Custodial care — help with daily living activities such as bathing and dressing that requires no skilled medical training — is generally:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
Custodial care is not medical treatment; it is assistance with the ordinary activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, and mobility, for people who cannot perform these tasks independently. Standard medical expense policies are designed to pay for skilled, medically necessary care provided by licensed professionals, so purely custodial services are a classic exclusion. Individuals who need such supportive care generally look to long-term care insurance, which is specifically designed to cover the custodial and supervisory services that health policies exclude. This makes A the correct statement.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Medicare Part B does not cover long-term custodial care, and Original Medicare as a whole excludes most custodial services in any setting regardless of which part is considered. Medicare's skilled care limits reinforce the point that custodial services are not insurable medical care.
- C) A physician's prescription does not convert custodial care into covered medical care; coverage is determined by the policy contract, which excludes custodial services as a category of care. A prescription cannot rewrite the policy contract, which controls what services are payable.
- D) HMOs cover care according to their contracts for members of all ages; custodial care is excluded as a category of service, not withheld or granted based on an age threshold. Managed care contracts cover care by medical necessity, not by the member's age.
Memory hook
Custodial = help with living, not healing. Health insurance heals; LTC insurance helps you live.