Home health vs. home care: what Medicare pays for

By ParentNextStep Editors · Updated October 14, 2026

Home health and home care sound alike but aren't. One is skilled medical care Medicare can pay for; the other is everyday help families usually pay for themselves.

The short answer

Home health care is skilled care at home, like nursing and physical therapy, that a doctor orders. Medicare pays for it when your parent qualifies.
Home care is everyday help: bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping, errands and company. Medicare doesn't pay for it when that's the only care needed, so families usually pay themselves, or through Medicaid, long-term care insurance or VA benefits.

Who qualifies for Medicare home health

Medicare covers home health care when all of these are true:

Your parent is under the care of a doctor or another allowed provider (a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant), who sets up a care plan and reviews it at least every 60 days.
They need part-time or occasional skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, or continued occupational therapy.
They're homebound: leaving home isn't recommended or takes help (a walker, a wheelchair, another person), and it takes a lot of effort. Trips to the doctor and short, occasional outings, like religious services, are fine.
A provider has seen them in person about the reason for care, within 90 days before or 30 days after care starts.
The care comes from a Medicare-certified home health agency.

What Medicare covers, and what it doesn't

Covered: part-time skilled nursing; physical, occupational and speech therapy; medical social services; medical equipment and supplies; and part-time home health aide visits, but only while your parent is also getting skilled care. “Part-time” usually means up to 8 hours a day, and no more than 28 hours a week. Your parent pays nothing for covered home health services, and 20% of the approved amount for medical equipment after the Part B deductible.

Not covered: care around the clock, meal delivery, housekeeping that isn't part of the care plan, and help with bathing, dressing or using the bathroom when that's the only care your parent needs. If your parent has a Medicare Advantage plan, check the plan's home health rules.

Paying for home care

Medicaid pays for some help at home through home and community-based services, with rules and services that vary by state.
Long-term care insurance usually covers care at home; check whether a policy pays family members.
VA benefits: eligible veterans can get homemaker and home health aide care, and a VA pension can add Aid and Attendance payments for help with daily activities.
Paying privately: what home care costs depends on how many hours of help are needed and where your parent lives, and visits usually cost more on evenings, weekends and holidays. Get local prices from a free advisor.

Find a Medicare-certified home health agency

Medicare rates every certified home health agency on the quality of patient care and on what patients say. Compare them by city, starting with home health agencies by state:

Many families use both: home health after a hospital stay, and home care for the daily help that continues. For the hours no one is there, a medical alert lets your parent call for help.