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How Often Can Medicare Beneficiaries Receive Home Health Care?
Date Updated: December 13, 2024
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Ashlee Shefer is a freelance copywriter, content writer, and digital marketer who specializes in senior care, mental health, health care, and other wellness-related topics. She has one year of experience writing both short- and long-form content related to senior resources, assisted living, nursing homes, and home care, including blog posts, research-based articles, resource guides, product reviews, facility blurbs, finances, and care costs.
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
Medicare beneficiaries can receive home health care part-time or intermittently for medically necessary services. They continue receiving services as long as they meet Medicare's eligibility requirements for home health care and their doctor certifies they need skilled care to maintain quality of life. Additionally, a Medicare-certified agency must provide these services based on an individual's physician-approved care plan.
Medicare Eligibility for Home Health Care Explained
Medicare Part A or Part B covers part-time or intermittent home health care for seniors considered homebound, which means:
- Due to illness or injury, they struggle to leave home without assistance from another person or a mobility device, such as a wheelchair, cane, walker or crutches.
- A doctor recommends they stay home because of their condition.
- Leaving home presents a significant effort.
A doctor or other health care provider must meet with the individual in person and certify they require home health care for their condition. They also provide a list of local Medicare-approved agencies to choose from. How often a person receives care depends on their condition and individualized care plan. However, Medicare doesn't cover full-time or 24-hour care and sets daily or weekly limits.
How Does Medicare Define Part-Time or Intermittent Care for Home Health Care?
In most cases, Medicare allows individuals to receive part-time or intermittent home health care for up to eight hours per day, 28 hours per week. It also doesn't differentiate between skilled nursing and home health aide services. All services combined must fall below these established limits. If a provider determines their patient requires more frequent care, Medicare may approve up to 35 hours per week for a short period.
People requiring full-time or 24-hour care won't qualify for Medicare's home health benefit and should consider alternative methods of care. For example, Medicare Part A offers benefits for short-term skilled care at a nursing home, which provides 24-hour medical care and supervision.