Does Medicare Cover Doctor House Calls?
UNITED STATES—Toni: My 86-year-old mother with Alzheimer’s needs 24-hour care and lives in a local personal care home. She is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage HMO and taking her to the doctor is quite an ordeal.
Friends have suggested that I dis-enroll my mother from this HMO and return her to Medicare, then use a “House Call doctor.” Financially, it is costing over $4,000 per month for her personal care home and what happens if my mother does not qualify for a Medicare Supplement due to her Alzheimer’s and other health issues.
How do I find a doctor that makes house calls like Dr. Welby did in the “good old days?” Is this something that Medicare or Medicare Advantage plan will pay for it? Thanks, Trish from Crowley, LA Trish: