That might start to change next year, though, for those enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans — about a third of those insured by Medicare. Officials announced this spring that they’d “reinterpreted” the definition of “supplemental benefits” for Medicare Advantage.

When Medicare’s open enrollment period begins on Oct. 15, the private insurers that underwrite Advantage plans — which already lure seniors with things traditional Medicare can’t cover, like eyeglasses, hearing aids and gym memberships — will be free to add a long list of new benefits.

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Among those the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will now allow, if they’re deemed health-related: Adult day care programs. Home aides to help with activities of daily living, like bathing and dressing. Palliative care at home for some patients. Home safety devices and modifications like grab bars and wheelchair ramps. Transportation to medical appointments.

“This will potentially help people stay in their homes longer and not have to go to institutions,” Seema Verma, the C.M.S. administrator, said in an interview. “You could provide a simple device or a home modification that could mean the world to a patient, but plans weren’t allowed to do that in the past.”

In 2020, thanks to Congress, the list of possible benefits could expand still further. Incorporated in the budget signed by President Trump, the Chronic Act is intended to help people manage conditions like heart failure and diabetes, in part by authorizing telehealth programs. It, too, will work through Medicare Advantage.