Hospice and Palliative Care Cost Calculator
This calculator estimates the out-of-pocket cost and the National Health Insurance (NHIS) share for hospice and palliative care in Korea. It covers the three service types (inpatient, home, and consult), the terminal diseases eligible under the Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Act, and the coverage type (National Health Insurance or Medical Aid), on 2026 rules. Because inpatient hospice uses a fixed per-diem bundled fee that suppresses non-covered charges, the patient burden is usually lower and more predictable than an ordinary hospital admission.
What hospice and palliative care covers
Hospice and palliative care is a program under the Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Act (enforced 2025-10-02). Instead of futile life-sustaining treatment, it focuses on pain and symptom relief, quality of life, and family support for patients who are terminal or in the dying process.
Eligible diseases are cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic liver cirrhosis, and other conditions such as chronic respiratory failure designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Inpatient hospice is, in principle, operated mainly for terminal cancer patients, while home and consult types cover the broader disease groups.
- Inpatient: admission to a designated hospice ward with intensive care, billed as a per-diem bundled fee.
- Home: a hospice team (doctor, nurse, social worker) visits the patient at home; billed per visit.
- Consult: the hospice team advises alongside the attending physician in a general ward or outpatient clinic.
- Pediatric palliative care runs as a separate pilot program and is outside this calculator.
Self-pay rate by disease
The NHIS benefit self-pay rate for hospice services depends on the terminal disease. Cancer receives the lowest rate through the severe-disease special-case program.
- Cancer: 5% (severe-disease special case).
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): 10%.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic liver cirrhosis: 20%.
- Medical Aid Type 1: the covered per-diem self-pay is almost fully exempt, leaving only small charges such as meals.
- Medical Aid Type 2: reduced flat rate (about 10%, 5% for cancer).
Inpatient per-diem fee structure
The inpatient per-diem bundled fee includes the admission fee, procedure fees, drugs, materials, and the hospice support-activity fee. Because the daily price is fixed in advance, non-covered charges are minimized and the patient pays only the self-pay rate.
For a terminal cancer patient, the daily covered self-pay is roughly KRW 18,000 to 23,000 depending on hospital level (hospital, general hospital, tertiary hospital). Including meals and hospice co-caregiving, the monthly burden is about KRW 900,000 under National Health Insurance, and about KRW 200,000 under Medical Aid. To discourage very long stays, the per-diem unit is reduced slightly after day 31 and again after day 61.
- Covered daily fee (model): hospital KRW 360,000, general hospital KRW 420,000, tertiary hospital KRW 460,000.
- Stay-length taper: days 1-30 at 100%, days 31-60 at 93%, day 61 and beyond at 85%.
- Meals are covered but carry a copay (50% under health insurance, 20% under Medical Aid Type 1).
Covered vs non-covered items
Hospice has a wider benefit scope than ordinary admission, which lowers the patient burden. A special rule extends coverage to two-bed rooms at hospital level or above, single rooms at clinics, the specialist selection fee, and co-caregiving by a qualified care worker.
Non-covered items are the single-room surcharge and a private 1:1 caregiver, which are paid entirely out of pocket. Hospice co-caregiving is a covered support of only about KRW 4,000 per day, while a private caregiver is about KRW 120,000 per day.
- Covered: multi-bed and two-bed rooms, hospice co-caregiving, specialist selection fee.
- Non-covered: single-room surcharge (about KRW 130,000 per day, scaled by hospital level), private 1:1 caregiver.
- The annual out-of-pocket ceiling can refund covered self-pay above the income-tier cap, but excludes meals, room surcharge, and non-covered caregivers.
Home and consult fees
Home hospice is billed per visit. Modeled covered fees per visit are about KRW 134,000 for a doctor, KRW 90,000 for a nurse, and KRW 54,000 for a social worker; the patient pays the disease self-pay rate on top. Because it is visit-based, the monthly burden is usually lower than inpatient care, but it is not 24-hour care, so family caregiving capacity matters.
Consult hospice is billed per session, about KRW 164,000 for the initial consultation and KRW 108,000 for each follow-up. It is useful while active treatment continues or before hospice-ward admission, and carries the smallest burden of the three types.
How to read the result
The estimate separates the covered self-pay, meal copay, single-room surcharge, and caregiver cost, and highlights how much the NHIS pays. It also compares the monthly self-pay across the three service types for the same disease and coverage, and flags whether the covered self-pay may exceed the lowest income-tier out-of-pocket ceiling (about KRW 870,000).
This is a planning estimate, not medical advice. Actual eligibility and cost depend on the institution, the year, the fee schedule, and the patient condition. Confirm details with the Central Hospice Center (hospice.go.kr) and a specialized institution. Hospice care prioritizes symptom relief, quality of life, and family support over cost.
This calculator is based on Korean rules (Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions Act and 2026 NHIS hospice fees). Figures are planning estimates, not medical advice, an insurer decision, or a hospital quote.