A quick question about hospice live in physilities (NY/NJ)

[alanams]

Good evening everyone,

As I described in my other thread, The sun is setting on my saga of suffering, I wish to enter into a hospice setting, after tying up some loose ends. I have UHC-Oxford insurance.

Would there be significant out of pocket expenses to be in a lin-in facility?

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Best to all, Alan

[mymom]

Alan, I am not aware of any facilities. But if you call your insurance company they will tell you the ones that will accept your insurance in the area. Once you have the names of those facilities you should call them and kind of do a quick interview. Also look online for reviews. I can help with those calls or looking for reviews if you get me the names. I can't call your insurance company. At this point, I would ask this board WHAT questions are the types of questions that should be asked when selecting a hospice? Anyone?

[Bob S]

I cant speak for NY/NJ but the 2 hospice orgs. here is Florida have no charges to residents... for out patient or in... My thoughts are with you.

[Bev G]

Alan,

Are you willing to designate someone here whom you would allow to speak with your insurance company? It would take a call to them (insurance co) to give your authorization. I suspect one of the wives who has been through this with their husbands would be willing to do this for you, as they are our experts on choosing hospice care. If not, many others of us would be willing to make these calls and try to figure which hospice might be a good solution for you (I would). It would be an honor to try to help in this way. Please, just say the word.

Love,

Bev

[skypup]

The hospice in-patient facility that I used to volunteer in charged nothing over what insurance would pay. They weren't for mid- or long-term stay, however; patients were generally admitted in the final weeks of life. They did have respite care, however, which allowed a non-actively dying patient to stay for up to 10 days to give caregivers a break. Whether you have an active caregiver or not, I bet you could catch a break under this type of benefit. It was a great organization--I hope you can find one like it!

[DBF]

Alan,

I've been following your posts for a while now, and I've been wishing you very peaceful days.

There is a hospice facility in the Bronx, and there is one that I know of in Huntington, Long Island (the Hospice Inn). I know you don't know me, but if you decide to go to a facility, I'd be very happy to provide transportation for you if that would be helpful.

Here's a link to Hospice Inn:
http://www.hospicecarenetwork.org/care-at-hospice-inn

I'll also PM you.

Donna

[Laurettas]

Alan, I think of you so often and hope that you are receiving the care that you need. I did a quick check and there are two live-in hospice facilities in NJ on this website: http://www.barnabashealth.org/Landing_p ... spice.aspx

I don't know about the live-in expenses but I would think that your health insurance would cover them. A phone call to your insurance company could answer that for you--or possibly even a call to the hospice center. They deal with all different insurance companies and may be able to tell you what the coverage would be under your plan. I think you are making a good choice to go to a hospice center. They can treat your pain and other issues very well and will be there 24 hours a day for you. Blessings to you, dear Alan.

[CRguy]

Alan I totally support your choice of getting into hospice.

When Dad was at home we had 24/7 in-home care, and while it worked OK for a while, there was still a lot of unsettled energy and while we hoped it was best for him, it was actually still a major challenge for family and Dad. Once he was moved to palliative care in the hospital suite, it was much calmer, quieter and generally, very much better level of care and pain control than we could have managed at home.

I am hoping this proves to be the case for you as well : calmness, Peace and pain free.

You are always in our hearts, thoughts and prayers here, my friend.
In Harmony with you
CRguy

[ColOrPan]

Hello Alan,

I am sorry to see you in this situation. I don't know much about hospice but I hope you find what you need. There seems to be some members who live in your part of the country who are willing to give you a hand. There are good people here. Keep us posted. Thinking about you.

[NedPlease]

Alan,
I am saddened and angry that your plans have had to change. It was nice to read of your relocation thoughts to create new experiences for yourself. I am touched by the offerings of help from club members and hope you will allow yourself to receive the love and assistance.
Blessings to you

[surfingon]

Dear Alan,
My heart is aching for you and these unthinkable challenges facing you at a time when your emotional and physical resources are so depleted. Life just seems so unfair sometimes.

A good hospice can go a long ways towards making both your physical body comfortable and helping you to come to a sense of peace. I encourage you to pursue this . If there is more than one hospice in your area, you might want to check out my blog post on how to choose a really good hospice (because they are absolutely NOT all the same):[url] http://sheddinglightonthecancerjourney. ... e-part-ii/
[/url]
There is the hard part about in-patient hospice facilities that the general public does not understand. I only discovered this only recently when I had a long conversation with the executive director of our local hospice about how I myself would be able to take advantage of the new inpatient unit our hospice is building, when it is my time to die.

Here it is: if the hospice you are considering accepts Medicare payments for its patients (and almost all do), then there are only 2 possible ways that Medicare will cover the inpatient costs, and both of them are limited to short-term stays. The first is uncontrolled symptoms. You might be able to get in under this one, but can only stay until your situation is stabilized.

The second is respite for your caregiver: that is, the caregiver is at the breaking point and needs a break in order to be able to continue. I believe that is limited to 14 days, but I'm not 100% sure.

I do not know how this works if the patient does not have Medicare or if Medicare and private insurance are interchangeable in this situation. You would need to make very detailed inquiries about this-- because it is a nightmare to be comfortable in an inpatient unit and to suddenly be informed that you cannot stay there any longer. That happened to me with my dad, who was in what I now know was a sleazy hospice. I was under the impression that he could stay there till his death and then they suddenly told me that I had 3 days to find someplace else for him. I did transfer him to another facility, where he died 2 weeks later. This is why you will need to ask a lot of very pointed questions about the allowed length of your stay to prevent this.

There is a third way that one can die in an inpatient hospice unit: you can choose to pay the full price, which I imagine varies from hospice to hospice. As I recall, I was quoted around $200 per day as a guesstimate for the cost at our future hospice inpatient unit.

I know that this goes against what most Americans think about hospice care. Even as a 28-year hospice worker, I was totally shocked. What most of us do not understand is just how little hospices are reimbursed by Medicare for their patients-- not even close to what it actually costs. This is why true non-profit hospices rely so heavily on private donations and fundraiser just to stay afloat.

Alan, I hope this information helps in giving you some direction. Fell free to PM me if you have any other questions. I send you heartfelt wishes for comfort and peace,
Rachel

[janklo]

I don't think there were any costs above insurance associated with Lauren and hospice care. We had her in our home for about 10 days with hospice nurse visits every day and all the drugs, supplies, etc delivered. Then when her condition worsened, they gave us the choice of a room in a hospice building or an inpatient hospital room. We took the hospital one because it was only a couple miles from our house. We never got any bills afterward.