Payment and Insurance Information
Paying for Home Care Services
Deciding how to pay for home care can be confusing, but Nightingale Homecare is here to ensure you understand every step of the process. There are several ways in which you and your family can pay for home care services, including:
Private Pay
Most often, clients pay for non-medical homecare services directly using savings, retirement or pensions funds, or outside assistance from family.
Long-Term Care Insurance
If a loved one has a long-term care insurance policy, he or she can often use the benefits to pay for home care services.
Private Insurance
While some insurance companies pay for all or part of home health care services, it is rare that homecare services which include caregiving or private professional services, such as nursing or therapy are covered.
When Does Medicare Pay for Home Health Care?
When home health care services are ordered by a physician, they are most often paid for by a third party, such as Medicare or private insurance. In some situations, even doctor-ordered services will only be partially covered or will not be covered at all by insurance, and clients or their families pay directly.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Benefit) will pay 100% for home health care visits if:
- Services are ordered by a physician
- The client qualifies as homebound because of illness or injury
- The client needs part-time or intermittent nursing care, and/or physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy.
Home health aide services (such as bathing), are only covered if the patient is receiving nursing care, physical, occupational or speech therapy. Routine medical supplies needed by the home health nurse, such as bandages or catheters, are also covered under the Medicare Home Health benefit.
There are home care services that Medicare does not cover, including:
- Full-time nursing care
- Homemaker/housekeeping help
- Routine custodial care
If you would like to learn more about home care payment options for your loved one, the Nightingale Homecare team is happy to discuss specific needs and situations for home health care in Arizona. Contact us online or give us a call at (602) 504-1555.
