
MENU ITEMS HOME Importance of LTC Medicare Medicaid Policy Qualifiers OnLine Quote Kiplingers Report FREE LTC Guide Contact Us	MEDICARE Medicare was not developed to pay for a Long-Term stay/care. It pays for a nursing home admission that is to rehabilitate. A person is expected to get better. Medicare pays only 2% of Long-Term Care Cost; this is based on a National Average. To quality for Medicare you must be 65+ and receiving Social Security. Medicare also requires a 3-day hospital stay prior to entering a nursing home. You can enter a nursing home within 30 days of the hospital stay, based on the same illness or injury and skilled care is required. Skilled care generally requires the services of a Registered Nurse, Physician a Plan of Care and other Team Members round the clock. The services must be provided in a facility that meets Medicare certification and you, as the patient must be a good candidate for rehabilitation. Medicare will then pay for days 1-20/Full coverage, days 21-100 only Medicare approved costs and you must pay the first $95.50/per day. This amount can change yearly. Days over 100, Medicare pays nothing, you must assume the financial burden. Many nursing homes charge between $100 and $200 a day. This is a staggering amount and can be financially devastating. Medicare has a skilled nursing benefit but limits are set on the amount of days and hours utilized during a week. It will cover custodial care services if a skilled caregiver is required to administer treatment while you recover from a serious illness or injury. The KEY word is RECOVER. You can be certain, Medicare will STOP! . When you no longer meet benefit standards or the 100 days is used up.