---
title: "What Is Medicare home health benefit? Home Care Glossary"
description: "The Medicare home health benefit pays for part-time or intermittent skilled care at home. It can include skilled nursing, physical, occupational, and..."
url: https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-home-health-benefit/
publisher: HomeCare.com
phone: 800-974-3458
start: https://care.homecare.com/?source=homecare.com
---

Paying for care

# Medicare home health benefit

The Medicare home health benefit pays for part-time or intermittent skilled care at home. It can include skilled nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and a home health aide while skilled care continues. A doctor must order it, and a Medicare-certified agency must provide it.

## Why it matters for your family

To qualify, the person must be homebound and need skilled services. Medicare says covered home health services cost you nothing, though you pay 20 percent for durable medical equipment. The benefit does not cover 24-hour home care, meal delivery, or custodial or personal care when that is the only care needed. A common mistake is to confuse home health with home care. Home health is part-time skilled care ordered by a doctor. Home care is ongoing non-medical help with daily life. Many families use home health for recovery and private home care for the longer term.

Source: [medicare.gov](https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/home-health-services)

[Read more: What Medicare Doesn't Cover](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/home-care-resources/what-medicare-doesnt-cover/)

## Related terms

-   [**Homebound status**Homebound status is a Medicare rule for the home health benefit.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/homebound-status/)
-   [**Home health care**Home health care is medical care given at home for an illness or injury, such as skilled nursing and therapy.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-health-care/)
-   [**Skilled nursing care**Skilled nursing care is nursing and therapy that only licensed professionals, or staff supervised by them, can safely provide.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/skilled-nursing-care/)
-   [**Medicare Part A**Medicare Part A is hospital insurance.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-part-a/)
-   [**Medicare coverage of custodial care**Custodial care is non-skilled personal care, such as help with bathing, dressing, eating, and using the bathroom.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-coverage-of-custodial-care/)
-   [**Home health aide (HHA)**A home health aide (HHA) helps people at home with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and moving around, and may help with simple health tasks under a nurse's direction.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-health-aide/)

[All glossary terms](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/)

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