Question from Caring.com Community Member, Kirby F
Where do I go to find eligibility rules for home service covered by Medicare?
Expert Answer by Joseph L. Matthews
Joseph L. Matthews is a Caring.com senior editor, an attorney, and the author of Long-Term Care: How to Plan & Pay for It and Social Security, Medicare, & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits.
The eligibility rules for home health care under Medicare are fairly complicated, so it's a good idea to understand them well in order to get the most out of your coverage. Medicare publishes a booklet called Medicare and Home Health Care that explains the rules for Medicare home health care eligibility and covered services. Also, to find specific home health care agencies in your area that provide Medicare-covered services, you can visit Medicare's Home Health Compare interactive tool on the Medicare web site.
If you have questions about any of the Medicare home health care rules, or need help in establishing your eligibility, you can contact a counselor at your local office of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), a national non-profit organization that provides free, expert assistance with Medicare and other medical insurance questions. You can find your local SHIP office, go to theSHIP contact information page on the Medicare web site. That will give you the number of the state office, which will then give you the number of the local office nearest you. You can also get the phone number of your state's central SHIP office by calling Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.
