If you qualify, Original Medicare pays for covered home health services in full. Medicare Advantage plans and private insurance cover home health too, with their own rules. Not sure what you have? Call (818) 579-4012 and we will check for you. We explain any costs in writing before care starts.
What you pay with Original Medicare
$0 for covered home health services. That includes skilled nursing visits, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, medical social work, and home health aide visits that are part of your skilled care. There is no deductible and no copay for these visits.
Equipment is different. If your doctor orders equipment such as a walker, a hospital bed, or a wheelchair, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. Equipment comes from a medical supply company, and we can tell you what to expect before it arrives.
Medicare Advantage plans
Medicare Advantage plans cover home health, but each plan has its own rules. A plan may use its own network of agencies, ask for approval before care starts, or charge a copay for visits. Before care begins, we check your plan and tell you in writing what, if anything, you would pay.
Private insurance
We accept private insurance. Most plans cover home health that a doctor orders, and many ask for approval first. We check your benefits and any approval your plan needs before the first visit.
Who qualifies
All of these must be true. Your doctor decides, not us and not this page.
- A doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant orders your care and signs a plan of care.
- You need part-time or intermittent skilled care, such as nursing or therapy.
- You are homebound. Leaving home takes a big effort, or your doctor says you should not go out. Doctor visits, religious services, adult day care, and an occasional short trip, like a haircut, are still fine.
- You have a face-to-face visit with a doctor or nurse practitioner within 90 days before or 30 days after care starts.
No doctor? Medicare requires a face-to-face visit with a doctor or nurse practitioner, within 90 days before or 30 days after home health starts. Some doctors make house calls. Ask us, and we will help you find one. That doctor is independent of Comfort Care, and the choice is yours.
What Medicare does not cover
Medicare home health is part-time medical care. It does not cover care around the clock, meal delivery, or help with bathing, meals, and housekeeping when that is the only care you need. A home health aide can visit as part of your skilled care, but not on their own.
If your family needs that kind of help, our guide to home health versus home care explains where to look.
How to find out what you would pay
- Call (818) 579-4012, or ask your doctor or discharge planner to send us the order.
- Tell us what card you carry. If you are not sure whether you have Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan, read us the card and we will tell you.
- We check your coverage and put any costs in writing before care starts. Covered home health with Original Medicare is $0.
Figures as of 2026, from medicare.gov. Coverage rules can change, and your plan's documents are the final word on what your plan pays.
Questions people ask
Do I pay anything for home health with Original Medicare?
I have a Medicare Advantage plan. Am I covered?
Does Medicare cover a home health aide?
Does Medicare cover 24-hour care at home?
Have a question about home health?
Not sure what your plan covers? Call us and we will check. No cost to call, no obligation.
(818) 579-4012Sources
This page is general information for families, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your situation.