What is the difference between home health and home care?
Home health is skilled, intermittent care ordered by a clinician -- nurse visits, physical, occupational or speech therapy -- usually covered by Medicare for people who are homebound; home care is non-medical help with bathing, meals, errands and supervision, usually paid privately.
| Home health | Home care | |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered by | A doctor or other clinician | The family |
| It is | Visits for a defined clinical goal | Hours of help with daily living |
| It isn't | A caregiver who stays for a shift | Medical care or therapy |
| Paid by | Medicare, Medicaid, insurance | Private pay, LTC insurance, MI Choice, PACE, Home Help |
How do you find a Medicare-certified home health agency near Grand Rapids?
CMS lists 36 Medicare-certified home health agencies that report serving ZIP codes in our area, with quality star ratings.
The home health directory sorts them by stars and shows how many local ZIPs each serves.
Why don't non-medical home care agencies appear in the CMS data?
Because they do not bill Medicare. CMS only certifies home health agencies that provide skilled care; companion and personal-care agencies are outside its data entirely.
When hiring a non-medical agency, ask about background checks, whether caregivers are employees or contractors, how the agency covers a missed shift, and minimum hours per visit.
Can someone get both at the same time?
Yes, and it is common after a hospital stay: home health nurses and therapists come a few times a week while a private caregiver covers bathing and meals.
Make sure both know about each other, and that the home health plan of care is shared with whoever is there daily.
How do you check a home health agency's quality?
Use CMS's quality-of-patient-care star rating, built from how often patients improve in walking, bathing, breathing and managing medications and how often care starts on time.
Our home health directory shows each agency's stars and how many local ZIP codes it reports serving. Ask about weekend coverage and how quickly a nurse returns a call.
What does non-medical home care cost in Michigan?
CareScout's 2025 Michigan median for a non-medical caregiver is $79,508 a year at 44 hours a week, about $34.75 an hour.
Agencies often have minimum visit lengths of two to four hours, so a short daily check-in can cost more per hour of help actually needed than a longer weekly visit. Ask about minimums before comparing rates.
Does Michigan Medicaid pay for home care?
For eligible people, yes: MI Choice and PACE can include personal care at home, and Medicaid's Home Help program pays for help with daily activities; ask MDHHS or the waiver agent which applies.
