--- title: "Does Medicare Pay for Home Health Care? Rules and Limits" description: "Medicare pays in full for covered home health care when your parent is homebound and needs part-time skilled care. Who qualifies, what's covered, limits." url: https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/medicare-home-health/ updated: 2026-10-09 site: Senior Transition Assistance --- Paying for care # Does Medicare pay for home health care? Yes, for skilled care, if your parent qualifies. No, for ongoing help with daily life. Here's the line Medicare draws and how to get covered care started. Talk it through with a person[ (800) 614-8388 ](tel:+18006148388) Free. We listen, explain your options, and introduce you to a few that fit. You decide. Quick answer Yes. Medicare pays for covered home health care, $0 out of pocket, when your parent is homebound, needs part-time or intermittent skilled nursing or therapy, is under a doctor's care plan, and uses a Medicare-certified agency. Medicare doesn't pay for 24-hour care or for non-medical help such as housekeeping and personal care when that's the only care needed. [(800) 614-8388](tel:+18006148388) if you need help arranging care at home. **Last updated October 9, 2026** Costs are published medians or typical ranges with a named source, never quotes. Every community and agency prices differently. **On this page** 1. [ Who qualifies](#g-who-qualifies) 2. [What's covered](#g-what-s-covered) 3. [What's not covered](#g-what-s-not-covered) 4. [How to get home health started](#g-how-to-get-home-health-started) 5. [Questions](#g-faq) ## Who qualifies - **Homebound:** your parent is normally unable to leave home and leaving takes a lot of effort, and either leaving isn't recommended because of their condition or they need help (a cane, walker, wheelchair, special transportation or another person) to leave. Leaving for medical care, religious services or short, infrequent outings is allowed. - **Needs skilled care** part-time or intermittently: nursing, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, or continuing occupational therapy. - **A doctor or other provider** has seen your parent in person and ordered the care. - **A Medicare-certified home health agency** provides it. ## What's covered - Part-time skilled nursing and home health aide care, usually up to 8 hours a day combined, with a maximum of 28 hours a week. - Physical, occupational and speech-language therapy. - Medical social services. - Medical supplies for use at home. - Durable medical equipment, such as a walker, at 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. A home health aide can help with bathing and dressing only while your parent is also getting skilled care. ## What's not covered - 24-hour care at home. - Meals delivered to the home. - Homemaker services like shopping, cleaning and laundry when unrelated to the care plan. - Personal care alone, when that's the only care needed. For that kind of help, families hire [in-home care](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/care-at-home/in-home-care/). In 2025 its median was $34 an hour in Kansas and $33 in Missouri (CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025). ## How to get home health started 1. Ask your parent's doctor, or the hospital discharge planner, for a home health referral. 2. Choose an agency. Medicare's Care Compare lists certified agencies with quality ratings. 3. The agency visits, assesses and builds a care plan with the doctor. 4. Ask the agency, before care starts, what Medicare will pay and anything it won't. ### Need care at home? We'll help you understand what Medicare covers and find private home care for the hours it doesn't. Free. [ (800) 614-8388 ](tel:+18006148388)[Have us call you](#g-form) ## Questions families ask ### How long will Medicare pay for home health care? Coverage continues while your parent stays eligible and their doctor keeps the care plan current. Ask the agency how often the plan is reviewed. ### Does Medicare pay for a caregiver at home? Not for non-medical caregiving alone. It covers home health aide care only alongside skilled care. ### Is home health care the same as home care? No. Home health is skilled, doctor-ordered care. Home care is non-medical help, usually paid privately. See [home care vs. home health](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/care-at-home/home-care-vs-home-health/). ### Can my parent get home health care in assisted living? Yes. Medicare home health can be provided wherever your parent lives, including assisted living, when the rules are met. ## Sources - [Medicare.gov: Home health services](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services) - [Medicare.gov: Long-term care coverage](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/long-term-care) - [Medicare.gov Care Compare (nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice)](https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/) - [CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, Median Cost Data Tables (survey July to November 2025; median cost data tables, published March 2026)](https://pro.genworth.com/riiproweb/productinfo/pdf/282102.pdf) ## Related guides - [Paying for it](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/) - [Home health care](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/care-at-home/home-health-care/) - [In-home care](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/care-at-home/in-home-care/) - [In-home care costs](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/costs/in-home-care/) - [Does Medicare pay for assisted living?](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/medicare-assisted-living/) - [Bridge loans](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/bridge-loan/) - [How to pay for assisted living](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/how-to-pay-for-assisted-living/) - [Life insurance](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/life-insurance/) - [Long-term care insurance](https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/long-term-care-insurance/) --- Canonical page: https://seniortransitionassistance.com/help/paying-for-it/medicare-home-health/