Hourly Home Care

Medicare only provides coverage for “medical services”. Home care services provided by home caregivers are not considered medical service by Medicare—they are “non-medical” services. Therefore, they are not a covered benefit of the Medicare program, and not eligible for payment.

After a hospital discharge, it’s not unusual for our clients to have both a home health care/hospice agency provide medical services, and home caregivers providing the “non-medical“ essential care and assistance that enables recovery at home and allows seniors to age in place.

• Medicare covers inpatient hospital care, medical professional fees and other medical items for people who are age 65 or older. Medicare Part D also covers many prescription drugs.

• Medicare may pay up to 100 days of skilled nursing home care or inpatient rehabilitation care under limited circumstances. However, custodial long-term nursing home care is not covered.

• Medicare covers hospice care delivered in the home, a nursing facility or an inpatient hospice facility for people who are determined by a doctor to be near the end of life.

• Medicare will cover medical services provided by a home health care agency, such as a visiting nurse, physical/occupational therapist, and other medical professionals after a hospital discharge.

• Medicare will not cover the cost of non-medical home care (long-term) in the home, even though the services home caregivers provide may be essential to being able to receive home health care and hospice services.