Does Hospice Cover Medical Equipment and Supplies?

Yes — hospice provides the durable medical equipment (DME) and medical supplies needed to care for your terminal illness, at no out-of-pocket cost. The hospice arranges, delivers, and maintains these items as part of your plan of care, so families rarely have to buy or rent equipment themselves.

What equipment hospice provides

Durable medical equipment means reusable items that support care and comfort. Depending on the patient's needs, hospice commonly supplies:

• Hospital bed (adjustable, often with rails)
• Wheelchair, walker, or cane
• Oxygen equipment and related supplies
• Bedside commode or shower chair
• Pressure-relieving mattress to prevent skin breakdown
• Patient lift for safe transfers

The hospice owns and maintains the equipment, delivers it to wherever the patient lives, and picks it up afterward. There's no rental bill to the family for items tied to the terminal diagnosis. See what the Medicare hospice benefit covers.

What supplies hospice provides

Medical supplies are the consumable, single-use items used day to day, including:

• Wound-care supplies — bandages, dressings, tape
• Incontinence supplies — briefs, pads, underpads
• Gloves and sanitizing items
• Catheters and ostomy supplies when needed

As with equipment, supplies related to the terminal illness are covered with no separate charge. Often the equipment and an initial set of supplies arrive in the first day or two — see what to expect in the first 48 hours of hospice.

Equipment vs. supplies: a quick reference

The two words get used interchangeably, but the distinction is simple and worth knowing when you talk to the team. Equipment is reusable and returned to the hospice afterward; supplies are consumable and replenished as you use them. Both are covered when related to the terminal illness.

	Durable medical equipment (DME)	Medical supplies
Nature	Reusable, durable items	Single-use, consumable items
Examples	Hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen concentrator, lift	Dressings, briefs, gloves, catheters
What happens after	Hospice picks it up	Used up; reorder as needed
Cost to family (terminal illness)	None	None

How it's coordinated

You don't shop for these items yourself. The hospice nurse assesses what's needed, the hospice orders it through its DME supplier, and it's delivered to the home or facility. If needs change — say the patient becomes bedbound and needs a lift or a different mattress — you call the hospice and they arrange the upgrade. This bundling is part of the daily rate Medicare pays the hospice, which is why there's no itemized equipment bill to the family.

Equipment follows the patient — and changing needs

Because hospice is a benefit rather than a place, the equipment goes wherever your loved one lives: a private home, a relative's house, an assisted-living apartment, or a nursing home. If the person moves — for example, from the hospital home, or from home to a family member's house — the hospice re-arranges delivery to the new location. Needs also change quickly near the end of life. Someone who used a walker last month may become bedbound and need a hospital bed, a pressure-relieving mattress, and a patient lift within days. You don't have to anticipate all of this at the start; the nurse reassesses at each visit and orders what's needed when it's needed. This responsiveness is part of what families are paying for through Medicare's daily hospice rate, and it's a fair thing to ask about when comparing agencies — how fast they deliver equipment and respond to after-hours requests varies from one provider to another.

Setting up the home safely

A little preparation makes equipment delivery go smoothly and keeps everyone safe. Before the hospital bed or lift arrives, think about where it will go, ideally a room with space to walk around the bed on at least one side, near a bathroom if possible, and clear of trip hazards like loose rugs and cords. Measure doorways if you suspect a wheelchair or bed frame might be tight. Tell the nurse about stairs, narrow halls, or a bedroom on a second floor, since these affect what equipment is practical and where it should be placed. If oxygen is being delivered, the team will explain basic safety, keeping it away from open flames and heat, and where tubing can safely run. Getting the room ready in advance means your loved one is comfortable from day one rather than waiting on adjustments.

The misconception, corrected

Families sometimes assume they'll need to rent a hospital bed or buy oxygen and supplies out of pocket, or that equipment is only covered in a facility. Neither is true for terminal-illness needs: hospice supplies and maintains the equipment wherever the patient lives, at no cost. The one boundary to keep in mind is the same one that applies across hospice — coverage is tied to the terminal diagnosis and related comfort needs. Equipment purely for an unrelated condition would be handled through regular Medicare, not the hospice benefit. For the full picture of what falls outside the benefit, see what hospice does not cover.

Comparing how quickly agencies deliver

Because the equipment itself is standardized and covered, the real difference between hospices is responsiveness, how fast they get a hospital bed delivered after admission, how quickly they replace a failing oxygen concentrator, and whether they can arrange an after-hours supply run when a need arises overnight. These are fair, concrete questions to ask before you choose, and the answers vary meaningfully from one provider to another. A family caring for someone whose condition is changing day to day feels the difference between a hospice that delivers a lift the same afternoon and one that takes three days. When you talk to agencies, ask for typical delivery timelines and how they handle urgent equipment requests, then weigh that alongside CMS Care Compare quality and family-survey scores.

Frequently asked questions

Do we have to return the equipment after our loved one dies?

Yes, durable equipment like the hospital bed, wheelchair, and oxygen concentrator belongs to the hospice and is picked up afterward. There is no charge for the time it was used. Consumable supplies are yours to use up.

Can we request a specific brand or upgraded item?

The hospice provides what meets the patient's clinical needs through its DME supplier. If something isn't working, comfort, fit, or function, tell the nurse; they can often arrange an alternative. Purely cosmetic upgrades may not be covered.

What if we need equipment in the middle of the night?

Call the 24-hour line. The on-call team can arrange urgent equipment or supplies and guide you in the meantime, just as they do for medications.

Does hospice cover equipment for a condition unrelated to the terminal illness?

Generally no, that's handled through regular Medicare. Hospice DME is tied to the terminal diagnosis and related comfort needs. Ask the team if you're unsure which applies.

We already rent a wheelchair or bed, can hospice take that over?

Usually yes. Tell the nurse what you already have; the hospice typically supplies the equipment related to the terminal illness through its own supplier, which can replace a private rental so you stop paying for it. Coordinate the swap with the team so there's no gap.

What if equipment breaks or stops working?

Call the hospice. Because the hospice owns and maintains the equipment, repairs and replacements are part of the benefit, including urgent fixes like a failing oxygen concentrator through the after-hours line. You don't arrange or pay for the repair yourself.

Practical next steps

• Tell the nurse about the home setup — stairs, doorway widths, bathroom access — so the right equipment is ordered.
• Ask what supplies will be stocked and how to reorder when they run low.
• Call the hospice when needs change rather than buying equipment yourself.
• Confirm pickup arrangements for equipment after care ends.
• Comparing agencies? Compare hospices near you using CMS Care Compare scores — responsiveness on equipment is part of service quality.

Bottom line: hospice covers the equipment and supplies your loved one needs for comfort and the terminal illness — delivered, maintained, and removed by the hospice — with no out-of-pocket cost to the family.