In a nursing facility: Medicare will pay for long-term care expenses in limited circumstances. Medicare will pay for nursing facility care when a person requires daily skilled care after a three-day hospital stay. Medicare will pay for a maximum of 100 days of nursing facility care per benefit period. A benefit period ends when you do not require skilled care for at least 60 days.
Medicare does not pay in full (100%) for the maximum 100 days.
Medicare pays 100% for days 1-20. For days 21-100 there is a copayment that you must pay. For 2023, the copayment was $200 per day. For 2024, it is $204 per day. If you have other insurance, such as a Medicare Supplement policy, it may cover your copayment.
If you require daily skilled care after 100 days, Medicare no longer pays any of your nursing facility expenses. You will need to pay with another kind of insurance or out of your own pocket.
In your home: Medicare can also be used to pay for skilled and non-skilled services provided by a licensed home health agency, when you are “confined to home” and in need of intermittent skilled services. Medicare coverage of these home health services is for a 60-day period. There is no limit to the number of 60-day periods you can have each year.