanced dementia at any stage
- Complex symptom burden: pain, nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety
- Frequent hospitalizations or ER visits related to a chronic illness
- Difficulty making decisions about complex treatment options
- Family needs support navigating a serious illness
Services typically included
- Comprehensive symptom management (pain, nausea, breathlessness, anxiety, fatigue)
- Coordination with your primary disease-treatment team
- Help with advance care planning and treatment decisions
- Emotional and psychological support for patient and family
- Spiritual support from a chaplain (nondenominational, opt-in)
- Help navigating insurance, benefits, and long-term care choices
- Communication and family meetings around goals of care
- Continuity between hospital, clinic, and home
How to pay for palliative care
Medicare Part B
Palliative care visits are covered like any Part B service: pay the deductible and 20 percent coinsurance. Supplemental insurance (Medigap) usually covers the 20 percent. Inpatient palliative consultations during a hospital stay are covered under Part A.
Medicare Advantage
Many Medicare Advantage plans include palliative care benefits, sometimes with dedicated home-based programs. Copays are typically set (e.g., $30-50 per specialist visit).
Medicaid
Medicaid coverage of palliative care varies by state. Most states cover palliative visits under general medical benefits. Some states have dedicated palliative care programs.
Private insurance
Most private plans cover palliative care as a specialist service. Coverage varies for home-based palliative programs. Contact your insurer.
VA benefits
The VA has palliative care programs in most VA medical centers, covered fully for eligible veterans.
How to choose a palliative care provider
- Ask your specialist (oncologist, cardiologist, etc.) for a palliative care referral. It is not a sign of giving up.
- If you have been hospitalized more than twice in a year for the same condition, ask about palliative care.
- Look for a palliative team that has a physician board-certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
- Ask if the practice offers home visits, telehealth, or both.
- Ask about after-hours coverage. Symptom crises rarely happen during business hours.
- A palliative team should communicate with your other doctors, not compete with them. Confirm the coordination model.
Palliative Care vs other care types
Palliative Care vs Hospice Care
Explore Hospice CareHospice is palliative care specifically for the last 6 months of life, requires stopping curative treatment, and is fully covered by Medicare. Palliative care is available at ANY stage, works alongside curative treatment, and is covered like a normal specialist visit.
Palliative Care vs Home Care
Explore Home CareHome care is non-medical help with daily activities. Palliative care is medical management of symptoms. Many people with serious illness need both: palliative care for symptoms plus home care for bathing, meals, and companionship.
Palliative Care vs Nursing Homes
Explore Nursing HomesNursing homes can bring in palliative consultants for residents with serious illness. Palliative care during a nursing home stay is an under-used service that can significantly improve quality of life. Ask if it is available.
Frequently asked questions
What is palliative care?
Specialized medical care that focuses on relieving pain, symptoms, and stress of a serious illness. Available at any stage of illness, alongside curative treatment, delivered by a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, and chaplains.
How is palliative care different from hospice?
Palliative care can start at diagnosis and works alongside curative treatment. Hospice is for the last 6 months of life and requires stopping curative treatment. Every hospice patient is receiving palliative care; not every palliative patient is on hospice.
Does Medicare pay for palliative care?
Yes. Medicare Part B covers palliative care visits like any specialist service, with 20 percent coinsurance. Inpatient palliative consultations during a hospital stay are covered under Part A. Some Medicare Advantage plans have expanded home-based palliative benefits.
When should palliative care start?
As soon as a serious illness is diagnosed, especially if it involves difficult symptoms, complex decisions, or frequent hospitalizations. Early palliative care improves quality of life and, in some studies, extends survival.
Can I still see my oncologist / cardiologist / other specialist?
Absolutely. Palliative care works with your treatment team, not instead of them. The palliative team focuses on symptoms and quality of life while your other doctors focus on treating the disease.
Does palliative care mean giving up?
No. Palliative care is about living better with a serious illness, not accepting death. You can pursue curative treatment aggressively while also using palliative care to manage the symptoms and side effects.