As of January 23, 2013 the U.S. District Court of the District of Virginia ruled that Medicare no longer can deny coverage for seniors whose condition neither improves or worsens for access to skilled nursing care, home health services, and out-patient therapy. But this doesn’t mean that it won’t cost boomers some serious dough.
Standard Improvement No Longer Allowable
Medicare must still cover your Skilled Nursing Facility care regardless if your status stays the same. This is a huge win for seniors as stated by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “Medicare policy has long recognized that there may also be specific instances where no improvement is expected but skilled care is, nevertheless, required in order to prevent or slow deterioration and maintain a beneficiary at the maximum practicable level of function.”
Skilled Nursing Facilities Can Be Costly with Medicare
Even with this good news Medicare has specific Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) rules. The main one is you need a 3-day qualifying stay at a hospital for Medicare to cover you (you pay the Part A deductible of $1,216 in 2014). Then Medicare covers you at 100% for the first 20 days, after that you pay $152 per day until day 100. After that you’re on your own. That means if you were to stay the entire 100 days your out of pocket costs would be $13,376.
Medicare Supplement Can Help Pay for SNF
Medigap may pay for your Skilled Nursing Facility coinsurance. You’ll have to choose one of the 6 Medicare Supplement plans that cover 100% of your stay and your Part A deductible.
To learn more about Medicare services or questions about Skilled Nursing Facility costs call the number above or contact Senior65.com for assistance.