The first thing you should do is ask the Assisted Living Facility to help you review your Mother’s situation and advise you, and you should also present your Mother’s Medicare Card and her Supplementary Insurance card to the home health care agency that will provide the home health care services for your Mother, and ask them to set up the billing of Medicare (if applicable) and your Mother’s supplementary insurance company for the home health care services. Normally that is handled as part of the intake process with a home health care agency.

For Medicare coverage to apply, you may need to get a prescription for home health care, including skilled care (assuming that is needed), from your Mother’s Doctor. This prescription may also be helpful for your Mother’s private insurance company.

If your Mother was actually in the “assisted living facility” as a rehabilitation facility after discharge from a hospital, and she was in the hospital at least three nights, then there should be some Medicare coverage for home health care, as least as long as your Mother needs “skilled care” at home. The hospital social worker, rehab facility, and home health care agency should help you determine if Medicare coverage will apply and get it set up for Medicare, if applicable.

For more information on Medicare coverage of Home Health Care, see Medicare.gov – Medicare & Home Health Care. This applies if your Mother is on Original Medicare (not Medicare Advantage). If she is on Medicare Advantage, look at her Medicare Advantage card, and call the number for information.

You have indicated that your Mother has a supplemental insurance policy that she obtained through AARP. She may have supplementary or primary coverage for home health care under this policy. Or, if it is a long-term care policy, it may provide coverage for home health care. As I mentioned above, you should present your Mother’s supplemental insurance card, as well as her Medicare card, to the home health care agency that will provide the services for your Mother, and they should help you bill the insurance.

If you are not working with a home health care agency, or if you have further questions about coverage, you could call the customer service number reflected on your Mother’s insurance card for her supplementary insurance policy. You should also read her policy to determine the extent of her coverage.

Hope this helps! Take care,
Connie