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Many seniors are dependent on home health care when it comes to their daily and medical needs. And between staying in an assisted living facility and having a home health aide, home health care is the cheaper option. That makes home health care very important to the lives of many seniors.
So a common question many people have is, “does Medicare cover home health aides?” In this article, we answer that question in clear, plain English. You will also find the average costs of home health care and other helpful info.
The short answer is yes; Medicare will cover the cost of your home health aide. But not 100% of the time. As is often the case with Medicare, certain conditions have to be met in order for Medicare to pay for your home health care. Below we look at what these are so you know what to expect.
Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B) provides coverage for home health care. However, not all types of home health care is covered by Medicare. Medicare Part A and Part B provide coverage for the services of your home health aide if you are injured or ill and you require their assistance.
Coverage for the expenses for your home health aide is provided by Medicare Part A and Part B. Medicare Part A and Part B provide coverage for the services of your home health aide if you are injured or ill and you require their assistance.
For Medicare Part A and Part B to provide coverage for your home health care, at least one these conditions must be met:
Some of the services that you may receive during home health care include:
Though Medicare Part A and Part B cover home health aides, they do not provide coverage for custodial care. They will only cover custodial care if you need it for a short period while you recover from an injury or illness.
Medicare Advantage plans (Medicare Part C) also provide coverage for home health aides. They cover everything Original Medicare covers, but usually offers some additional benefits as well. However, exactly what it covers and what your out-of-pocket costs are will vary depending on the specifics of your plan.
Medicare Part D is a prescription drug plan and does not cover home health aides. However, they provide coverage for prescription drugs that you need during your home healthcare period.
The average cost per hour of having a home health aide is $24.This results in a monthly cost of around $4,500. The costs will vary by state.
This article is part of our series on “What does Medicare cover?”
Also, you can check out other articles in this series including: Does Medicare cover Eliquis?