Does Medicare Cover Nursing Homes?
It's estimated that 70% of seniors 65 and over will need some type of long-term care in their lifetime, and that includes nursing home stays. Now if you're eligible for Medicare, you might assume that if you wind up in a nursing home, your costs will mostly be covered. But actually, that's not true. Unfortunately, there are a lot of services traditional Medicare doesn't cover, and nursing home care is one of them. If you really want to protect yourself from this potentially colossal expense, then you'll need to consider investing in long-term care insurance.
There's a difference between needing a nursing service to assist you with a medical issue or recovery versus needing constant custodial care. Under Medicare Part A, you're typically covered for care in a certified skilled nursing facility if that care is medically necessary. But that also assumes that your condition is expected to improve over time.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
Source: Fool.com
