Medicare Benefits on Your Policy: Home Health Benefits

Medicare covers much of your home health care if it is necessary and to determine if it is necessary some prerequisites must be followed.  The following is what is required by Medicare for Home Health benefits:
 
   1. Your doctor must make a plan of care for you after deciding that home health care is best for you.  There is no getting around this step for home health benefits so get the process started as soon as possible.
 
   2. It must be necessary that you have skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, or to continue occupational therapy in order to qualify for the benefits.
 
   3. The home health agency caring for you must be approved by the Medicare program (Medicare-certified).  This requires some work for the home health agency so you will want to ask this before you get started.
 
   4. Being homebound is a requirement of Medicare in this situation, which means you may be able to get out of the house but it takes considerable and taxing effort. You can be homebound and still leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons, such as trips to a friend’s house or family reunion. You can still get home health care if you require adult day care, so don’t turn away from the possibility.

Entry Filed under: Updates