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Palliative care seeks to relieve the symptoms of pain and suffering associated with an illness that may not be terminal but is serious enough to be considered life-threatening. It focuses on improving the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. How is palliative care different from hospice? Well, palliative care does not require patients to give up attempts to cure their illness, and it can be administered at any time, without regard to how long they’re expected to live.

Medicare doesn’t recognize palliative care as a separate benefit. But Medicare may cover its components in other ways under Part B — for example, through the home health-care service described earlier in this chapter or through hospital outpatient departments. If you want to learn more about palliative care or find out where you can get it in your area, discuss local options with your doctor. The Center to Advance Palliative Care offers an online directory of hospitals that provide palliative care at https://getpalliativecare.org/providers/.