A 2026 family guide
Home Health Care Near Me
Searching for "home health care near me" usually means one of three different things — and they have very different costs and Medicare coverage. The first thing to do is figure out which one you actually need. Then we'll walk through how to find a good provider and what to do when the Medicare-covered phase ends.
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What you probably mean by "home health care"
Three services get lumped into "home health care" in everyday speech, but they're distinct categories with very different rules:
What Medicare actually covers (and what it doesn't)
Covered (when eligible)
- Skilled nursing — wound care, IV therapy, injections, catheter care, ostomy care
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology
- Medical social work services
- Home health aide services (PART-TIME) — but only when receiving one of the above
- Durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, oxygen)
- Certain medical supplies
NOT covered
- 24-hour home care
- Meal delivery
- Custodial / personal care (when there's no skilled care need)
- Homemaker services (cleaning, laundry, errands)
- Long-term care of any kind
- Companion care or daily check-ins
How to find a home health agency near you
1. Medicare Care Compare (best starting point)
Go to medicare.gov/care-compare. Search by zip. Filter by star rating + service offered. Every agency listed is Medicare-certified — so coverage is automatic if you qualify.
2. Hospital discharge planning
If your parent is leaving the hospital, the discharge planner is required to give you a choice of Medicare-certified agencies (you don't have to take their default recommendation). Ask for the list, then look them up on Care Compare.
3. Primary care referral
Your parent's primary care doctor can recommend trusted local agencies. Often the best path for non-hospital-discharge starts.
4. Insurance plan directories (Medicare Advantage)
If your parent has Medicare Advantage, the plan will have a network of preferred home health agencies. Going out-of-network costs more (and sometimes isn't covered).
5. What to verify before signing
- Medicare certification (avoid non-certified agencies for Medicare-covered care)
- State licensure (varies by state)
- Star rating on Care Compare (3+ stars minimum)
- Accreditation (Joint Commission, ACHC, or CHAP — bonus signal)
- How they handle after-hours emergencies
- Communication style — do they have a family portal? Do they send written care plans?
When the Medicare-covered phase ends (the gap most families don't plan for)
Medicare home health care typically covers 30-90 days post-hospitalization. As soon as the patient stabilizes or no longer needs skilled care, coverage ends — abruptly.
What happens then? Many families assume Medicare will keep covering at least "some" care. It won't. The home health agency leaves. Your parent is back to being alone with whatever support the family arranges.
This is the moment when daily-call services like Call Mabel become valuable — filling the gap left when the skilled care stops:
- Daily wellness call to make sure recovery continues
- Medication reminders (often complex post-hospital)
- Family alerts if something feels off (catches re-hospitalization warning signs early)
- Companionship for the now-isolated recovery period
Where Call Mabel fits
Call Mabel is NOT a home health care agency. We can't do wound care or PT. What we ARE: the daily-companion + family-alert layer that bridges the gap when Medicare-covered home health ends — or starts working alongside home health care during the recovery period.
Plans from $29.97/mo. Cancel anytime. 7-day refund.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Medicare pay for home health care per hour?
Medicare doesn't pay per hour — it reimburses agencies on a flat per-visit or per-episode basis, then the patient pays $0 out of pocket. When Medicare-covered, the patient owes nothing for skilled visits.
For care that Medicare doesn't cover (custodial / non-skilled aide help), private rates in 2026 average $29-35 per hour nationally, ranging $20-25/hr in the South and Midwest, $30-40/hr on the coasts. Skilled nursing visits without Medicare coverage cost $50-100+ per visit. Physical therapy without coverage runs $75-150+ per visit.
Will Medicare pay for private home health care?
Medicare only pays for home health care delivered by a Medicare-CERTIFIED agency. It does NOT pay for privately-hired aides, independent contractors, or non-certified agencies — even if the care is identical.
Many families discover this the hard way: hiring a private nurse or aide directly, expecting reimbursement, and getting denied. If you want Medicare coverage, the agency must be Medicare-certified (look it up on medicare.gov/care-compare). If you want to hire privately, expect to pay fully out of pocket — though long-term care insurance may reimburse, and VA Aid & Attendance may help for eligible veterans.
Will Medicare pay for a home assistant for the elderly?
Generally no. Medicare does NOT pay for ongoing home assistants, personal care aides, or companions — those are considered "custodial care" (help with daily living, not medical care) and are excluded from Original Medicare.
The narrow exception: if your parent qualifies for home health care for a separate medical reason (post-hospital recovery, skilled nursing need), Medicare will cover a limited home health AIDE during that episode — but only as a secondary service to the skilled care. Once skilled care ends, the home health aide ends too.
For ongoing home assistant help, look at: Medicaid HCBS waivers, VA Aid & Attendance, long-term care insurance, or Medicare Advantage plans with supplemental in-home support benefits.
What are the three primary types of home care services?
The three main categories are:
- Home health care — skilled medical care from licensed nurses or therapists (Medicare-covered when eligible); typically post-hospital, wound care, IV therapy, physical therapy.
- Personal care / home care aide — hands-on help with activities of daily living: bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, meal prep (mostly self-pay, $25-35/hr; Medicaid HCBS waivers may cover for qualifying low-income seniors).
- Companion care — social engagement, daily check-ins, transportation to appointments, light housekeeping (self-pay, $20-30/hr through agencies, or $30-180/mo for AI daily-call services like Call Mabel).
Most families need a combination of these — typically home health for medical issues, plus personal-care or companion services for the ongoing daily layer.