Payment for nursing home costs for elderly or permanently disabled individuals may be difficult without assistance. Steps can be taken to alleviate the financial burden presented by the cost of nursing home care. Government programs and private insurance may assist with payment of nursing home bills.
Step 1
Examine your personal resources to determine if your private insurance covers nursing home care. In some cases, managed care plans will include coverage for skilled nursing facilities.
Step 2
Ask the nursing home if it is a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facility. Both Medicare and Medicaid offer payment assistance for skilled nursing facilities. To receive Medicare assistance, the facility must be Medicare-certified and the applicant must be a Medicare beneficiary. Medicaid requires facilities to be Medicaid-certified, and applicants must meet a low-income requirement for the Medicaid program in their state.
Step 3
The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide nursing home care benefits to veterans who have a service-connected injury causing 70 percent or more disability, requiring nursing home care or deemed permanent and totally disabled. Veterans who do not have a service-connected disability, but are low income may also qualify. To receive payment for skilled nursing care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the facility must be a VA Community Living Center, or CLC; a community nursing home; or state veterans home.
Tips and Warnings
- Obtaining long-term care insurance is an option to explore if you are concerned with the possibility of a future need for a skilled nursing facility or nursing home care.
Things You'll Need
- Insurance
