Most Americans older than 65 are eligible for the federal Medicare program. To qualify for Medicare Home Health Care, the patient must meet the following requirements:

1. A physician must determine (order) that the patient needs skilled home health service.
2. A physician must develop and sign a plan of care.
3. The patient must be homebound. This means they have an inability to leave home and, therefore, leaving home requires a considerable and taxing effort. Occasional absences from the home are permitted as long as they are of short duration. For example, doctor appointments, family reunions, funerals, religious services, graduations will not disqualify the patient from home health services as long as it does not indicate they have the ability to obtain services in a setting other than their home.
4. The patient must need one of the following services intermittently: skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy.