Does Medicare cover it?
Does Medicare cover home health care?
Yes, if you are homebound and need part-time skilled care, covered home health visits cost you nothing. Equipment the agency provides is the exception: 20% after the Part B deductible. The tool shows both lines, with equipment priced on the 2026 fee schedule for your state.
What this service costs you
You pay
$0
Covered home health services cost nothing; medical equipment the agency supplies costs 20%.
How this is calculatedMedicare Part A and Part B cover home health care at no cost to you when four conditions are met: you need part-time or intermittent skilled services, you are homebound, a doctor or another provider such as a nurse practitioner has seen you in person and ordered the care, and a Medicare-certified home health agency provides it. Covered visits include skilled nursing like wound care, injections or monitoring of an unstable condition, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, medical social services, and home health aide help with bathing or walking while you also receive skilled care. You pay nothing for those visits, and there is no limit on their number while you qualify. Part-time generally means up to 8 hours a day and 28 hours a week of nursing and aide care combined. The one line with a bill is durable medical equipment: after the $283 Part B deductible you pay 20% of its approved amount. A standard manual wheelchair rented through the agency in Florida, for example, is approved $31 a month at first, so your share is about $6 a month. Medicare does not pay for round-the-clock care, meal delivery, homemaker services or personal care when that is the only help you need.
Home health: visits and equipment
You pay
$0
| Nurse and therapist visits | $0 |
| Equipment (20%) | $0 |
Costs computed by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the costs are calculated
Four conditions, all required
Home health is one of the few Medicare benefits that costs nothing at the point of care, which is why the entry rules are strict. Each of these must be true:
- You need part-time or intermittent skilled care: nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continuing occupational therapy.
- You are homebound, in the sense Medicare gives the word: leaving home is not advised or needs help, and it takes a considerable effort.
- A doctor or another provider, such as a nurse practitioner, saw you in person, confirmed the need and ordered the care.
- A home health agency certified by Medicare delivers it.
Occupational therapy has its own sequence. It must first be ordered together with nursing, physical therapy or speech therapy; after that it can continue alone, even once the other services stop.
What the agency can bring to your home
The covered list is broader than nursing alone. It includes wound care for pressure sores or a surgical wound, patient and caregiver education, intravenous or nutrition therapy, injections, and monitoring of a serious illness or unstable health. Therapists can come for physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. Medical social services are covered, as are injectable osteoporosis drugs for women who meet certain criteria, medical supplies for use at home and durable medical equipment.
A home health aide can help with walking, bathing or grooming, changing bed linens and feeding, but only while one of the skilled services is also under way. Staff should visit as often as your provider orders, and the agency keeps the provider informed of your progress.
Hours, not visits, set the limit
When you qualify, the number of visits is unlimited. The ceiling is expressed in hours: skilled nursing and aide care combined generally stay within 8 hours a day and 28 hours a week. For a short period your provider can allow more, under 8 hours a day and up to 35 hours a week. Someone who needs more than part-time or intermittent skilled care does not qualify for the benefit, and Medicare never pays for care around the clock at home.
The equipment line, the only one with a bill
Durable medical equipment supplied as part of home health follows the usual Part B rule: 20% of the approved amount after the $283 deductible. The approved amount comes from the CMS fee schedule for your state. Wheelchairs are rented month by month and become yours after 13 continuous months of payments.
| Equipment, 13-month rental | First months, each | Approved over 13 months | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard manual wheelchair, Florida | $31 | $326 | $65 |
| Lightweight manual wheelchair, Florida | $47 | $493 | $99 |
| Standard manual wheelchair, Texas | $29 | $299 | $60 |
If the equipment arrives before you have met the deductible, the first month absorbs it: the opening month of a standard manual chair in Florida costs $31 in that case. The mini tool takes the number of visits, the equipment amount and the deductible you still owe, and shows that visits stay at zero whatever their number.
What stays outside home health
Medicare excludes 24-hour care at home, home meal delivery, homemaker services such as shopping and cleaning that are unrelated to your care plan, and custodial or personal care with daily activities like bathing, dressing or using the bathroom when that is the only care you need. Those costs are yours unless other coverage pays them.
Notices from the agency
Before care starts, the agency should tell you how much Medicare will pay. It must also tell you, aloud and in writing, about any item or service Medicare will not pay for and what it will cost you, using a notice called the Advance Beneficiary Notice. Your provider should give you a list of agencies serving your area and disclose any financial interest in one of them. With a Medicare Advantage plan, check the plan's own home health rules; with Medigap or other insurance, tell your provider so that bills are sent correctly.