Paying for Care

Help in Paying for skilled care or health care costs

Medicare

Benefits are available for those who have Part A coverage, but these benefits are of short term assistance. Participants must receive a daily skilled service and meet all the required criteria to receive benefits (information about this is located in Skilled Nursing with Medicare.) For each benefit period, Medicare will cover up to 100 days of care, with a daily deductible for days 21 through 100. However, coverage may be for a much shorter period of time because the individual no longer meets daily criteria.

Medicaid

If your income and assets are limited, you may be able to obtain help to pay for nursing home or assisted living care. Call your state or local medical assistance/social service office for more information.

Employer or Other Health Plan Coverage

If you have health coverage, we suggest that you check with your benefits administrator to learn what health care costs are covered. In some plans, long-term care is a covered benefit.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Sadly, there is no federal or state program to protect your assets from the costs of nursing home or assisted living care, and Medicaid will not provide assistance until most of your assets have been exhausted. With this in mind, we urge you, should you have the opportunity to plan ahead, to consider the purchase of long-term care insurance. We suggest looking for a plan which offers benefits with as few qualifying criteria as is possible and which offers coverage for different levels of care, such as home health, assisted living, and nursing home care. Also we recommend that you ask your insurance agent about including inflation protection in your plan.