Skilled nursing is care given by medically-trained personnel, following a hospital stay; it is not the same as custodial care commonly given in nursing homes, such as help with walking, dressing, or eating. Medicare does not cover the cost of custodial care, when that is the only type of care you need. But if you require skilled nursing or rehabilitation services after you get out of the hospital, medicare pays for up to 100 days in each benefit period, if the facility is medicare-approved. You may need to meet certain other conditions; a social security representative can give you more details. Typically, in the first 20 days, hospital insurance pays for all covered services. Then, during the next 80 days, you pay a daily coinsurance amount, and medicare pays the rest of covered services. To find out more about how medicare hospital insurance can help with the cost of skilled nursing and rehab facilities, contact the social security office.
