Quick answer
Medicare covers short rehab stays in a skilled nursing facility (up to 100 days), home health care if you are homebound, and hospice. It does not cover assisted living, memory care, or long-term nursing home care. For those, you need Medicaid, VA benefits, savings, or long-term care insurance. Call (800) 614-8388 to talk through the options.
What Medicare covers for senior care
Original Medicare (Part A hospital, Part B medical) does not cover long-term care. It does not pay for assisted living, memory care, or nursing home care beyond a short rehab stay after a qualifying hospital admission (up to 100 days with conditions). Medicare Part A covers:
- Skilled nursing facility care — semi-private room, meals, nursing, therapy — for up to 100 days per benefit period, after a 3-day inpatient hospital stay
- Home health care — part-time skilled nursing and therapy, if you are homebound and a doctor orders it
- Hospice care — for terminal illness with a life expectancy of 6 months or less
Medicare does not cover custodial care (help with bathing, dressing, eating), which is the main expense in assisted living and home care. Medicare Advantage plans may offer extra benefits like meal delivery or transportation, but they follow the same long-term-care rules as Original Medicare.
Medigap (Medicare Supplement)
Medigap policies fill gaps in Original Medicare (deductibles, coinsurance, copays). They do not add long-term-care coverage. You would need a separate long-term care insurance policy for that.
What this means for families
When families start planning for senior care, the most common misunderstanding is that Medicare will cover the monthly cost of assisted living or a caregiver. It will not. The main payers for long-term care are personal savings, Medicaid (for those who qualify), and VA benefits (for veterans and surviving spouses). If you are counting on Medicare to cover a parent's assisted living bill, that is a gap you need to plan for now.
Call us at (800) 614-8388 and we will walk through what each program covers for your specific situation.