Are you or your loved one located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and in need of end-of-life care by a team of professionals you trust.
Are you concerned about pricing and wondering how expensive something like this can be, especially for those of us who are living on a budget?
Well, fear no more. Here is an article for you. Learn how you or your loved one can receive free hospice care and be provided with all the benefits of an in-home hospice situation while still maintaining the comforting surroundings of your own living quarters.
Free Hospice Care: Exactly How to Qualify and What it is
Here is a little-known fact. Hospice care is usually provided by your insurance agencies completely free to the insured patient.
If you have Medicare, for example, your home health care is covered 100% during your final days so you have one less thing to worry about and one more thing you can count on when the time comes.
At AmeriPrime Hospice, we have a team of health care professionals that will work with a patient’s primary caregiver (which is usually a family member) to provide care when the time comes.
We also provide support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, should the need arise. Here are some important notes about in-home hospice care and the benefits you could receive absolutely free to you.
Who provides in-home free hospice care?
The Primary Caregiver
When a person enters hospice care, they are asked to choose someone to be their primary caregiver. Usually, this is either a close friend or a family member, but it can be anyone that the hospice care patient elects to be their primary caregiver for free hospice care in the Richardson, Texas area.
The primary caregiver works with our free hospice care team and the patient to set up a hospice care plan. This plan is usually based on the specific needs and preferences of the patient.
Then, the primary caregiver continues to stand as the main person to help make decisions for the patient, and aid our team in providing the best hospice care possible that is 100% covered by medical insurance companies, even Medicare.
How many people are involved with free hospice care?
The Hospice Team
The primary caregiver provides the bulk of the physical care needed by the patient and helps keep records of the patient’s symptoms and other problems and reports these changes to our hospice team, who are always available to the patient to provide free hospice care in the Dallas area.
The hospice care and routine management needed is based on each patient’s different needs and personal preferences.
Typically, the hospice doctor or medical director is in charge of the patient’s care. However, depending on the hospice patient’s situation, a cancer doctor or/and other primary care doctor can be involved as well.
Nurses, doctors, social workers, counselors, dietitians, home health aides, therapists, clergy and trained volunteers work together to help the patient and primary caregiver.
They make decisions about the kind of care required by a patient. This decision-making process requires a regular reporting process as well as family and hospice care team meetings to get everyone on the same page.
This is done to evaluate the patient’s status. Our team can then be sure that all of the immediate needs of the hospice patient are met.
In the case of a patient receiving in-home hospice care, the hospice nurses visit regularly, and we are always available by phone – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week should anything happen unexpectedly or you just need some advice for a situation that pops up.
Where Is Hospice Care Performed?
Hospice Care Agencies in their typical form, provide services in the patient’s home. Hospice services can also be provided, however, by free-standing or independent facilities specially designed for the sake of hospice care.
Some companies provide both an at-home treatment program as well as an internal location for those that are in immediate need of care in their final days.
Other places you may elect to receive free hospice care include health programs based in nursing homes, some hospitals, assisted living centers, and other health care systems that assist people that are in need of hospice care find a good match for them.
How To Get Free Hospice Care in Your Home
1) Paying for Hospice Care with Medicare
Oftentimes, older adults ask, “Does Medicare really cover hospice at home?” The answer is yes. 100% yes! Medicare always covers the hospice cost of a patient, just as long as the patient meets the eligibility criteria. For example, the patient must:
- Age 65 years or older.
- Diagnosed with a serious illness.
- Certified by the hospice doctor (or his regular personal doctor), to have less than six months to live.
- Receive care from a Medicare-certified hospice agency.
- Hospice care may be longer than six months, that’s if the hospice doctor has confirmed eligibility.
2) Paying for Hospice with Private Health Insurance
Many private insurance companies cover hospice care and depending on your private insurance, this may be covered completely with absolutely no out-of-pocket expenses for you.
This is another way you can receive hospice care free of charge, and right at the comfort of your own home.
However, the benefits vary, depending on the plan a patient is subscribed for. It is therefore wise to check with a proposed insurance company before using this option.
Also, make sure the potential hospice patient meets all the requirements of your private insurance and that there is nothing stopping you from getting free hospice care in the Garland, Texas area as soon as possible.
3) Paying for Hospice Without Insurance
Patients eligible for hospice care, but without insurance to leverage on, may have other options available to them to aid them in avoiding paying for the service 100% out of pocket. Here are a few of those options.
- Veteran Health Administration Benefits
Veterans account for a large number of deaths in the U.S. For this reason, many hospice facilities are trained to address traumatic issues that may have occurred over the person’s lifespan, no matter if these things happened before or after their time in the military.
It is common for these patients to constantly remember traumatic combat experiences in their final days. Hospice experts can make the final days of life experience much more peaceful and help with the internal pain that a Vet may be going through.
The Veteran’s Health Administration (VAH) makes free hospice care services available for those who meet their eligibility requirements.
- Reverse Mortgage
Some very aged adults use a reverse mortgage to pay for their hospice care at home. This type of home equity loan is designed for people who are aged 62 years and above.
Anyone taking advantage of this opportunity does not make their regular mortgage loan payments like a typical loan. Instead, the mortgage is due when the borrower either moves out, sells their home or when they pass on.
The home equity loan goes down based on the amount of money that is needed and the money paid to the homeowner is also tax-free.
There are several drawbacks of a reverse mortgages and should be avoided if at all possible. But for someone who has nowhere else to turn, and possibly no one to leave the house to, this could be a viable option.
For this reason, it is best to talk with a specialist (a lawyer) before using this option.
4) Paying for Hospice with Medicaid
In most states, Medicaid covers hospice care for those with low income and assets. However, Medicaid hospice care eligibility criteria vary by state.
The Medicaid Hospice Benefits
Benefits under Medicaid are similar to the benefits attached to Medicare’s hospice coverage. However, as already mentioned, the coverage of Medicaid varies by state, so you need to research your specific state or you can contact one of our representatives if you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and are in need of free hospice care.
We are well trained in all areas of coverage available to potential hospice patients and stand ready to assist you should you have any questions about the state of Texas specifically.
If you or a loved one is considering end-of-life care, we are the Dallas areas number one choice by patients and are available to assist you and answer all the questions you may have about enjoying the comforts of free hospice care in the comfort of your own home located anywhere in the Richardson, Plano, Dallas, Garland, Carrollton, Allen, McKinney or surrounding cities.
Your last stages of life can be enjoyed and your family and friends can be a part of it. We aim to make this time of your life as comfortable and affordable as possible.
With Ameriprime Hospice, you are assured of constant guidance and support. Contact us today to see how we can be of service.
