Will Hospice Care Be Available to You?

Most of us will experience hospice care at some point in our life, either for ourselves or a loved one. This service, as well as patient's demands for assistance with end of life care, has continued to grow since agencies began opening their doors in the 1980s. However, recently a study was released by the University of Michigan that recognized a significant gap in the availability of hospice care in the United States. It seems that hospice care is scarce in communities with more of an elderly population, lower educations and those with lower income families. The University of Michigan researchers believe the gaps in hospice care is a result of the way hospice care is funded in the U.S.

Hospice care is for those who are terminally ill as well as for their families. Hospice care is usually recommended at six months or less of life expectancy. Hospice agencies, in conjunction with families, doctors, nurses and volunteers work to make a patient's end of life experience as comfortable as possible. The agency is there to help dying patients live their last days in an environment that provides increased comfort and quality of life. Hospice care focuses on alleviating pain while providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support for the patient and their family. Hospice care can be provided outside of the home, but many patients and family members believe that one of the great benefits of hospice is being able to receive end of life care in the comforts of home.

Initially, hospice care was operated by volunteers and philanthropy, but in 1982 the federal government began reimbursing agencies for care provided to Medicare patients who's doctors said they had less than 6 months to live. Since then the United States has seen a large growth in hospice agencies. Even with the growth of agencies there is still a minority of the dying population that takes advantage of hospice services. Patients who are dying that do utilize hospice, usually do not spend enough time under there care to experience all of the benefits.

Hospice services rely on referrals from physicians. Many patients and their families are unfamiliar with hospice care and its advantages to other end of life care. Therefore, it is very important for education of medical professionals, patients, and their families as to what services are available in their communities.

Hospice care is paid for by health insurance if it has been determined that a patient has less than 6 months to live. Hospice agencies are able to provide care to patients and their families regardless of their ability to pay as a result of community involvement, hospice volunteers, private insurance, and Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare only reimburses 70 percent of the cost for certain services. The rest is left to the agencies to fund through charity donations and volunteerism.

There seems to be a shortfall of hospice agencies in less fortunate, lower educated and higher elderly populations. It seems that hospice agencies are more often found in wealthier, younger, and well-educated populations. This seems to be a result of the current funding of hospice. It seems to better serve communities with a low presence of hospice care; agencies need help with the funding of the remaining 30 percent of the costs of care not covered by Medicare in order to operate.