Can I get a home health aide just for help with bathing and dressing?

Not under Medicare alone. Home health aide services through Medicare require that you're also receiving skilled nursing or therapy services. If you only need help with bathing, dressing, meal prep, and other custodial care (without skilled need), Medicare doesn't cover it. For custodial in-home help, Ohio Medicaid HCBS waivers (PASSPORT for seniors 60+) are the typical funding source, with eligibility based on Medicaid income/asset limits.

How many home health visits will Medicare cover?

There's no fixed visit limit — care continues as long as you remain eligible (homebound, need skilled care, under physician plan of care). The home health agency reassesses every 60 days; the physician recertifies the plan of care every 60 days. As long as the criteria are met, Medicare continues to pay. Some patients have brief episodes (post-surgical recovery for 3-4 weeks); others have ongoing chronic-condition home health for years.

Can family members provide home health care that Medicare pays for?

Generally no. Medicare home health services must be provided by Medicare-certified home health agency staff (nurses, therapists, aides). Family members typically can't bill Medicare for home care, even if they're trained. Some Ohio Medicaid HCBS waivers allow paid family caregivers under specific circumstances — the PASSPORT waiver and others have evolved to permit some family caregiver payment with case management oversight. But Medicare itself doesn't pay family caregivers.

If I'm getting home health, can I still go to medical appointments?

Yes. Going to medical appointments doesn't disqualify you from home health. The homebound criterion contemplates that you'll attend doctor visits, dialysis, chemotherapy, and other medically necessary appointments — even though those involve leaving home. Religious services, family events, and infrequent non-medical outings also don't typically disqualify you. The standard is your normal pattern of being mostly at home with leaving requiring considerable effort, not literal inability to leave.

Does Medicare home health include hospice?

No — hospice is a separate Medicare benefit. Hospice care is for beneficiaries with a terminal illness and life expectancy of 6 months or less. Hospice is much more comprehensive than home health and is provided wherever the patient lives (home, hospice facility, nursing home, hospital). Hospice and home health typically don't run simultaneously; you'd transition from home health to hospice when prognosis indicates.

Can I switch home health agencies during an episode of care?

Yes, but coordination matters. If you're dissatisfied with your home health agency, you can switch to a different Medicare-certified agency. Your physician will need to update the plan of care to reference the new agency. Medicare Advantage plans may require the new agency be in-network. Continuity of care matters — switching mid-episode can disrupt established protocols, so try to resolve concerns with the current agency before switching.

Does Medicare Cover Home Health Care in Ohio? (2026)

On this page

What Medicare covers under home health
Eligibility criteria (the homebound standard)
Skilled care requirement
What home health does NOT cover
Finding a Medicare-certified home health agency in Ohio
Medicare Advantage home health rules
Common questions

What Medicare covers under home health

The Medicare home health benefit covers a comprehensive set of services delivered in your home:

Intermittent skilled nursing care — wound care, IV medications, catheter care, injections, medication management, patient/caregiver education, monitoring of unstable conditions. "Intermittent" means generally less than 8 hours per day and less than 28-35 hours per week.
Physical therapy — for mobility, strength, balance, post-surgical rehabilitation, fall prevention.
Occupational therapy — for activities of daily living adaptation, fine motor skills, home modifications.
Speech-language pathology services — for communication disorders, swallowing problems, cognitive-communication deficits.
Medical social services — counseling and resource coordination from a licensed social worker.
Home health aide services — personal care assistance (bathing, dressing, basic hygiene) — but ONLY when you're also receiving skilled nursing or therapy. Home health aides aren't a stand-alone benefit.
Durable medical equipment (DME) and supplies — covered separately under Part B but coordinated with home health.

Importantly: covered services are 100% paid by Medicare with no deductible or copay when you qualify for the benefit. This is one of Medicare's most generous coverages.

Eligibility criteria (the homebound standard)

To qualify for the Medicare home health benefit, you must meet three criteria:

Homebound status — your condition is such that leaving home requires considerable and taxing effort. You may leave home for medical appointments or infrequent non-medical reasons (religious services, family events) without losing homebound status, but normally you require the assistance of another person or supportive devices (walker, wheelchair) to leave home.
Need for skilled care — your physician certifies that you need intermittent skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services.
Under a physician's plan of care — your physician (or qualified non-physician practitioner) has established and signed a plan of care, and reviews it at least every 60 days. The face-to-face encounter requirement means the physician must have seen you in person within a specific window before certifying home health.

Homebound doesn't mean bedridden

A common misconception: homebound doesn't mean you can never leave home. You can attend medical appointments, occasional church services, family gatherings, and even short outings — as long as leaving home generally requires considerable effort, you use supportive devices, or someone needs to help you. What matters is your normal pattern; the standard is whether leaving home is taxing and infrequent, not whether it's literally impossible. Many beneficiaries qualify for home health while still going out occasionally.

Skilled care requirement

The "skilled care" requirement is what distinguishes Medicare home health from custodial home care. Skilled care includes:

Skilled nursing: wound care, IV medications, injections, medication management, catheter care, monitoring of unstable conditions, patient/caregiver teaching for new conditions.
Physical therapy: gait training, strengthening, balance exercises, post-surgical rehabilitation.
Occupational therapy: ADL training, adaptive equipment use, fine motor skill recovery.
Speech-language pathology: speech disorders, swallowing therapy, cognitive-communication rehabilitation.

Custodial care (help with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, light housekeeping) doesn't count as skilled care on its own. But once you qualify for home health based on skilled care need, home health aide services for personal care are included in the benefit.

The Jimmo settlement (mentioned in our physical therapy page) also applies to home health — skilled maintenance care for chronic conditions is covered, not just care expected to produce improvement.

What home health does NOT cover

Medicare home health is NOT:

24-hour care at home — only intermittent care, typically a few hours per day, a few days per week.
Custodial care alone — if you only need help with bathing, dressing, meal preparation (without skilled nursing or therapy), Medicare doesn't cover it.
Homemaker services — meal preparation, cleaning, shopping, laundry — these aren't medical services and aren't covered.
Long-term in-home care — the home health benefit is for periodic skilled care, not ongoing personal care for years.
Care delivered by family members — generally only Medicare-certified home health agency staff can provide covered services. Family caregiving is unpaid (though some Medicaid HCBS waivers in Ohio allow paid family caregivers under specific circumstances).

For these uncovered needs, Ohio Medicaid HCBS waivers (PASSPORT, Assisted Living Waiver), long-term care insurance, personal savings, family caregiving, or Lucas/Montgomery County Senior Services Levy programs (in those counties) fill the gap.

Finding a Medicare-certified home health agency in Ohio

To find a Medicare-certified home health agency:

Medicare's Care Compare tool at medicare.gov/care-compare lets you search by ZIP code with quality ratings and patient-experience scores.
Hospital discharge planners — if you're being discharged from a hospital and need home health, the hospital's discharge planner will recommend Medicare-certified agencies in your area.
Your physician's office — most Ohio primary care practices have relationships with specific home health agencies and can recommend appropriate options.
Major hospital system home health — Cleveland Clinic at Home, OSU Wexner Home Care, Mercy Home Care, ProMedica Home Care, and similar system-operated agencies are common in their regions.

The home health agency you choose should be Medicare-certified, conveniently located for your area, and have quality ratings appropriate to your care needs. Confirm Medicare certification before agreeing to services.

Ohio Medicare beneficiary considering home health for yourself or a family member?A licensed Ohio Medicare agent can help you understand whether your situation qualifies for the home health benefit, navigate the certification process, and coordinate with hospital discharge planners. No cost to you.

Find a Medicare Agent in Ohio

Medicare Advantage home health rules

Medicare Advantage plans must cover home health at least as well as Original Medicare, but plan-specific rules apply:

Prior authorization — many MA plans require prior auth before home health services start or after a certain duration.
Network restrictions — MA plans require use of in-network home health agencies. Verify your chosen agency is in-network before starting services.
The same eligibility criteria apply — homebound + skilled care need + physician plan of care.
Cost-sharing is typically $0 for in-network home health, similar to Original Medicare. Some plans have copays for specific aspects of home health.

If you're choosing an MA plan and anticipate home health needs (post-surgical recovery, chronic condition management), confirm the plan's home health network and prior authorization policies before enrolling.