Navigating Home Care & Long-Term Care: What Medicare Will — and Won’t — Pay For

Navigating Home Care & Long-Term Care: What Medicare Will — and Won’t — Pay For

Medicare can help with certain medical care needs, but it generally does not pay for long-term custodial care.

Medicare may cover:

1. Skilled nursing care after a qualifying hospital stay
2. Physical, occupational, or speech therapy
3. Intermittent skilled nursing at home
4. Certain home health services when medically necessary
5. Hospice care for qualifying terminal conditions

Medicare usually does NOT cover:

1. Long-term nursing home stays
2. Assisted living room and board
3. Custodial care, such as bathing, dressing, toileting, meals, and supervision
4. 24/7 in-home care
5. Family caregivers or companion care

Simple way to remember it:

Medicare is designed to cover medical care, not long-term personal care.

Planning ahead matters. Long-term care costs can surprise families, so it’s important to understand your options before a crisis happens