Homemaker / housekeeping help: Medicaid rates by state

This is a service-level benchmark rather than a single code: each state's headline rate for homemaker / housekeeping help is chosen to match the same service and the same provider level.

• Provider level. States are compared at the aide or attendant (HHA, CNA, PCA, home care aide) level. Rates for other levels on file (agency provider, independent (non-agency) provider, licensed practical / vocational nurse and paid family caregiver / legally responsible individual) are kept separate, never mixed into this ranking.
• Unit. Of the 29 states, 22 publish their headline rate per 15 min and 7 per hour. The ranking converts every time-based rate to an hour of service, so states that bill by the 15 minutes and by the hour compare directly.
• Variants. 25 of the 29 states publish more than one rate for this service (by modifier, program, setting or provider type); the headline rate is the one that matches the comparison, and the workspace lists every variant.
• Depth. 2,142 rates for this service are on file across all states, versions and provider levels; this page shows one headline rate per state.

The highest-paying state, New Jersey, pays $62.00 per hour; the lowest, New Mexico, pays $7.90 per hour, a 7.8x gap. 14 of the 29 states pay above the median of $27.32 per hour. Common reasons rates for personal care & attendant services spread this way:

• The same service can be paid under the state plan, under one or more waivers or under a separate state program, each with its own rate.
• Agency-delivered and self-directed (consumer-directed) care are usually paid at different rates.
• Some states require a share of the rate to go to direct-care wages, and minimum wage changes push personal care rates up.

Billing notes

Modifiers distinguish agency from self-directed care and, in some states, the number of people served at once. Personal care is commonly billed in 15-minute units, though some states pay per hour or per day.