Medicare and skilled nursing facilities

[Arthur Rubin]

Any US person happen to know how long Medicare will cover a skilled nursing facility after a covered surgery? I want to know when to contact our long-term-care insurance to start covering the excess, as it's likely she will take longer than the norm to recover.

I think my mailbox here is full, so please post in the thread.

[wserra]

Given the conditions qualify (sounds like they do) and the stay is in a Medicare-approved facility, Medicare fully covers for the first 20 days, partially for the next 80 days, nothing beyond that.

[LaVidaRoja]

Check the qualifying period on your long-term care insurance. Older policies my have only a 30-day waiting period. Newer policies (21st Cen) usually have at least a 90-day wait before they begin covering.

[Arthur Rubin]

In regard the waiting period for long term care insurance; she already used the initial 90 day waiting period, but we took her out of an assisted living community because we were about to run out of benefits; I think we still have about $13,000 of benefits left. I don't think there's another waiting period.

I'll call them on Monday.

[Number Six]

There are a lot of complications involved in using Medicare; I have an older sister who has been in a nursing home since March and application for Medicaid was done through the facility. I spoke to some elder law attorneys that charge around $7K or more for a Medicaid application.. I contacted an area council on aging supervisor who said that "Medicare savings" should be applied for. In many cases patients are not fully covered for their stay, one reason these nursing homes are often insolvent. I have been shocked at how little many of the so called experts know about choices for loved ones within these very unsavory places.