Does Medicare Cover Home Health Care?

It is not surprising that 77% of seniors in a 2022 AARP survey stated they would prefer to remain in their homes for the long term rather than receive institutional care. Providing the necessary services they deserve in their homes can present significant costs, which can leave seniors struggling to find the financial resources to cover their care. 

One possible source of funding is Medicare. Does Medicare cover home health care? And if so, how long will Medicare pay for home health care? Understanding how this federal insurance program works can help seniors and caregivers negotiate potential costs and provide the right types of care. This awareness enables their loved ones — and themselves — to avoid moving to nursing homes or other types of institutional care.

There is an important distinction to understand when considering senior care: home health care and home care are not the same thing, despite their similar names. Home care, also known as in-home care, refers to personal care and hands-on support like grocery shopping and aiding in activities of daily living such as dressing, eating, and toileting. 

Home health care, on the other hand, covers medically focused services provided by nurses, therapists, and other healthcare professionals. This guide offers helpful information on Medicare and home health care. 

Home health care is provided in the home by licensed professionals with medical training. These providers hold relevant licenses and certifications, and the care they provide may include medical therapy sessions, wound care, pain management, and more. Home health care may include any of the following:

• Physical, occupational, or speech-language therapy
• Skilled nursing services, such as inserting and maintaining catheters
• Medication management and administration
• Medical transportation
• Assistance with personal hygiene, toileting, or other activities of daily living, if provided in connection with medical services
• Feeding tube maintenance, eating and nutritional assistance, home-delivered meals
• Medical social work services
• Patient and caregiver education to help manage health conditions
• Fall prevention services

 

According to data from Carescout, the 2024 median cost of an in-home, full-time health aide is $6,483/month. Rates drop for part-time care: an aide who is in the home for 20 hours a week has a median cost of $2,947/month. 

Your costs may vary depending on your location and the type of care. If these rates seem high, note that a private room in a nursing home has a median cost of $10,646 a month — making home health care an attractive option for many.

Will Medicare pay for home health care? It's a good question for anyone hoping to avoid the expense of nursing home or assisted living care. The answer, as you might guess, isn't a simple "yes" or "no." In general, Medicare pays for a part of the cost of home health care if you meet eligibility criteria and the services are considered "reasonable and necessary" for the treatment of your illness or injury.

You can qualify if you have Medicare and are under the care of a doctor or other allowed practitioner like a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or physician assistant. Your medical professional must certify that you need the services, and they must also attest that you are housebound and have difficulty leaving your home without assistance. That could mean you are limited in your movements or use a wheelchair, walker, or cane. 

The care needed must also be “intermittent,” meaning fewer than seven days a week and less than eight hours a day, generally for up to 21 days. This limit can be extended if your doctor decides it’s necessary and Medicare approves. Home health care is certified in 60-day periods, with a required reevaluation every 60 days to continue coverage.

According to a 2025 Caring survey, 73% of seniors with dementia receive care in their residences. Of those individuals, 43.5% reported receiving a combination of medical and non-medical care. Although Medicare won't cover memory care costs, it will cover home health care costs as outlined above for those living with Alzheimer's or a related dementia. 

Since the amount that Medicare will cover for those in memory care facilities is limited, using the program instead to pay for home health care can be an appealing option for those with early- or mid-stage dementia.

To have your home health care needs paid for by Medicare, you'll need to work with your doctor or other health care professional. They must have a face-to-face assessment and then order the needed services. The doctor also needs to attest to your homebound status. You must receive the services from a Medicare-certified home health agency, and all services must be part of a care plan that is developed and reviewed by your doctor.

Medicare has four parts, and the option that pays for your coverage depends on your situation. If you have recently been hospitalized and your home health services are related to that hospitalization, Medicare Part A will cover the costs.

If you are housebound and require short-term home health care, Part B will cover services after you have paid the standard Part B deductible. If you have Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, your plan may have different coverage options — you'll need to talk to a plan administrator to identify the specific services. The fourth Medicare component, Part D, covers your prescription medications. 

Once you've answered the question, "Does Medicare pay for home health care?" your next question is likely to be, "For how long?" As we noted above, the care has to be intermittent. In other words, you or your loved one cannot require full-time, 24/7 care to qualify. 

Medicare will not pay for a health care professional to be at your home seven days a week or eight hours a day. The service must occur as part-time care of less than seven days a week and less than eight hours a day, and generally, only for 21 days or less. There is some wiggle room there, though. If your doctor believes that you will need the care for longer than 21 days, Medicare may extend your coverage time. 

If your loved one lives at home rather than in an assisted living community, memory care facility, or other type of setting, Medicare will not cover 24-hour care in their home. It will, however, cover part-time medically related care for a limited period. 

This care may include therapy, such as physical therapy, wound care, and skilled nursing services. The median cost of home health care in the U.S. as of 2024 is $2,947 for 20 hours of care a week, but costs vary greatly depending on where you live and the type of care needed. 

 

• Davis, Michelle R. Despite pandemic, percentage of older adults who want to age in place stays steady. (2022). AARP.org
• Home Health Services. (n.d.). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Medicare & home health care. (n.d.). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Seven things you should know about Medicare's home health care benefit. (2024). National Council on Aging