"Home care" and when does Medicare cover it?

Home care is a phrase commonly used to refer to a wide range of health and social services. These services are delivered at home to recovering, chronically or terminally ill persons or people with disabilities in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment, and/or assistance with the essential activities of daily living.

Medicare covers various types of home health services under both its home health care benefit and its hospice benefit. Each benefit has very specific eligibility criteria.