Behind on researching the multitude of issues I need to follow up on due to the 110 hour work week with caretaking for my DH and my employer:
Generaly speaking: 1) Do private pay insurance companies (my husband's covered under my policy thru work), typically pay for hospice?
2) Typically does Medicare help out much or at all if I have private pay insurance? I just got a mailing that it can kick in now since his disability period has ben long enough.
All insurance companies have different rules and coverage. You would need to call your insurance company to find out.
Typically, when someone goes on Medicare, Medicare covers about 80% of medical. Most people have another insurance that covers the rest. In your case, it would be your private insurance, but you need to call them to let them know he is on Medicare. They will adjust your premium down, since they are no longer covering him 100%. Then you need to find out exactly what and how much they will cover for him.
In my case, since I am not 65, I am not on Medicare. I am covered by a private insurance from the school system where I retired. They covered Sid until he turned 65 and went on Medicare. Now they pick up what Medicare does not for him.
On my home page - www.thealzheimerspouse.com - look on the left side. Scroll down to the box that says Medicare and Caregiving. You should find all the information you need in that resource. Here is a link to Medicare and Hospice benefits that I got from that resource - http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Search/Results.asp?PubID=02154&Type=PubID&Language=English
Hospice is free to you. They get reimbursed by Medicare but it costs you nothing. We just got discharged from Hospice because my DH is not declining fast enough. Now I'll have to pay for the things they had been providing ie medications, briefs, etc.
We just got "kicked off" hospice also...not exactly free, however as all the tax payers are footing the bill. AND the bill was surely a heavy one....just got the read out fro Medicare and WOW...very spendy for once a week short visits for the most part. The people we had were outstanding, however.
We got dropped from hospice, even though my wife was declining at an obvious rate and was just in the hospital with UTI. Medicare said it wasn't what they wanted!!!!!