Questions to Ask About Palliative Care
If your health care team has mentioned palliative care, you should understand its benefits and limitations.
Consider asking your team these questions to learn as much as you can about your care options. You can also ask your palliative care team some of these questions during your first visit.
Questions to help you learn more about palliative care
- Do you recommend palliative care for me? Why?
- How do I find out if I'm eligible?
- How is palliative care different from the care you'll give me?
- What additional services are included?
- Will my insurance cover the cost?
- What decisions do I need to make? Can you help me with those decisions?
Questions about the palliative care team
- Who will be part of my palliative care team?
- Where will I receive palliative care?
- How will you talk with the palliative care team and my other doctors?
What to expect during your care
- How long will my palliative care last?
- How are my family and friends involved in palliative care?
- What will the palliative care team do if my symptoms get worse?
- What if my symptoms get better?
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
American Society of Clinical Oncology. Getting started with palliative care. Cancer.net. Content is no longer available.
Center to Advance Palliative Care. Pediatric palliative care. Accessed at https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/pediatric/ on July 2, 2025.
Last Revised: August 15, 2025
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
American Cancer Society Emails
Sign up to stay up-to-date with news, valuable information, and ways to get involved with the American Cancer Society.