Medicare End of Life Care and Advanced Planning Cover

End-of-life care involves all health care that is availed to persons that are facing death regardless of whether the cause of death is sudden or if it is as a result of a long term terminal illness. For seniors that are above the age of 65, the most common factors that result in death include chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Medicare offers covers for comprehensive health care services whereby eligible beneficiaries can receive to the point of their death. The services that fall in this bracket include hospital care as well as care given in other settings such as social hospices, physician services, home health care, prescription drug, and diagnostic tests via Medicare separate benefit. Many of these services that are covered by Medicare may be used for both palliative and curative purposes. Beneficiaries of Medicare diagnosed with terminal illness are offered the Medicare hospice benefit which is inclusive of additional services that are normally not covered within the traditional Medicare like bereavement services.

Advance care planning includes a number of steps taken to assist persons in gaining knowledge about the healthcare options they have with regard to their end of life care; determining the best types of care that meet their personal desires; which types of care best fit their personal wishes; and that of their kin) expressing their desires physicians, friends, family, or persons that are caring for them and have undergone end of life doula trainings. In some instances, it may take only one conversation between the patient and the physician to explain their advance care plans before making the decision. However, it has been viewed by several experts that patients require several conversations with their doctors or other healthcare professionals to make their end of life planning clear to all parties.

Medicare commenced on January 1, 2016, to cover separately advance care planning service offered by healthcare professionals including physicians and nursing practitioners. The Medicare cover encompasses advance care planning that is offered in medical offices and medical facilities such as hospitals. The beneficiaries are expected to cost share for the advance care planning. This means that persons that have gone through caring for the dying trainings, also referred to as doula care givers, and assist in advanced care planning of the patient will need to work in collaboration with a physician or hospital facility for the patient to be eligible for the Medicare coverage.

Suzanne B. O’Brien RN has medical experience as an Oncology and hospice nurse. Her work experience inspired her to create programs that focus on care for dying individuals.