Medicare covers hospice at a skilled nursing facility (SNF) only if the SNF has a contract with the hospice to provide you care. The hospice benefit will not pay for room and board at the SNF.

The Medicare SNF benefit should cover room and board and skilled care unrelated to your terminal condition. For example, if you have elected hospice because you have terminal cancer and you fall and break your hip unrelated to the cancer, Medicare would cover your stay in a SNF for the daily physical therapy you need for the broken hip. You must meet all the other SNF requirements for Medicare to cover the stay.