Medicare Part B covers part of the cost of medically necessary wheelchairs, walkers, and other home medical equipment (Medicare will not cover electric wheelchairs that are only needed for use outside the home). Before you start getting home health care, the home health agency must tell you how much Medicare will pay. Home health care is a wide range of health care services that you can receive at home in the event of an illness or injury. Ask the home health agency what services Medicare will pay for and which aren't covered, since some agencies may recommend services that Medicare doesn't cover. Your Medicare home health care benefits will not change, and your access to home health care services should not be delayed due to the pre-application review process.
The agencies that offer these services are called home care agencies and should not be confused with home health agencies that offer home health care services. Maurie Backman has been writing professionally for more than a decade, and his area of coverage ranges from healthcare to personal finance to professional counseling. If you're enrolled in the original Medicare or Medicare Advantage plan, you won't pay anything for home health care services. Based on this demonstration, your home health agency can submit to Medicare a request for a pre-claim review of coverage for home health services.
You won't be eligible for the home health care benefit if you need more than part-time or intermittent specialized care. If you receive your Medicare benefits through a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan or another Medicare health plan, check with your plan for more information about your home health care benefits. Medicare-assigned retailers agree to charge the Medicare-approved price for their products and can't bill you for anything other than the deductible and coinsurance of Medicare. The Medicare home health care benefit covers skilled nursing care and the home health care assistant.
The home health care assistant provides personal care services to a patient at home, including help with bathing, going to the bathroom and dressing. In most cases, if it's part-time or intermittent, it means you may be able to receive skilled nursing and home health care services for up to 8 hours a day (combined), for up to 28 hours a week.
