US Medical Term · procedures
Hospice Care
Cuidados Paliativos / Hospicio
Who qualifies under Medicare
For Medicare's hospice benefit, the hospice doctor and the person's regular doctor, if there is one, certify that the person is terminally ill, with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. The person accepts comfort care (palliative care) instead of care to cure the illness, and signs a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered treatments for the terminal illness.
How long it can continue
Medicare counts hospice care in benefit periods: two 90-day benefit periods, followed by an unlimited number of 60-day benefit periods. After 6 months, a person can continue to get hospice care as long as the hospice medical director or hospice doctor recertifies that the person is still terminally ill.
What it means
Hospice care is end-of-life care. A team of health care professionals and volunteers provides it, giving medical, psychological, and spiritual support. The goal is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort, and dignity: the caregivers try to control pain and other symptoms so that a person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice programs also provide services to support the patient's family. Usually, a hospice patient is expected to live 6 months or less. Hospice care can take place at home, at a hospice center, in a hospital, or in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare describes hospice as end-of-life care for people with illnesses that can't be cured, and Medicare Part A covers hospice care for people who are eligible.
Hospice Care in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Cuidados Paliativos / Hospicio
- Gender and article
- masculine: los cuidados paliativos / el hospicio
- Pronunciation
- kwee-DAH-dohs pah-lyah-TEE-bohs / ohs-PEE-syoh
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cuidados de hospicio | General | Title of the MedlinePlus en español page on hospice care, and the form used in its text. |
| cuidado del paciente en estado terminal | General | MedlinePlus en español lists it under "Otros nombres" on its hospice care page. |
No cited page prints the headword Cuidados Paliativos / Hospicio in that combined form. MedlinePlus en español titles its page Cuidados de hospicio and lists Cuidado del paciente en estado terminal under other names. The Spanish Medicare page writes cuidado de hospicio and, in some sentences, cuidados paliativos for the same hospice benefit; it also says that a person choosing hospice accepts cuidados paliativos in place of medical care meant to cure the illness.
Hospicio is masculine: the Spanish Medicare page writes el hospicio. In the Real Academia Española dictionary, the first meaning of hospicio is a charitable establishment that takes in and educates poor, abandoned or orphaned children, and the dictionary also records it, for Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador, as an asylum for elderly people and people with dementia. Words that appear with the term on these pages include enfermedad terminal (terminal illness), equipo de hospicio (hospice team) and final de la vida (end of life).
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | I would like to talk with you about hospice care. | Me gustaría hablar con usted sobre los cuidados de hospicio. |
| Patient | What does hospice care include? | ¿Qué incluyen los cuidados de hospicio? |
| Clinician | A team helps control pain and other symptoms, and it also supports your family. | Un equipo ayuda a controlar el dolor y otros síntomas, y también apoya a su familia. |
| Patient | Can I receive hospice care at home? | ¿Puedo recibir cuidados de hospicio en mi casa? |
| Clinician | Yes. Hospice care can be given at home, at a hospice center or in a hospital. | Sí. Los cuidados de hospicio pueden prestarse en su domicilio, en un centro de cuidados de hospicio o en un hospital. |
| Patient | Does Medicare cover hospice care? | ¿Medicare cubre los cuidados de hospicio? |
| Patient | Who will be on my hospice team? | ¿Quiénes formarán parte de mi equipo de hospicio? |
| Clinician | Do you have any questions about the statement for choosing hospice care? | ¿Tiene alguna pregunta sobre la declaración para elegir los cuidados de hospicio? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Hospice Care |
| Spanish (Español) | Cuidados Paliativos / Hospicio |
| Chinese (中文) | 临终关怀 |
| Korean (한국어) | 호스피스 케어 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Chăm sóc giảm nhẹ |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Hospice Care |
| Portuguese (Português) | Cuidados Paliativos / Hospice |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | การดูแลผู้ป่วยระยะสุดท้าย |
| Japanese (日本語) | ホスピスケア |
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines
All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos
Related guide
→ US Guide: how us health insurance worksSources
- Hospice Care — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Cuidados de hospicio — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Hospice Care Coverage — Medicare.gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Cobertura de cuidado de hospicio — es.Medicare.gov, Centros de Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid
- hospicio — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026