Palliative care is defined as specialized, interdisciplinary medical care for people with serious illnesses, their families, and caregivers.1-4 The goal of palliative care is to improve both the patient and family’s quality of life by providing relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness. This is done through the assessment, prevention, and management of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual problems.
According to the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care, hospice care is defined as a specific type of palliative care for people with less than a year to live.4 Like palliative care, the goals of hospice care are to provide symptom and pain relief as well as emotional and spiritual support to patients and family members to improve their quality of life. While the benefits and services of palliative care vary across institutions, hospice care is more standardized. Hospice care is compassionate care provided to those with life-limiting illness or injury and focuses on caring, not curing, by supporting symptom relief and dignity for patients.5
Qualifying for Care
Palliative care can be provided regardless of the diagnosis or the age of the patient, and at any stage in a serious illness.1-4 It may be provided alongside curative treatment, and may begin early in the course of a serious illness. A 2015 Institute of Medicine (IOM) consensus statement recommends early integration of palliative care after the diagnosis of a serious illness, providing this care alongside curative or disease-modifying treatments.1
Hospice care can be provided to patients of all ages whose remaining life expectancy is less than one year.4 In order for an adult patient to be eligible to receive hospice care under the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit, the patient must have a prognosis of six months or less as certified by two physicians, and the patient must also forego insurance coverage for curative treatment efforts.5
Care Provided
Both hospice and palliative care aim to provide patients with relief from physical, emotional, and spiritual pain in order to provide the best quality of life for both patients and family members.4 Hospice care, unlike palliative care, may require patients to forgo all curative treatments and may not support the continuation of prescription drugs unless intended for pain or symptom relief.6
According to the Social Security Act,5 Title 18, Section 1861 (dd), hospice care includes the following types of care:
- Nursing care
- Physical or occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services
- Medical social services
- Services of home health aide and homemaker services
- Medical supplies and the use of medical appliances
- Physicians’ services
- Short-term inpatient care on an intermittent, non-routine, occasional basis; cannot be provided for over five consecutive days
- Counseling
- Any other services specified in the plan
Location of Services
The IOM notes that palliative care should be available across not only the continuum of an illness but also across health care settings, from nursing homes and acute care hospitals to outpatient clinics and home.1 Palliative care is most commonly provided in hospitals, but it is also provided in hospital clinics, group practices, cancer centers, nursing homes, and less often through home care programs.7
Hospice care is most commonly provided at home.7 It can also be provided in assisted living facilities, residential hospice, nursing home facilities, or inpatient hospice units.
Insurance Coverage
Palliative care is covered by most private insurances and by Medicare and Medicaid. Although coverage may differ, most insurance plans cover palliative and hospice care in hospital settings and in nursing home facilities. Under Medicare and Medicaid, hospice care services typically include physical care, counseling, medications, equipment, and supplies related to the terminal illness.7,8
Hospice care is covered under Medicare and under Medicaid, although coverage depends on state residence.7 Most private and commercial insurance plans follow the Medicare model.
References
- Dying in America: improving quality and honoring individual preferences near the end of life. Mil Med. Apr 2015;180(4):365-7. doi:10.7205/milmed-d-15-00005
- McInturff B, Harrington E. 2011 Public Opinion Research on Palliative Care. 2011. https://media.capc.org/filer_public/18/ab/18ab708c-f835-4380-921d-fbf729702e36/2011-public-opinion-research-on-palliative-care.pdf
- Palliative Care. World Health Organization. 2025-06-19, 2025. Accessed 2025-06-19, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, 4th edition. 2018:190. https://www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NCHPC-NCPGuidelines_4thED_web_FINAL.pdf
- Hospice. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 06-29-2025, 2025. Updated 11-06-2024. Accessed 06-19-2025, 2025. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-for-service-providers/hospice
- Medicare Hospice Benefits. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; 2019. Accessed 2025-06-19.
- Kelley AS, Morrison RS. Palliative Care for the Seriously Ill. N Engl J Med. Aug 20 2015;373(8):747-55. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1404684
- Palliative Care is Covered by Public & Private Insurance Plans. Get Palliative Care. Accessed 2025-06-19, 2025. https://getpalliativecare.org/palliative-care-is-covered-under-both-public-and-private-insurance-plans/
