Hospice Care in Miami and South Florida
Miami is the anchor city of South Florida's tri-county metro area — Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties — one of the most populous and rapidly aging regions in the United States. With more than 6.2 million residents and one of the highest concentrations of adults over 65 in the country, South Florida has a mature and competitive hospice market. Major hospice agencies, smaller community-based providers, and faith-based organizations all operate across the tri-county area, giving families meaningful choices.
Miami's extraordinary cultural diversity — with large Cuban, Colombian, Venezuelan, Haitian, Brazilian, and other Latin American and Caribbean communities — means many families require hospice services in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, or other languages. Language capability is one of the most important factors to confirm when choosing a Miami-area hospice provider.
BestHospice.com helps South Florida families find partner hospice providers by ZIP code, compare services, and connect with local agencies without referral fees or sales pressure.
Miami's Major Health Systems and Hospice Transitions
Jackson Health System — including Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest public hospitals in the United States — is the primary safety-net health system for Miami-Dade County and an academic partner of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Jackson's palliative care and social work teams coordinate hospice transitions for patients across its network of hospitals and clinics. University of Miami Health (UHealth), including Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center — an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — is the primary source of complex oncology hospice referrals across South Florida. Sylvester operates multiple locations across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest nonprofit healthcare organization in South Florida, operating Baptist Hospital of Miami, South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, and West Kendall Baptist Hospital. Baptist's palliative care program coordinates hospice transitions across its system. Memorial Healthcare System — a public health system serving South Broward — includes Memorial Regional Hospital (the flagship), Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital. Memorial is one of the primary sources of hospice referrals for Broward County families.
Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston operates one of the state's premier cardiac programs and generates significant cardiac hospice referrals from across the tri-county area. HCA Florida operates multiple hospitals across the tri-county area, including Kendall Regional, Aventura Hospital, Mercy Hospital, and Palms West Hospital.
Medicare and Florida Medicaid Coverage in Miami
Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible South Florida patients with a physician-certified prognosis of six months or less. Covered services include nursing visits, comfort medications, medical equipment, home health aide, social work, chaplain services, and bereavement counseling — most at $0 to the patient or family.
Florida Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) covers hospice for qualifying low-income residents. Plans serving the Miami tri-county area include Aetna Better Health of Florida, Sunshine Health (Centene), Molina Healthcare of Florida, Simply Healthcare Plans (Anthem), UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida, Humana Medical Plan, and Florida Community Care. Dual-eligible patients can coordinate Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Medicare Advantage plans from Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Devoted Health are widely available across South Florida — all must cover hospice at Medicare Part A levels.
Florida licenses hospice providers through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Certificate of Need (CON) laws in Florida limit the number of licensed hospice providers per service area — which means provider choice in some ZIP codes may be more limited than in non-CON states. Confirm which providers are licensed for your specific ZIP code.
How to Choose a Hospice Provider in Miami
- Do they serve your specific community and ZIP code? Florida's CON laws mean not every provider is licensed for every ZIP code. Confirm licensure for your area before scheduling intake.
- What languages do they serve? Spanish and Haitian Creole are commonly needed across Miami-Dade. Portuguese and other languages may be needed in specific communities.
- How quickly can they respond? Especially for hospital discharges from Jackson Memorial, Baptist Hospital, or Sylvester Cancer Center.
- What is their experience with your loved one's diagnosis? Sylvester generates significant oncology referrals; Cleveland Clinic Florida and Baptist generate cardiac referrals. Ask about specific diagnosis experience.
- Do they have an inpatient arrangement? Confirm where inpatient hospice would occur if symptoms escalate beyond what can be managed at home.
Frequently Asked Questions — Hospice Care in Miami
How do I find hospice care in Miami?
Enter your ZIP code on BestHospice.com. Free, instant, no referral fees.
Does Medicare cover hospice in Miami?
Yes. Medicare Part A covers most hospice services at little to no cost for eligible patients. See exactly what Medicare covers →
Does Florida Medicaid cover hospice in Miami?
Yes. Florida Medicaid MMA plans (Aetna Better Health, Sunshine Health, Molina, Simply Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Florida Community Care) cover hospice for qualifying low-income South Florida residents.
When is it time for hospice?
When a physician certifies a prognosis of six months or less and the focus shifts to comfort. Signs it may be time for hospice →
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