In our last article, we addressed the question of Medication Management and Medicare. That stirred a number of additional questions concerning Medicare coverage and home-care services. One of the most frequent questions involves having a Home Health Aide in the home to provide assistance with bathing.

Frequently someone will call Medicare and ask the question, "Does Medicare cover someone to help with bathing?" This answer could be either yes or no depending on the circumstances. Unfortunately, there are times when the person at Medicare doesn't ask qualifying questions and answers, "Yes." We then get persons that are confused when we tell them that Medicare doesn't cover assistance with bathing in their situation. Bathing assistance is provided by a Home Health Aide not a nurse or therapist. Here is the ruling on Home Health Aides obtained from the official U.S. government booklet about Medicare home health care benefits for people with "Original Medicare:"

"Home Health Aide services may be covered when given on a part-time or intermittent basis if needed as support services for skilled nursing care. Home Health Aide services must be part of the care for your illness or injury. Medicare doesn't cover Home Health Aide services unless you're also getting skilled care such as nursing care or other physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech-language pathology services from the home-health agency."

"If you get your Medicare benefits through a Medicare health plan (not Original Medicare), check your plan's membership materials, and contact the plan for details about how the plan provides your Medicare-covered home health benefits."

So in simpler terms, if you have a nurse or therapist coming to your home from a home-health agency to provide services, bathing assistance is covered and provided by the home health agency. When the nurse or therapist's service ends, so does the bathing assistance coverage. Bathing assistance may still be needed and this can be provided by a home-care agency. This may be covered by long-term care insurance, veteran's benefits, Medicaid or paid for privately.

More information concerning Original Medicare coverage can be obtained from www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10969.pdf.

For questions regarding home care, contact Home Helpers at (208) 769-9560 or go to www.CoeurdAleneHomeCare.com.

Connie Clark is a Certified Senior Advisor at Home Helpers/Direct Link. She can be reached at (208) 769-9560 - North Idaho or (509) 999-8440 - Spokane.