Cutting Hospice Costs Money

Hospitals cost more, have less benefits for many patients

When it comes time to tighten our collective belts, government officials are quick to slash the budgets of services like hospice care, but, as the state of Florida recently found out, there is no way around the fact that traditional hospital care is much more expensive. The Sun News reports:

A few months ago, the state decided it would save money by ending coverage of hospice care. The outcry was huge. You're being shortsighted, the opponents said. It will cost you more in the long run, they said. Caring for patients in hospice means fewer visits to the emergency room, where costs are much higher.

The opponents were all right, and the new director of the state Department of Health and Human Services quickly reversed the decision upon taking office in January, a triumph of common sense in a process that often lacks it.

Similarly, areas that are considering introducing hospice care programs worry about the initial costs, when the investment is proven to pay off over time both financially and in benefits to patients and the community.