If the above conditions are met, Medicare will pay the entire bill for the first 20 days. Medicare and Supplement insurance may pay the entire bill starting on the 21 st day of the nursing home stay until the 100 th day. After 100 days the patient must fund the cost of the nursing home from some other source. Keep in mind that during the 21-100 days paid by Medicare, if the patient fails to show the potential for improvement, the nursing home is obligated to remove the patient from Medicare. In other words, the 100 days paid by Medicare, could be, and often is shorter.

Simply put, although Medicare may pay some nursing home costs, it will not cover the long term, substantial costs that financially devastate most families.

Now let’s look at Private Pay!