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Help Paying for Senior Home Care

Most people pay for senior care using a variety of payment methods, such as Medicare, private insurance, and savings.

Jeff Hoyt Jeff Hoyt Editor in Chief
Scott Witt Scott Witt Elder Home Care Managing Partner

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If you're like most seniors, you want to stay in your home as long as possible. Home care allows you to do this. It's less expensive than institutional care, such as assisted living and nursing homes. This type of care includes home health care and non-medical care, such as assistance with activities of daily living and domestic chores. Below, you'll find information on how to pay for elderly home care through Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal, state, and local programs.

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A Rise in Home Care

The market for home care is exploding thanks to the wave of baby boomers reaching their golden years and the need for lower-priced alternatives to institutional care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of home health and care aides will expand to more than 1.3 million by 2020, a 70 percent increase from 2010.

Home health care employees are typically RNs, LPNs, physical therapists, home care aides, occupational therapists, and social workers. Home care aides help with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and grooming. They assist with instrumental ADLs, such as housekeeping, meal prep, laundry, and transportation.

Home Care Costs

It's no wonder seniors choose home health care over stays in a hospital if they can. The average daily cost of a hospital stay is thousands of dollars, while the median cost of home health aide care is just $213 per day in 2024.1

The estimated national median for a one-bedroom in an assisted living facility is $5,511 a month, according to Genworth Financial's Cost of Care Survey. A semiprivate room in a nursing home has an estimated median cost of $294 per day in 2024. On average, a home health aide costs about $33.99 an hour.

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How We Pay for Home Health Care

The following is how recipients of home health care pay for services, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:

  • Medicare 41%
  • Medicaid 24%
  • State/local governments 15%
  • Out-of-pocket 10%
  • Private insurance 8%
  • Other 2%
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Qualifying for Medicare Home Health Care

If you are enrolled in Original Medicare, you may be eligible for home health benefits. All of the following conditions must be met:

  • You must be under the care of a doctor and get services under a plan of care established and reviewed regularly by your doctor
  • Your doctor must certify that you need one or more of the following: skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and/or occupational therapy
  • The home health agency must be Medicare-certified
  • A doctor must certify that you are homebound, i.e. your condition keeps you from leaving home without help (wheelchair, walker, help from another person), leaving home takes a “considerable and taxing effort”

In addition, you can only receive benefits for a part-time skilled nurse, defined as providing care on fewer than 7 days/week or less than 8 hours each day over a period of 21 days or less. Those needing full-time care (beyond the above)

What Medicare Covers

  • Skilled nursing care provided by a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). Skilled nursing includes services such as shots, tube feedings, giving IV drugs, changing dressings, prescription drugs, diabetes care teaching, etc.
  • Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language services
  • Medical social services, including counseling and help finding community services
  • Medical supplies used in your care. Can also include durable medical equipment

What Medicare Does Not Cover

Medicaid and Home Care

Because Medicaid administration falls under individual states, the coverage and eligibility will vary. According to federal Medicaid guidelines, home health coverage must include part-time nursing, medical supplies, and HCA services. Other services may include physical and occupational/ speech therapies.

Home Care for Veterans

If you are a Veteran and eligible for a VA pension, you may be entitled to the Housebound benefit. It is a payment to those receiving care in-home or in a family member’s home.

Veterans may be eligible for the Housebound benefits if:

  1. The Veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND due to such disability, they are permanently and substantially confined to their immediate premises, OR,
  2. The Veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100 percent disabling AND another disability or disabilities evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

In addition, your income must be less than $14,978 without dependents or $18,773 with dependents. To apply for the Housebound benefit, call your regional VA office. For a listing by state, go here. You can also apply online using the VA's VONAPP (Veterans On Line Application) website.

Another Veteran's benefit is the Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care. These are services such as case management, assistance with activities of daily living, and other home-related care services. It is part of the VA Standard Medical Benefits Package for enrolled Veterans who meet the clinical needs for the service.

Other Veterans benefits include Skilled Home Health Care (nursing, physical/occupational/speech therapy, social work), Telehealth Care (phone/video care to track blood pressure, blood sugar, pulse, blood oxygen levels, heart/lung sounds), and Home Based Primary Care.

To apply for these Veterans benefits, contact your VA social worker/case manager and complete the Application for Extended Care Benefits (VA Form 10-10EC). You can also call VA toll-free at 877-222-VETS (8387).

Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

PACE is a Medicare and Medicaid program that provides care to seniors in the home. The program provides services such as home care, counseling, meals, transportation, and many other care services.

To be eligible, you must be:

  1. 55 or older
  2. live in the service area of PACE
  3. need nursing home-level of care
  4. be able to live safely in the community with help from PACE

If you have Medicaid, there is no monthly premium for the long-term care portion of the benefit. If you have Medicare, you'll pay a monthly premium to cover the long-term care benefit and a premium for Medicare Part D drugs. There is no deductible or copay for drugs, services, or PACE-provided care. For more information, go to Medicare's PACE page.

State and Local Services

In addition to the above federal resources, each state has an elder affairs/aging department with programs to support seniors, including home health and home care. For example, New Hampshire's ServiceLink is a comprehensive community-based resource for seniors looking for home care, housing, financial support, food assistance, and many more services.

To find home health and home care in your area, click on your state's link below.

Alabama – Department of Senior Services

Alaska – Division of Senior and Disabilities Services

Arizona – Aging and Adult Administration

Arkansas – Division of Aging and Adult Services

California – Department of Aging

Colorado – Division of Aging and Adult Services

Connecticut – Aging Services Division

Delaware – Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities

District of Columbia – Office on Aging

Florida – Department of Elder Affairs

Georgia – Division of Aging Services

Hawaii – Executive Office on Aging

Idaho – Commission on Aging

Illinois – Department on Aging

Indiana – Division of Aging

Iowa – Department of Elder Affairs

Kansas – Department for Aging and Disability Services

Kentucky – Department For Aging & Independent Living

Louisiana – Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs

Maine – Office of Elder Services

Maryland – Department of Aging

Massachusetts – Executive Office of Elder Affairs

Michigan – Office of Services to the Aging

Minnesota – Board on Aging

Mississippi – Council on Aging

Missouri – Division of Health and Senior Services

Montana – Office on Aging

Nebraska – Health and Human Services – State Unit on Aging

Nevada – Division for Aging Services

New Hampshire – Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services

New Jersey – Department of Health and Senior Services

New Mexico – Aging Network Division

New York – Office for the Aging

North Carolina – Division of Aging and Adult Services

North Dakota – Aging Services Division

Ohio – Department of Aging

Oklahoma – Department of Human Services

Oregon – Seniors and People With Disabilities

Pennsylvania – Department of Aging

Rhode Island – Department of Elderly Affairs

South Carolina – Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging

South Dakota – Office of Adult Services & Aging

Tennessee – Commission on Aging and Disability

Texas – Department of Aging and Disability Services

Utah – Division of Aging & Adult Services

Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living

Virginia – Department for the Aging

Washington – Aging and Disability Services

West Virginia – Bureau of Senior Services

Wisconsin – Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources

Wyoming – Aging Division

Citations
  1. Health Care.gov. (2024). Why health insurance is important.

Written By:
Jeff Hoyt
Editor in Chief
As Editor-in-Chief of the personal finance site MoneyTips.com, Jeff produced hundreds of articles on the subject of retirement, including preventing identity theft, minimizing taxes, investing successfully, preparing for retirement medical costs, protecting your credit score, and making your money last… Learn More About Jeff Hoyt
Reviewed By:
Scott Witt
Elder Home Care Managing Partner
Scott founded Select Home Care Portland in 2009 and has been helping seniors live their best life at home or in their local senior community ever since. As an advocate for seniors, the primary philosophy has been to listen, educate… Learn More About Scott Witt
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