If you elect the Medicare hospice benefit, you receive palliative care (relief of pain and symptoms) for your terminal illness. Hospice care is always covered under Original Medicare, even if you have a Medicare Advantage plan.

You can still get Medicare coverage for curative treatment of all illnesses and injuries unrelated to your terminal condition. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan you have two options for receiving this care. You can providers that are in the plans network and pay the plans copays and deductibles, or you can see providers that are not in the plan’s network and have them bill Original Medicare. In this case, you would pay the Original Medicare coinsurances.

You only give up your right to curative treatment for the terminal illness that made you eligible for hospice care.

However, you can end your hospice care at any time and receive curative care your terminal illness.