Medicare at Home Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a brand new Medicare benefit covering up to 20 hours a week of in-home personal care, something traditional Medicare has never paid for. This includes help with daily activities like bathing and eating, plus related chores like meal prep and light housekeeping.
• To qualify, a doctor or authorized practitioner must certify that the person needs help with a minimum combination of daily living and household tasks. The benefit is capped at 20 hours per week per person.
• Currently, families pay more than $60,000 a year out of pocket for this kind of care, or must spend down their savings to qualify for Medicaid, since Medicare does not cover long-term personal care in the home.
• The program would be funded by adjusting everyone's Medicare Part B monthly premium to cover the added cost, and it also sets a wage floor to ensure home care workers are paid fairly.
• If enacted, the benefit would not actually start for more than two years, giving the government time to write rules for home care workers and figure out the exact premium impact.