Market coverage note: This article draws on sources from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
How wonderful it would be to receive the care you need while continuing to live in the home you have always known, rather than moving to a nursing facility or hospital. "재가 서비스" (in-home care services) is the system that turns that wish into reality. Both Korea and the United States are strengthening policies that prioritize community-based care over institutional care, and in 2026 both countries have meaningfully expanded the related benefits. This article walks calmly through each type of service — how to access it, what it costs, and what to watch out for.
🇰🇷 Korea 방문요양 (visit care) is a service in which a 요양보호사 (care worker) comes directly to the home to assist with daily life in its entirety — bathing assistance, meal preparation, help with mobility, companionship, and more. Those who hold a 장기요양 (long-term care) grade of 1 through 5 may use the service within their monthly benefit ceiling, and the standard co-payment is 15% of that ceiling. Reduced-income beneficiaries pay either 6% or 9%, and recipients of 기초생활수급 (basic livelihood support) have no co-payment at all. Starting in 2026, the monthly benefit ceiling for severely graded beneficiaries (grades 1 and 2) has been raised by more than 200,000 won compared to the previous year; at grade 1, a household may now use up to 44 sessions of 3-hour visit care per month. The severe-care supplement has also been expanded, providing greater support to families carrying heavier caregiving burdens.
🇰🇷 Korea 방문간호 (visiting nursing) is a service in which a nurse or nursing assistant comes to the home — based on a 방문간호지시서 (visiting nursing order) issued by a physician, oriental medicine doctor, or dentist — to provide medical care such as medication management, wound treatment, elimination care, basic health assessment, and cognitive training. It is distinct from 가정간호 (home nursing care) covered under ordinary health insurance through hospital referrals; for 장기요양 grade 1 through 4 beneficiaries, 노인장기요양보험 (long-term care insurance for older adults) applies instead. Beginning in 2026, a new provision waives the co-payment for up to 3 sessions when a severely graded beneficiary uses 방문간호 for the first time, significantly lowering the barrier to entering the service.
🇰🇷 Korea 주야간보호 (daytime protective care) is a service in which an older adult goes to a center during daytime hours to receive meals, exercise, cognitive programs, and more, allowing family caregivers to go to work or attend to their own lives with peace of mind. When the service is used for 15 or more days per month and 8 or more hours per day, additional use of up to 20% of the monthly benefit ceiling is also permitted. In 2026, a policy initiative is under way to allow qualifying 주야간보호 institutions to simultaneously provide short-term residential care, making it possible to fill caregiving gaps in 24-hour units during a caregiver's vacation or business travel.
🇺🇸 U.S. Medicare (specifically Medicare, Parts A and B) covers 방문 간호 (Skilled Nursing) and home health aide services with no co-payment for those who meet the eligibility conditions. There are three conditions: homebound status recognized by a physician, a care plan signed by a physician, and use of a Medicare-certified agency. In principle, up to a combined 28 hours per week of nurse and aide visits may be used; if medical necessity is sufficiently documented, this can expand to 35 hours per week. However, because Medicare is fundamentally a short-term medical program focused on recovery and rehabilitation, 24-hour live-in aides or assistance solely with activities of daily living are not covered benefits. It is also worth noting that in 2026 CMS reduced the reimbursement rate paid to home health agencies by approximately 1.3% compared to the previous year, which has led some agencies to become more selective in the cases they accept.
🇺🇸 U.S. The service equivalent to adult daytime care in the United States — Adult Day Care / Adult Day Health Care — is funded primarily through Medicaid. Adult day care is provided as a Medicaid benefit in every state except Maine. Income and asset limits must be met; as of 2026, the individual asset limit in most states is $2,000, and the income limit ranges from $994 to $1,801 per month. Even for those who do not qualify for Medicaid, the PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program offers day center services bundled with medical care, rehabilitation, and meals. As of 2026, PACE operates in 33 states and Washington D.C.
For families applying for in-home care for the first time, the hardest part is often knowing where to start. 🇰🇷 Korea In Korea, the first step is to apply for a 장기요양 (long-term care) grade through the 국민건강보험공단 (National Health Insurance Service); if 방문간호 is also needed, remember that a 방문간호지시서 must be obtained separately from the attending physician. 🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, the first step is to ask your Primary Care Physician to write a Medicare home health care plan. For Medicaid-based adult day care, contacting your state's Medicaid office or your local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) will get you information on available providers in your area and how to apply.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare press release '2026년도 장기요양보험료율 0.9448%' (November 2025); 국가법령정보센터 (Korea Law Information Center), '장기요양급여 제공기준 및 급여비용 산정방법 등에 관한 고시' (보건복지부고시 제2025-247호, effective January 1, 2026); 또하나의가족 visiting nursing service guide; Seoul National University Hospital home nursing guide; Ministry of Health and Welfare 통합재가서비스 운영 매뉴얼 2026; CMS Medicare Home Health Agency Final Rule 2026; KFF 'Medicaid Home Care (HCBS) in 2025'; Medicaid Long-Term Care 'Medicaid Benefits for Adult Day Care'; Medicare Agents Hub and Paul B Insurance home health aide 2026 guide.
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.