Hospice Care in New York City
New York City is the most populous city in the United States, with over 8.3 million residents across five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The city's massive and aging population, combined with one of the world's most concentrated medical research infrastructures, creates both high demand for hospice and palliative care services and a sophisticated provider market. The NYC metro area — including Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, Westchester County to the north, and Hudson County in New Jersey — is served by dozens of hospice agencies ranging from large national operators to small community-based nonprofits.
New York City's exceptional ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity means hospice and palliative care providers must often deliver care in languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, and many others. Confirm language capabilities early when evaluating providers — particularly for families in heavily immigrant communities in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.
BestHospice.com helps NYC-area families find partner hospice providers by ZIP code, compare services, and connect with local agencies without referral fees or sales pressure.
NYC's Major Health Systems and Hospice Transitions
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is one of the world's foremost cancer treatment and research institutions, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. MSK's palliative care program is one of the largest in the country and coordinates hospice transitions for oncology patients throughout the five boroughs and beyond. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital — affiliated with both Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine — operates major campuses in Manhattan and Queens. NewYork-Presbyterian's palliative care and social work teams coordinate hospice transitions across its extensive network.
NYU Langone Health operates Perlmutter Cancer Center and multiple hospital campuses across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mount Sinai Health System — including The Mount Sinai Hospital (with Tisch Cancer Institute), Mount Sinai Morningside, and Mount Sinai West — is a major source of hospice referrals on the Upper West Side and Harlem. Montefiore Medical Center is the primary academic medical center for the Bronx, affiliated with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a major referral source for Bronx-area hospice. Northwell Health is the largest health system in New York State, operating Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital, and facilities across the outer boroughs.
NYC Health + Hospitals — the nation's largest public hospital system — serves the city's uninsured and Medicaid populations across 11 hospital campuses and over 70 community-based health centers, and is a key source of hospice referrals for lower-income New Yorkers.
Medicare and New York Medicaid Coverage
Medicare Part A covers hospice for eligible NYC-area 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.
New York Medicaid Managed Care covers hospice for qualifying low-income residents. Plans serving New York City include Healthfirst, MetroPlusHealth (NYC Health + Hospitals), Fidelis Care (Centene), Molina Healthcare of New York, WellCare of New York, EmblemHealth (GHI/HIP), UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New York, and Aetna Better Health of New York. Dual-eligible patients can coordinate Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Medicare Advantage plans from UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna, and Healthfirst are widely available across NYC — all must cover hospice at Medicare Part A levels.
New York licenses hospice providers through the New York State Department of Health. All Medicare-certified New York hospice providers meet state licensing requirements as a condition of federal certification.
How to Choose a Hospice Provider in New York City
- Do they serve your specific borough and neighborhood? Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island can be served by different agencies — and some providers do not cross borough lines. Confirm active service before scheduling intake.
- How quickly can they respond? Especially for hospital discharges from major systems like NewYork-Presbyterian, NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, or Montefiore.
- What languages do they serve? New York City's extraordinary diversity means language matching is often essential — confirm early.
- What is their experience with your loved one's diagnosis? MSK's oncology referral pipeline means many NYC hospices have deep cancer care experience, but dementia, cardiac, and COPD hospice needs differ significantly.
- Do they have an inpatient arrangement? Confirm where inpatient hospice care would be provided if symptoms escalate beyond what can be managed at home.
Frequently Asked Questions — Hospice Care in New York City
How do I find hospice care in New York City?
Enter your ZIP code on BestHospice.com to find partner hospice providers serving your NYC neighborhood or borough. Free, instant, no referral fees.
Does Medicare cover hospice in New York City?
Yes. Medicare Part A covers most hospice services at little to no cost for eligible patients. See exactly what Medicare covers →
Does NY Medicaid cover hospice in New York City?
Yes. NY Medicaid Managed Care plans (Healthfirst, MetroPlusHealth, Fidelis Care, Molina, WellCare, EmblemHealth, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna Better Health) cover hospice for qualifying low-income NYC residents.
When is it time for hospice care in New York City?
Hospice is appropriate 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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