Paying for home health
Coverage is verified before care begins, not after. Nobody should discover what they owe from a bill.
What we accept
| Payer | How it works |
|---|---|
| MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) | Home health is a covered MO HealthNet benefit with a physician’s order. Coverage rules and limits are set by the program, not by us. |
| Private insurance | Most plans cover home health with an order and, frequently, prior authorization. We verify your specific benefits — coverage, visit limits, and any copay or deductible — before care starts. |
| Private pay | Self-funded, for people without coverage or who want services beyond what a payer authorizes. |
We do not publish rates on this page. Home health pricing depends on the service, the visit frequency and your coverage, and a number posted on a website goes stale and misleads. Call (314) 809-6655 and we will give you real figures for your situation.
About Medicare — read this before you call
Communicare Elite is a Medicare-certified home health agency. Certification means the agency has been surveyed against the federal Conditions of Participation — the standards CMS sets for how a home health agency must operate, document care, and protect patients. It is a statement about the standard of the agency.
We do not currently accept Medicare as payment for home health. Certification and billing are two separate things, and we would rather say so on this page than have you find out after a referral. We work with MO HealthNet, private insurance and private pay. If Medicare is your only coverage for home health, tell us on the first call and we will say so straight away and point you toward agencies that do bill it.
What we verify before care starts
- That your coverage is active.
- Whether prior authorization is required, and obtaining it if so.
- Which services are covered, and any visit limits.
- What you would owe, if anything.
- Whether the physician’s order and plan of care are complete.
If something is not covered, you hear it from us in advance — including when the honest answer is that a service you want is not going to be paid for.
If coverage is denied
Denials are not always final. Ask for the reason in writing, since many are administrative rather than clinical — a missing order, an authorization that lapsed, a coding error. Those get fixed and resubmitted. Where a denial is genuinely clinical, you have appeal rights through your payer, and your physician’s supporting documentation carries real weight.
If home health is not covered but you still need help
For MO HealthNet participants, the Consumer Directed Services program covers long-term personal care and costs the participant nothing. It does not cover skilled clinical care — but for people whose real need is daily help rather than nursing, it is frequently the better answer.
Need skilled care at home?
Call (314) 809-6655, or text (314) 886-5902. Home health starts with an order from your physician — we can talk you through how to get one.