Medicare Home Health Coverage
Medicare Home Health Coverage helps older adults with illness or injury live independently for as long as possible. It is usually less expensive, more convenient, and just as effective as a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Home Health services include intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech pathology. It may also involve helping with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, and eating. In general, the goal of home health care is to treat an illness or injury and can often delay the need for long-term nursing home care.
It is important to understand that Home Health care is “medical” in nature. It does NOT include house cleaning, chores, or cooking meals.
Who Is Eligible?
All people with Part A and/or Part B who meet all of these conditions are covered:
- You must be under the care of a doctor, and you must be getting services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.
- A doctor must certify that you need one or more of these:
- Intermittent skilled nursing care (other than drawing blood)
- Physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy services. These services are covered only when the services are specific, safe, and an effective treatment for your condition. The amount, frequency, and time period of the services need to be reasonable, and they need to be complex, or only qualified therapists can do them safely and effectively. To be eligible, either: 1) your condition must be expected to improve in a reasonable and generally predictable period of time. 2) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively make a maintenance program for your condition, or 3) you need a skilled therapist to safely and effectively do maintenance therapy for your condition. The home health agency caring for you is approved by Medicare.
- You must be homebound, and a doctor must certify that you are homebound.
- You’re not eligible for the home health benefit if you need more than part-time or “intermittent” skilled nursing care.
- You may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, like attending religious services. You can still get home health care if you attend adult daycare.
Got Medicare Questions?
We hope that this information on Medicare Home Health Coverage is useful to you.
Let us help you answer your questions so that you can get back to the activities that you enjoy the most.
Call (888) 446-9157, click here to get an INSTANT QUOTE, or leave a comment below!
See our other websites: