Medicare and Home Healthcare- What Is Covered?

Rather than an aloof and tiring stay at the hospital, home care offers a welcoming space. Those who have been injured or are going through an illness should be given the option of receiving care from the convenience of their home. Medicare Insurance plans in Texas make treatment and healthcare affordable for many patients. Home health care is covered under Medicare in particular situations. 

Home Health Care Defined

On the whole, home health care involves different types of care and medical treatments that a patient receives in their home. The cost of home care tends to be far more affordable than hospital care. Patients that get Medicare home care include-

• Do not live in the vicinity of a care facility or hospital
• Are convalescing from an accident, surgery, or other medical problem
• Are unable to move or walk about
• Do not have 100% availability from family or other caregivers

What In-Home Care Services Covered by Medicare Plans?

A lot of patients already covered under Medicare Insurance plans in Texas may require home care sooner or later. Officially home-based Medicare coverage is allowed in cases where care and medical services are required for a patient’s ongoing treatment. It could involve treatment that serves to bring a patient’s health up to what it was prior to an accident or sickness. Furthermore, you get care coverage that ensures that your health remains stable and regulated.  

Largely, in-home Medicare services are available solely under licensed caregivers like occupational therapists, certified nurses, etc.  You will get Medicare coverage for home care services in case you need it for a duration of 8 hours daily or 35 hours weekly. Some of the services taken into account:

Skilled nursing services

Registered nurses would offer care in terms of recording a patient’s vital signs, administering medication through IV or orally, administering food through a tube, drawing blood for medical tests, and so forth for a set part of the day or on an on-and-off basis. These services can only be offered for 8 hours per day or 28 hours per week, apart from certain exceptional cases. Those who require nursing care on a long-term or full-time basis would most likely not be eligible for in-home Medicare.

Home health aides

These professionals monitor the health of patients with chronic conditions or disabilities. They take care of day-to-day tasks like helping ill or injured patients bathe, dress up, go to the bathroom, perform hygiene and grooming activities, and so on. These services are covered under Medicare provided you can also receive care in terms of therapy or skilled nursing.

Occupational, physical, and speech therapy

In this category, patients can get occupational therapy to recover their capacity to carry out daily activities such as walking or speaking if they have sustained an injury or some other health condition.

Medical social services

This takes into account services covered under Medicare such as counseling to help patients tackle emotional or social issues connected with their medical condition (injury or illness) alongside their skilled care services.

Medical supplies

Home caregivers would need supplies such as catheters, gauze, needles, wheelchairs, etc. to offer care services and these are also covered fully or partially under Medicare Insurance plans in Texas.

What’s Not Covered?

While it is important to learn the details of home-based Medicare, you should also be aware of what’s not covered in this service.

24/7 care: In-home Medicare cannot go beyond the duration of 28 hours weekly. It cannot be equated with long-term care and can neither be availed as an alternative to care at a nursing facility.  

Miscellaneous home services: Unless a patient’s medical treatment plan specifies services like meal preparation or cleaning when it comes to home-based Medicare, these services are not covered separately.

A lot of people at some point in their life require home-based medical care and they can avail of these services under certain circumstances if they have Medicare Insurance plans in Texas.