How To Get Home Health Care Medicare? 
Under certain conditions , Medicare Part A will cover intermittent or part-time home health care provided by a skilled nurse . Again , Medicares requirements for receiving home care are quite strict . Medicare will pay for home health care to treat an illness or injury only if a person meetsallof the following requirements : - A doctor must determine that medical care is needed at home and must make a plan for such care . - The person needs intermittent skilled nursing care , physical therapy , speech therapy , or occupational therapy . - The person is homebound , which means generally unable to leave home -LRB- when a person leaves , it must be infrequent and for a short time only , such as to go to a doctors appointment -RRB- . - The home health care agency must be Medicare-approved . Keep in mind that unlike Medicares nursing home benefit , a person does not need to be admitted to a hospital first in order to qualify for Medicare home health care . In addition , services will be provided on an intermittent or part-time basis only by a visiting nurse , therapist , or home health aide . Medicares home health care benefit does not pay for 24-hour full-time care . Medicare generally limits its home health care benefit because the program is only designed to serve individuals who need intermittent care for a relatively short period of time rather than care on a daily basis . Once a person is receiving Medicare home health care , his or her plan of care will be reviewed at least every 60 days . If the persons health changes and care is no longer needed , the home health agency will notify the individuals doctor , who must then contact Medicare . From that point , home care will no longer be covered by Medicare . The Medicare home health care benefit will not pay for homemaker services such as housekeeping , shopping , and cleaning . It also does not pay for custodial carethat is , help with meeting daily personal needs such as bathing , toileting , transferring , or eating . Because most people who need long-term care need custodial care , financial practitioners should point out this shortcoming to clients . Many people who do qualify for Medicare home health care benefits still need to pay for additional custodial care in order to live comfortably and independently at home . 