Hospice and palliative care benefits

The Pulse, March 2018

TRS-Care participants should be aware of the hospice and palliative care* benefits available to you and covered family members.

Hospice is a model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury. It involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's needs and wishes. In addition, support is provided to the patient's loved ones.

For TRS-Care Standard participants, similar wrap-around services may also be available to patients with a terminal illness who are continuing to seek curative treatment.

*Palliative care is patient and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering. Palliative care throughout the continuum of illness involves addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and to facilitate patient autonomy, access to information and choice.

TRS-Care Standard

The Aetna Compassionate Care Program is an enhanced hospice benefit package available to TRS-Care Standard participants without Medicare. The program provides a full spectrum of support and services to terminally ill participants and their families, including nurse case management support, online tools and information.

This benefit includes coverage for the following:

the option to continue to seek curative and palliative care while in hospice;
the ability to enroll in a hospice program with a 12-month terminal prognosis;
nurses who are specially trained to coordinate care, help manage your benefits and identify helpful resources;
a website that can give you information about living wills, tips for discussing care and treatment options with loved ones and more; and
respite and bereavement services.

More information can be found on Aetna Compassionate Care Program or by calling TRS-Care Customer Service at 1-800-367-3636.

If you are an Aetna medical member and would like more information about the Aetna Compassionate Care Program, please call the member services number on your ID card.

TRS-Care Medicare Advantage

Hospice benefits are available to you through traditional Medicare. When you enroll in a Medicare-certified hospice program, your hospice services as well as Part A and Part B services, related to the terminal prognosis, are paid for by traditional Medicare – not TRS-Care Medicare Advantage PPO.

Patients enrolled in Medicare hospice may expect to receive patient-centered, compassionate and expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes.

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