Does Medicare Cover Nursing Home Care

Does Medicare Cover Durable Medical Equipment

Medicare will cover the cost of medically necessary equipment prescribed by a doctor for in-home use. This includes items such as canes or walkers, wheelchairs, blood sugar monitors, nebulizers, oxygen, and hospital beds. Patients typically pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for such equipment, as well as any remaining deductible under Part B.

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Does Medicare Cover In

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, someone turning 65 today has about a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care in the future. And with over 75% of Americans 50 and older saying theyd like to live in their current community as long as possible, more and more families are beginning to consider in-home care for their aging loved ones.

In-home care can be an appealing option for many seniors and their families because it enables them to age in place while still receiving the care and support they need. But, in-home care can be expensive. As of 2020, the national average cost of in-home care ranges from $25-$26 per hour. The expense can add up quickly, and many families seek outside sources of financial assistance to pay for in-home care.

In many cases, the first place seniors turn is Medicare. While Medicare covers in-home care services in some circumstances, it doesnt offer assistance for everyone and all types of home care. If youre unsure if Medicare will cover in-home care for yourself or a loved one, this guide is for you.

Does Medicare Cover In-Home Care?

• V. Frequently Asked Questions

What Else Should I Be Aware Of

Check if you were admitted as an inpatient. If the hospital classified you as Observation Status, which is an outpatient category, the hospital should have given you a Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice and orally explained the status and how it might affect the cost of your stay. Whether you were an inpatient or outpatient in the hospital affects whether Medicare will cover your nursing home stay.

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Does Medicare Pay For Long

Medicare does not pay for Long-Term Care. So what should you do?

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Rusty had paid for a long-term care policy for many years. Then, one day, his daughter found a cancelation notice for nonpayment of premiums sitting on his desk.

Dad, why are you not paying the premiums for this policy?

Because I have Medicare and my pipe trades policy. I dont need that one.

Dad, get out your checkbook. Were going to the FedEx FDX office and sending in the payment.

Three weeks later, Rusty suffered complications from prostate cancer and could not manage his care. He was admitted to a long-term care facility where he lived until his death 13 months later. The long-term care policy paid its share every day, the difference between Rusty keeping or having to sell his farm.

Rusty fell for one of the biggest Medicare myths ever: that Medicare covers long-term care. He wasnt alone in thinking that. 56% of middle-income Baby Boomers believe that Medicare will pay for their ongoing long-term care.

Medicare does not now and never has covered long-term care.

Problems tend to arise because theres so much confusion about long-term care, LTC, for short. This Q& A should help clarify some of the issues.

What is long-term care?

Long-term care, often called custodial care, is a range of services and support to meet health or personal care needs over an extended period of time. This is non-medical care provided by non-licensed caregivers.

Who needs long-term care and why?

Annuities.

Medicaid.

Do Aetna Medicare Plans Pay For Other Caregiving And Home Health Services

While Medicare Advantage plans are required to meet the above coverage of home health care, Aetna Medicare Advantage plans often go above and beyond to include additional home health care benefits.

In fact, Aetna has partnered with a caregiving agency called CareLinx to provide in-home caregiving services for its members. Aetna members may use their plan benefits for covered caregiver services such as meal preparation, cleaning, transportation and more.

Covered caregiving services may also be provided by a friend or family member, and Aetna offers a caregiving resource guide to help new caregivers find their way.

Below are some of the home health care services and other benefits that may be utilized within the home that you might find covered in an Aetna Medicare Advantage plan.

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How Many Days Will Medicare Pay For Nursing Home Care At A Skilled Nursing Facility

Medicare Part A partially covers costs at an SNF for the first 100 days of each benefit period. A benefit period begins on the day that youre admitted as an inpatient to the SNF or hospital. It ends when you havent received any inpatient care at an SNF or hospital for 60 consecutive days. The Medicare Part A deductible restarts at the beginning of each benefit period.

The Medicare nursing home benefit variesdepending on the amount of time that youve been admitted.

• Days 1-20 you pay nothing
• Days 21-100 you have a daily coinsurance amount of $176 for each benefit period
• Days 101 onwards, youre responsible for all costs

Keep in mind that you need to ensure that the SNF accepts Medicare in order for Medicare to cover any costs. You can find an SNF thats certified by Medicare using their online tool. In addition, not all services may be covered at an SNF. For instance, Medicare wont cover a private nurse unless its deemed medically necessary. You can discuss your treatment with your healthcare provider to help ensure that the services they recommend are covered.

Tips On Choosing A Nursing Home

The information contained in this article is for informational purposes only. It should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult with your medical provider regarding diagnosis or treatment for a health condition.

Whether you are moving to a skilled nursing facility yourself, or looking for a facility for a loved one, choosing a nursing home is a big decision.

• Your hospitals discharge planner or social worker can tell you about Medicare-approved nursing homes in your area.
• Medicare.gov has a Nursing Home Compare page on its website. You can type in your city or zip code, and it displays a list of local Medicare-approved facilities.
• Ask the facility all the important questions for you, including if they will hold a bed for you, and how much that would cost.

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The Basics Of Paying For Long

Custodial care refers to personal care given to individuals to help them with activities of daily living , which include bathing, dressing, and transferring themselves from seated to standing or in and out of bed. Also known as non-medical care, custodial care can be, and frequently is, provided by persons without professional medical training.

Skilled care, on the other hand, requires the provider to have professional medical training and licenses. In a home environment, the distinction between who is providing these types of care is fairly clear. In a hospital environment, it is less evident. Nurses, for example, provide both medical and custodial care at the same time, especially in smaller hospitals.

In the past, the simplest test to determine whether Medicare would or would not pay for care was to consider whether the care being provided was custodial/personal care or medical/skilled care. Up until a recent announcement in regards to Medicare Advantage , Medicare would not cover the custodial care, but would pay for skilled care . That said, original Medicare will still only pay for skilled care , but the rules of long-term care are more relaxed for MA.

Nursing Homes And Medicare

January 25, 2021 / 8 min read / Written by

• Advantages of a nursing homeJump to
• What kind of care do nursing homes provide?Jump to
• Eligibility for Medicare skilled nursing coverageJump to
• Covered nursing home servicesJump to
• What Medicare doesnt coverJump to
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• Other nursing home coverageJump to
• Tips on choosing a nursing homeJump to
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If you or a loved one cannot live at home independently, a nursing home may be the best possible option. Medicare generally does not pay for long-term nursing home care, but covers short-term care while you recover from an illness or injury.

Nursing homes are not the same as assisted living or independent living facilities. Independent living facilities are usually apartments or homes for who need little or no help or care. Assisted living facilities offer a level of care thats between independent living and skilled nursing. Assisted living usually does not include medical care. Medicare generally does not cover care at assisted or independent living facilities.

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Does Medicare Cover Nursing Homes

Learn if Medicare covers Skilled Nursing and Long Term Care Facilities

A nursing home can be defined as a Long Term Care Facility or a Skilled Nursing Facility. These types of round the clock care are covered differently and have completely different expenses, that can be hard be hard to gauge if you dont know how they are covered. The biggest question is: does Medicare cover either one of them?

Long Term Care Benefits

Medicare is the primary medical care insurance for a large number of seniors. Many are shocked to discover that Original Medicare , also called Traditional Medicare, does not cover costs for most types of long term care, including Alzheimers and dementia care. When it does pay, it is only in a very limited capacity. While Traditional Medicare is not a long term care solution, there are benefits for seniors with recoverable conditions on a short term basis. Also, as mentioned previously, some Medicare Advantage Plans now offer some home and community based long term care benefits under specific circumstances.

Skilled Nursing FacilitiesMedicare will pay for 100% of the cost of care up to 20 days at a skilled nursing facility and approximately 80% of the cost up to 80 more days. The care must be for recovery following an inpatient hospital stay.

Assisted Living CommunitiesMedicare does not cover any cost of assisted living. It will pay for most medical costs incurred while the senior is in assisted living, but will pay nothing toward custodial care or the room and board cost of assisted living. Some Medicare Advantage plans may pay for personal care assistance for persons residing in assisted living or memory care, but will not contribute towards the cost of room and board.

Adult Day CareOriginal Medicare does not pay for adult day care services, but some Medicare Advantage plans may cover the cost.

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What Parts Arent Covered

There are some aspects of in-home care that are convenient and even sometimes necessary to help sustain certain lifestyles, but they arent all covered by Medicare. These services include:

• 24-hour skilled nursing care: If you or a loved one needs this, you may be better off in a skilled nursing home facility, which Medicare does cover.
• Meals delivered to your home: While there may be aides who help do this in your home, you will not be reimbursed for having meals brought to you because you cant leave the house.
• Custodial care when its the only service you need: Custodial care refers to any non-medical help you need, such as with bathing or getting dressed. However, this type of care could be included in your plan if your doctor deems that its necessary to improve your condition.
• Homemaker services: This includes activities such as shopping, cleaning, and laundry, as described by the Medicare website. This also could be covered if they are related to your home health plan prescribed by your doctor.

So now that we know what Medicare covers , lets discuss how you can qualify for in-home care.

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You cant simply decide that you prefer your nursing care and other therapy needs in your home. You must meet the qualifications for in-home care.

Does Medicare Pay For Home Health Care

There is an important distinction between medically necessary home health care and personal care services provided by an unskilled caregiver. Understanding the difference between these two levels of care is key to determining who is eligible for Medicare-covered in-home services. For more information on this topic, read The Difference Between Home Health Care and Non-Medical Home Care Services.

Only home health care services prescribed by a doctor and provided by skilled caregivers are covered by Medicare, but patients must meet specific eligibility requirements.

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Dual Eligibility For Medicare And Medicaid

Finally, keep in mind that it is possible to qualify for and be covered by both Medicare and Medicaid simultaneously. Such individuals are known as dually eligible beneficiaries. With dual eligibility, Medicare pays for covered medical services first and Medicaid is considered the payer of last resort. For example, Medicare covers qualifying health care costs for doctors appointments, durable medical equipment and hospitalizations while Medicaid covers qualifying remaining expenses, such as Medicare premiums and cost-sharing requirements and long-term care services.

Keep in mind that coverage and benefits available for dually eligible beneficiaries vary by state. To learn more, read Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries: Some Seniors Qualify for Both Medicare and Medicaid.

Who Benefits From Skilled Nursing Care

Original Medicare includes Part A and Part B . They make up the foundation of all Medicare coverage, whether you receive it directly from Medicare or through Medicare Part C .

Like most Medicare beneficiaries, you may receive Part A at no cost at 65 if you already have received or are eligible for benefits from Social Security based on your or your spouses work record. You may also qualify if you are under 65 and receive Social Security disability benefits for 24 months, or if you have end-stage renal disease and you meet certain requirements.

Through Original Medicare, short-term skilled care is provided in a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility, as mentioned above. Under certain circumstances, it is also available as home health care.

You can get home health care if a doctor creates a care plan that requires limited skilled nursing care. Your doctor must certify that you are homebound, and a Medicare-certified home health agency must provide the services.3

For skilled nursing care with Medicare Advantage, you must check the terms in the Evidence of Coverage documentation received from your health plan before each plan year. Your plan may have lenient requirements to cover a stay in a skilled nursing facility, but it may require prior authorization. Whether a facility is in-network or out-of-network affects how services are covered.

Even if you have Medicare Part D coverage, Part A will generally cover prescriptions if theyre part of approved SNF care.4

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When Does Medicare Pay For Treatment In A Nursing Home

Its sometimes easier to grasp what Medicare covers at a nursing home by first understanding what it doesnt cover. When a person merely needs custodial care, Medicare does not cover the cost of care in a nursing home. The following services are included in custodial care:

• Bathing
• Eating
• Using the toilet

In general, if a person needs care that does not require a degree to perform, Medicare will not pay for it.

Lets take a look at what Medicare does and does not cover.

Its also worth noting that this is only a short-term solution, not a long-term solution.

In most cases, Medicare Part A will cover up to 100 days of treatment in a skilled nursing facility. The person must be admitted to a skilled nursing facility within 30 days of leaving the hospital, and they must be admitted for the disease or injury for which they were getting hospital care.

Skilled Nursing Facilities Care

Skilled nursing facility care is nursing or therapy that requires supervision or performed by technical personnel. Medicare Part A will cover SNF care for a limited time if:

• There are days left to use in your benefit period
• You qualify for a hospital stay
• The SNF is Medicare certified
• Your doctor recommends daily skilled nursing care or therapy
• You need services for a hospital-related medical condition or a condition that started while in the SNF, like an infection

Youâll want to learn more about SNF Medicare coverage before deciding if this is the long-term care you want for your elderly parents.

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Could Nursing Home Care Be Right For Me

If you need a place to recuperate and get specialized care, a skilled nursing facility could be the solution. But its also a costly one.

With Medicare Part A, you can receive at least partial coverage for up to 100 days. Make sure to familiarize yourself with Medicares rules and regulations to get the care you want. If you qualify, Medicare has a tool on its website to help you locate a nursing home.

What Are The Requirements For Medicare Nursing Home Coverage

Before Medicare covers skilled nursing home costs, you must have a qualifying hospital stay of at least three inpatient days prior to your nursing home admission. You must have inpatient status for at least three days time spent in the emergency department or observation unit doesnt count toward the three-day requirement.

If you refuse nursing care or medical therapies recommended by your doctor while you are in a skilled nursing facility, you may lose your Medicare nursing home coverage.

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