Market reference 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 body to indicate which country it applies to.
When a family decides to care for an aging parent at home, the first question a caregiver typically faces is this: "Which services do I need, how much of them, and how do I apply?" Visiting care (방문요양), visiting nursing (방문간호), and day/overnight care (주야간보호) are often mentioned in the same breath, but in practice each one addresses a different need. Understanding all three clearly allows you to build a far more comprehensive care plan — even within the same monthly benefit limit.
🇰🇷 Korea Visiting care (방문요양) is the most familiar form of home-based service. A care worker (요양보호사) visits the senior's home to assist with physical activities — meals, bathing, toileting, and mobility — as well as everyday household tasks. As of 2026, the monthly benefit limits for home-based benefits (재가급여) have been raised across all care grades. Grade 1 is approximately 2,512,900 won; Grade 2, approximately 2,331,200 won; Grade 3, approximately 1,528,200 won; Grade 4, approximately 1,409,700 won; Grade 5, approximately 1,208,900 won; and the Cognitive Support Grade, approximately 676,320 won. For Grade 1 and Grade 2 beneficiaries with more severe needs, this increase means a rise of more than 200,000 won compared to the previous year, and Grade 1 beneficiaries can now use visiting care for up to 44 sessions per month at 3 hours per session. The supplement for severe cases has also been expanded: for sessions of 180 minutes or more, the previous flat add-on of 3,000 won per day has been restructured to 2,000 won per hour, up to a maximum of 6,000 won per day.
🇰🇷 Korea Visiting nursing (방문간호) is a service in which medical professionals — nurses, physical therapists, and others — visit the home directly to provide treatments, medication education, rehabilitation training, and similar care. The 2026 service fees by visit duration are: 42,880 won for 15 minutes or more but less than 30 minutes; 53,770 won for 30 minutes or more but less than 60 minutes; and 64,690 won for 60 minutes or more. The standard beneficiary co-payment rate is 15%. Near-poverty households (차상위계층) receive a reduced rate of either 9% or 6%, and recipients of National Basic Livelihood benefits (기초생활수급자) pay 0%. A new benefit introduced in 2026 waives the co-payment for the first 3 visits when a severe-grade beneficiary (Grade 1 or 2) uses visiting nursing for the first time. Because visiting nursing addresses medical needs that visiting care cannot, using both services together produces a strong complementary effect.
🇰🇷 Korea Day and overnight care (주야간보호) is a service in which a senior spends daytime or nighttime hours at a center, receiving meals, bathing, health management, cognitive programs, and more. It is particularly useful for filling the gaps that occur during the day when family caregivers are unavailable. If the service is used for 15 or more days per month (at least 8 hours per day), additional use within 20% of the monthly benefit limit is permitted. Beneficiaries in the Cognitive Support Grade are not eligible for visiting care but can use day/overnight care (including dementia-dedicated units). Families caring for a parent in the early stages of dementia should be sure to confirm this point.
🇺🇸 U.S. Medicare applies different principles to home-based services than Korea does. Visiting nurse or home health aide services are covered only when a physician certifies that home-based treatment is medically necessary and when skilled nursing or physical, occupational, or speech therapy is also prescribed. In other words, Medicare does not cover personal care services — such as bathing or dressing assistance — when those are the only services needed. When eligibility conditions are met, the service may be used for up to 28 hours per week (or 35 hours per week when there is a special medical need), with a 0-dollar out-of-pocket cost.
🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, accessing adult day care (주야간보호) and personal care services requires the use of Medicaid's HCBS (Home and Community-Based Services) waiver programs. These programs operate in every state nationwide and include personal care assistance, household support, day care, and respite services. As of 2026, eligibility in most states requires a monthly income of no more than approximately 2,982 dollars and assets of no more than 2,000 dollars. Because demand is high, many states maintain waiting lists, so applying as early as possible is the practical approach.
In both Korea and the United States, using these three home-based services effectively means asking first not "what can I use and how much" but "what does my parent actually need right now." In Korea, visiting care, visiting nursing, and day/overnight care can be combined within the long-term care grade's benefit limits. In the United States, a plan that draws on both Medicare and Medicaid HCBS as circumstances require is often necessary. It is not easy for any one caregiver to navigate all of these systems alone. Sierra Care Advisor is here to help you find the right combination of services for your parent's situation.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare press release, "2026 Long-Term Care Insurance Premium Rate 0.9448%" (November 2025); National Health Insurance Service Long-Term Care Benefit Public Notice; Angelsitter 2026 visiting nursing and visiting care fee guide (as of January 2026); CoveredUSA, "Does Medicare Cover In-Home Caregivers? (2026)"; BenefitsUSA, "Medicare In-Home Caregiver Coverage 2026"; CoveredUSA, "Does Medicaid Cover In-Home Care? HCBS Waivers 2026"; ElderCareResourcePlanning.org, "Medicaid HCBS Waivers: Eligibility, Benefits, Settings and Wait Lists (2026)".
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.