Issue #1 · August 25, 2026
Your biweekly guide to elder care, hospice, and home health decisions that matter.
A quick note before we begin: if you are thinking "didn’t I already get issue #1?" — you did, possibly more than once. Our issue numbers were being reset every time we updated the site, so the counter kept starting over. That is fixed, and this is genuinely the last #1 you will ever get from us. Thank you for bearing with the arithmetic.
Welcome to the very first issue of The Best Hospice and Home Health Brief. We're glad you're here, and we promise to make this worth your time every two weeks.
The biggest story affecting families right now is the shifting Medicaid landscape across the country. Several states are still working through decisions about Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and those decisions have real consequences for older adults who rely on Medicaid to pay for home health aides, nursing home care, and even some hospice services. If your loved one depends on Medicaid or might need it in the future, the state you live in matters enormously. Expansion states generally offer broader coverage for long term care services, while non-expansion states often leave families covering more costs out of pocket or spending down assets faster to qualify.
At the same time, the current administration's executive actions continue to ripple through healthcare policy in ways that may affect coverage, provider networks, and access to services. We're keeping a close eye on how these federal shifts interact with state level decisions, because for families caring for aging parents or spouses, the details matter more than the headlines. We'll keep translating the policy into plain English so you know what it actually means for the people you love.
Here's something that doesn't get enough attention: childhood vaccination rates have been dropping steadily, and that trend has a real connection to elder care. Over three quarters of states now have measles vaccination rates below the 95% target for school age children, and states are varying widely in how they handle exemptions. You might wonder what this has to do with your aging parent. A lot, actually. When community vaccination rates drop, older adults with weakened immune systems become more vulnerable to outbreaks of preventable diseases. If your loved one is in a home health setting and younger family members or visiting caregivers are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, the risk of exposure goes up.
This is especially important for families receiving home health services, where multiple caregivers may rotate through the home each week. It's perfectly reasonable to ask your home health agency about their staff vaccination policies. A good agency will have clear answers and won't be offended by the question.
Let's talk about one of the most common misconceptions we hear: that Medicare covers all long term home care. It doesn't. Medicare will pay for home health services like skilled nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy if a doctor orders them and the patient is considered "homebound." But Medicare does not cover custodial care, which is the help most families actually need. That means things like bathing, dressing, cooking, and companionship are not covered by Medicare alone. For those services, families typically pay out of pocket, use long term care insurance if they have it, or qualify for Medicaid.
The average cost of a home health aide in the United States runs roughly $30 to $35 per hour, and those hours add up fast. A family needing 20 hours per week of custodial care could be looking at $2,600 to $3,000 per month or more depending on where they live. Understanding this gap between what Medicare covers and what your family actually needs is one of the most important financial conversations you can have early in the care planning process. Don't wait until you're in crisis to figure out how to pay for it.
We started Best Hospice and Home Health because finding trustworthy care for someone you love shouldn't feel like a second job. Our service is completely free for families. We connect you with verified hospice and home health providers in your area, and we don't charge you a dime for it. If this newsletter was helpful, we'd be grateful if you forwarded it to a friend, a neighbor, or a coworker who might be going through something similar. Caring for someone is hard enough without having to do it alone. We're here when you need us.