The Complete Guide to Home Care Services in Philadelphia

If you’re looking for home care in Philadelphia — whether for an aging parent, a spouse with a disability, or a family member recovering from surgery — the options are broader and more accessible than most families realize. Philadelphia has one of the most developed home care ecosystems in the country, with Medicaid programs that cover most or all of the cost for qualifying families and a network of agencies, community organizations, and government resources that can help you get started.

This guide covers every type of home care available in Philadelphia, who pays for it, and how to find the right fit for your family.

What Home Care Actually Means

Home care is non-medical assistance provided in the home. It helps people with the daily activities that become difficult due to aging, disability, injury, or chronic illness. The term covers a range of services: personal care assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting; meal preparation and feeding support; medication reminders; mobility assistance and fall prevention; light housekeeping and laundry; grocery shopping and errands; companionship and supervision; and transportation to medical appointments.

Home care is distinct from home health care, which involves medical services like skilled nursing, physical therapy, and wound care ordered by a physician. Most Philadelphia families searching for “home care” need the non-medical daily living support — and that’s what this guide focuses on.

Types of Home Care Available in Philadelphia

Medicaid-Funded Home Care (Community HealthChoices)
The majority of home care services in Philadelphia are funded through Medicaid via Pennsylvania’s Community HealthChoices (CHC) program. If your loved one is enrolled in Medical Assistance and needs regular help with daily activities, CHC is almost certainly the pathway.

CHC covers personal care, homemaker services, respite care, adult day services, home modifications, assistive technology, and personal emergency response systems. In Philadelphia, three Managed Care Organizations administer CHC:  AmeriHealth Caritas, Keystone First CHC, and PA Health & Wellness

The most powerful feature of CHC for families: Participant-Directed Services allows your loved one to choose their own caregiver — including a family member — who is then
hired and paid through the Agency with Choice model. In our experience at CareChoice, this is the option that transforms the most families’ situations. A daughter or son who’s been providing unpaid care for years becomes a compensated employee, earning $13.50 to $18.00 per hour with W-2 employment protections.

Private-Pay Home Care

Families who don’t qualify for Medicaid or who need services beyond what Medicaid covers can hire home care privately. Private-pay rates in the Philadelphia area typically range from $25 to $35per hour for non-medical personal care, depending on the agency and the level of service. Live-in care costs more. Private-pay home care is available immediately without the enrollment process Medicaid requires, but the cost adds up quickly — 30 hours per week at $30/hour is $3,900 per month.

Veterans Home Care

Philadelphia veterans may access home care through VA programs including the Homemaker/Home Health Aide Program, Veteran-Directed HCBS (which allows paid family caregivers, including spouses), the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, and Aid and Attendance pension benefits. Many veterans qualify for both VA and Medicaid programs simultaneously.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Some families have long-term care insurance policies that cover home care services. Coverage varies dramatically by policy — check the specific terms for daily or monthly benefit amounts, elimination periods, and covered service types.

How Much Does Home Care Cost in Philadelphia?

The answer depends entirely on the funding source.

Through Medicaid (CHC):  No out-of-pocket cost to the family for authorized services. Medicaid covers the full cost. This is why Medicaid eligibility is the first thing every Philadelphia family should check.

Private pay: $25–$35/hour for standard personal care. Specialized care (dementia, complex medical needs) may cost more. Live-in care arrangements have their own rate structures.

Through VA programs:  Generally no out-of-pocket cost for eligible veterans.

In our experience, the number one mistake Philadelphia families make is assuming they have to pay out of pocket without first checking Medicaid eligibility. Pennsylvania’s long-term care Medicaid rules are more generous than most families expect — even parents with Social Security income and modest savings may qualify, especially with provisions like Special Income Trusts and
spousal impoverishment protections.

How to Get Started

Step 1: Check Medicaid Eligibility
Apply through COMPASS at compass.state.pa.us or contact the Philadelphia County Assistance Office. If your loved one is already on Medicaid, skip to Step 2.

Step 2: Connect with PCA
The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) at (215) 765-9040 is the local Area Agency on Aging and the best first call for any family exploring home care in the city. PCA provides information, referrals, assessment coordination, and connections to community resources.

Step 3: Enroll in Community HealthChoices
Your loved one will be assigned to or choose an MCO. The MCO assigns a service coordinator who arranges a
functional eligibility assessment.

Step 4: Choose Your Care Model
During care planning, decide whether to receive care through a traditional agency (the agency assigns a caregiver) or through Participant-Directed Services
(you choose your own caregiver, including a family member). In our experience, families who know about PDS before care planning starts get better outcomes — if nobody tells you the option exists, you’ll default to the agency model.

Step 5: Begin Receiving Care

Once the care plan is finalized and the caregiver is onboarded (2–6 weeks depending on the pathway), services begin. For families using PDS with a family caregiver, the caregiver receives biweekly paychecks through the Agency with Choice organization.

What Makes CareChoice Different

CareChoice is a home care agency serving the Philadelphia area that specializes in Medicaid-funded home care — particularly the Participant-Directed Services pathway that allows family members to become paid caregivers. We work with all three MCOs in the Southeast Zone, we serve every neighborhood in the city and the surrounding counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery), and we’ve helped thousands of Philadelphia families access the care they need.

Whether your family needs help navigating the Medicaid application, understanding which type of care is right, or getting a family member hired and paid as a caregiver, CareChoice is the call that gets things moving.

Contact CareChoice →Philadelphia team

Written by Gary Murray, Chief Marketing Officer | CareChoice
Related: Get Paid to Care for Family in PA →|Community HealthChoices in Philadelphia →|How to Choose a Home Care Agency in Philly →