What Medicare Home Health Covers—and What It Does Not
Medicare home health is skilled, intermittent care—not an all-day caregiver benefit.
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Medicare can cover eligible part-time or intermittent skilled nursing, therapy, medical social services, certain supplies, and limited home-health-aide care when the person also needs skilled services. It generally does not cover 24-hour care, meals, shopping, cleaning, laundry, or personal care when bathing and dressing are the only needs.
What to have in front of you
- The provider’s home-health order and plan of care
- A list of skilled needs and functional limitations
- The agency’s written notice of services it will provide
- Any Advance Beneficiary Notice saying an item may not be covered
- Medicare Advantage plan information, if applicable
What to say when someone answers
“Please show me which services are in the home-health plan of care, how often each is ordered, and which needs are not covered. If aide care is included, what skilled service supports it and what tasks will the aide perform?”
Small but useful: Write down the person’s name, the date, the exact next step, and when you should call again.
Do this in order
- 1
Separate skilled needs—wounds, injections, monitoring, or therapy—from ongoing personal-care and household needs.
- 2
Ask the provider to order every medically necessary skilled discipline, not simply “home care.”
- 3
Ask the agency for the planned visit frequency and a written explanation before services are reduced or ended.
- 4
Build a second plan for meals, housekeeping, continuous supervision, and personal care that Medicare does not cover.
What happens next
The agency assesses the person and coordinates a plan of care with the ordering provider. Medicare-approved home health services generally cost $0 under Original Medicare; covered durable medical equipment usually carries 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible.
If they say “we’ll put you on the list”
If the family needs bathing, meals, housekeeping, or supervision beyond Medicare’s limits, call the Elder Helpline at 407-514-0019 for respite and long-term-support screening. Also ask a Medicare Advantage plan about extra in-home benefits.
Official sources
Checked August 5, 2026. Programs, hours, funding, and enrollment lists can change. Confirm details directly before relying on them.