The Truth About Medicare and Medicaid Coverage of Long Term Care

United Hands Homecare Agency, LLC helps you avoid the high cost of nursing homes. Take note, “Another popular misconception is that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people ages 65 and older, pays for residency in a long-term care facility. In fact, Medicare only pays for the first 100 days in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility, and only if certain criteria are met, according to experts. For instance, the patient must have been hospitalized for at least three consecutive days before transferring to the nursing home.”
“Medicare will pay for the first 20 days of care in a skilled nursing facility at 100% coverage,” notes Diane J. Omdahl, Wisconsin-based president and co-founder of the Medicare consulting firm 65 Incorporated.”
“For days 21 to 100, there is a daily copayment, which in 2024 is $204 per day. When you get to day 101, Medicare coverage ends and other forms of payment need to be in place.”
“Because Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, people who need nursing home care must pay privately. Finding a way to pay for long-term care can be a big problem for many people, especially given the high costs associated with such care.”
“According to Genworth Financial’s 2023 Cost of Care survey (the most recent data available), the median cost of skilled nursing in a private room at a nursing home will set you back $116,800 per year, versus just over $104,000 for a semi-private room. But prices can vary a lot depending on where in the country the community is located and which services a senior is using.
“Long-term care insurance policies may be another option to pay for nursing home care, but these policies can be prohibitively costly for many. In most cases, people pay out of pocket until their resources are used up, at which point Medicaid, a joint federal and state program providing coverage to low-income individuals, kicks in to cover costs.”
(U.S.News, “Nursing Home Statistics: What to Know in 2024,” 5/28/24)

This entry was posted in Cost of Long Term Care. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *