Here are the main Medicare eligibility requirements for home health services, including home health aides:

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1. You must be under the care of a doctor  

Medicare requires that a physician (or certain non-physician practitioners) create and regularly review a plan of care that includes home health services. This plan must certify that you need intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy.

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2. You must be homebound  

To qualify, the individual must be considered "homebound," meaning leaving home is a major effort and assistance is needed from another person or a mobility device. Occasional absences for medical appointments or religious services do not disqualify a person from being considered homebound.

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3. The services must be provided by a Medicare-certified home health agency (HHA)  

Only agencies approved by Medicare are eligible to provide reimbursed care. Florida has hundreds of these certified HHAs across the state, including both large organizations and smaller community-based providers.

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4. The care must be intermittent or part-time  

Medicare does not cover round-the-clock or full-time home health aide services. The level of care covered must be reasonable and necessary, based on the patient’s current condition and treatment goals.

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Here's an example: Imagine a senior living in Miami recovering from hip surgery. Her doctor prescribes in-home physical therapy and occasional skilled nursing visits to monitor her healing. Because she needs help with bathing during recovery, Medicare may cover a home health aide to assist with personal care as part of that treatment plan—but only for as long as the skilled services are also being provided.

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By meeting all four of these criteria, families can access critical short-term services without incurring out-of-pocket expenses for home health aide help.

A common point of confusion for families is understanding exactly what tasks a Medicare-covered home health aide can perform—and what they cannot. When Medicare coverage is approved, the services can make a meaningful difference in an elderly or disabled person’s daily comfort and safety.

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Covered Activities:

Medicare covers what’s known as "personal hands-on care" provided by a trained home health aide. These services typically include:

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• Help with bathing and grooming
• Assistance with dressing and undressing
• Aid with bathroom use, including incontinence care
• Help with mobility or transferring from bed to chair
• Aiding in exercises as prescribed by a therapist
• Basic health monitoring (blood pressure, pulse, temperature)

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Keep in mind that these services must be linked to a medical condition and be part of a broader care plan.

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Not Covered:  

While these caregiving services are essential, it’s important to know what Medicare excludes:

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• 24-hour care at home
• Food preparation or delivery
• Housekeeping (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc.)
• Long-term custodial care
• Personal care not linked to skilled services

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So if your parent in Tampa just needs daily companionship, cleaning help, or someone to prepare meals, Medicare won’t cover these needs—even though they are essential to quality of life. In such cases, families often turn to private-pay home care services or state-funded programs like Medicaid or Veterans benefits for supplemental coverage.

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One way to think about it: Medicare’s home health aide services are medical in nature, short-term in duration, and conditional upon a skilled-service need. Knowing this distinction can help families avoid the emotional burnout of expecting coverage that isn't available—and instead focus on the options that are.