The Hospice Biz

Originally designed to assist the dying at the very end of their lives hospice coverage by Medicare started in 1983. For a patient to qualify, two doctors must certify that he or she has less than six months to live. But now the federal government is demanding millions of dollars in reimbursement from hospice providers, because the cost of the program almost tripled between 2000 and 2005, in part because patients are outliving the actuarial expectations. That's according to reporter Kevin Sack in today's New York Times.