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Does Medicare Pay for Home Health Care After Hospitalization?
Date Updated: December 20, 2024
Written by:
Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Kristi Bickmann, a licensed Long-Term Care Specialist, represents top-rated "Traditional" & "Hybrid" LTC companies. Serving associations such as the American Nurses Association, she's a licensed insurance agent in 27 states. Specializing in insurance products for seniors, Kristi helps hundreds of families every year protect assets, retirement, and loved ones. She understands aging concerns firsthand, having assisted her own parents. Kristi ensures accuracy on topics about senior long-term care and its consequences.
Yes, Medicare pays for home health care after hospitalization for eligible individuals. A doctor must prescribe at-home care based on medical needs, and an individual must satisfy homebound criteria. Medicare Parts A and B cover home health care.
Benefits of Home Health Care After Hospitalization
Older adults require hospital stays for diverse reasons, including injury, sickness or surgical procedures. When their conditions remain stable, although they may still require ongoing care, they can often return home with home health support plans in place. Being at home allows them to heal in a familiar environment while receiving essential care services, such as skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapies. It also enables families to play a greater role in providing nonmedical help, such as preparing meals, doing laundry and spending time with their loved ones.
Going back home encourages seniors to return to their normal lives as quickly as possible, promoting independence, confidence and quality of life. Studies indicate that receiving in-home medical attention versus traditional inpatient care:
- Reduces hospital readmission rates
- Promotes faster recovery
- Encourages better health outcomes
- Boosts patient satisfaction
- Lowers caregiver stress
- Costs less
Home Health Care Coverage Following Hospital Stays
Before an individual leaves the hospital, specialist discharge planners work with medical professionals, the patient, their family members and home health care providers to ensure care continuity when a patient returns home. Seniors must meet general Medicare eligibility requirements to qualify for home health care coverage under Part A (Hospital Insurance) or Part B (Medical Insurance). Both parts cover home health care for qualifying individuals who need part-time skilled care at home, including following hospitalization or a stay in a skilled nursing facility.
Individuals must remain homebound, and a doctor must order services they believe clinically essential. Physicians must periodically recertify that such care remains medically necessary. Medicare-certified providers must deliver home health care services. Part B of the federal health insurance program subsidizes medical supplies and durable medical equipment for those recovering at home. Such equipment includes mobility aids, hospital beds and oxygen equipment.