A semi-private room (a room you share with other patients). This means that the maximum coverage available would be up to 100 days of SNF benefits. Medicare covers up to 100 days of SNF care per benefit period. Learn what happens when your coverage runs out, how to qualify for a new benefit period, and alternative options for continuing care.
Medicare Part A can pay for medical services in a long-term care facility for up to 100 days. After this period, Medicare may continue to be used to cover certain treatments, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, or speech-language disorders. However, Medicare won't cover room and board after 100 days. Medicare Part A will cover palliative care if your doctor certifies that you have a terminal illness, accepts palliative care instead of curative care for your illness, and signs a statement choosing palliative care instead of palliative care.
Medicare Part A can provide coverage for medically necessary skilled nursing (SNF) care (for example, changing sterile dressings).Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care for people with Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia. Be sure to visit the NCOA BenefitsCheckUp to look for other benefit programs that can help you pay for health care, food, prescription drugs, utilities and other basic living costs. As with any other illness, coverage for stays in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility is generally limited to 100 days. If you need more than 100 days of SNF care in a benefit period, the benefit period is the amount of time Medicare pays for hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) services.
You may not need a minimum 3-day hospital stay if your doctor is involved in a responsible care organization or other type of Medicare initiative approved for an exemption from the 3-day rule in a “skilled nursing facility.” Ask your provider if you are eligible for home treatment through the Medicare home health benefit, or if you could be treated safely as an outpatient. An outpatient is a patient who has not been formally admitted to the hospital as an inpatient. Specialized care is nursing care and therapy that can only be performed safely and effectively by or under the supervision of professionals or technical personnel. This is also true if you stop receiving specialized care while you are in the SNF and return to receiving specialized care within 30 days. Nursing homes, or skilled nursing facilities, provide medical and personal care services for people who cannot live safely on their own.
After spending 100 days in a long-term care facility for each benefit period, this type of care is no longer covered by Medicare Part A. Nursing home care, on the other hand, is often paid for through a combination of private funding, long-term care insurance, and Medicaid (for those who qualify based on income and asset levels).
