You can get Medicare hospice benefits when you meet ALL of the follwing conditions:

• You care eligible for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)

• Your doctor and the hospice medical director certify that you are terminally ill and have 6 months or less to live if you illness runs its normal course. Even if you live longer than 6 months, you can get hospice care as long as your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill.

• You sign a statement choosing Hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered benefits to treat your terminal illness.

• You get care from a Medicare-approved hospice program.