Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers skilled nursing facility care for a limited time (on a short-term basis) if all of these conditions apply:
- You have Part A and have days left in your benefit period to use.
- You have a qualifying inpatient hospital stay .
- Your doctor has decided that you need daily skilled care. You must get the care from, or under the supervision of, skilled nursing or therapy staff.
- You get these skilled services in a Medicare-certified SNF.
- You need these skilled services for a medical condition that’s either:
- A hospital-related medical condition.
- A condition that started while you were getting care in the SNF for a hospital-related medical condition.
Your costs in Original Medicare
You pay this for each benefit period:
- Days 1 - 20: $0 coinsurance
- Days 21 - 100: Up to $200 coinsurance per day
- Days 101 and beyond: All costs
There's a 100-day limit of Part A SNF coverage in each benefit period.
What it is
Skilled care is nursing and therapy care that can only be safely and effectively performed by, or under the supervision of, professionals or technical personnel. It’s health care given when you need skilled nursing or skilled therapy to treat, manage, and observe your condition, and evaluate your care.
Medicare-covered services in a skilled nursing facility include, but aren't limited to:
- A semi-private room (a room you share with other patients)
- Meals
- Skilled nursing care
- Physical therapy (if needed to meet your health goal)
- Occupational therapy (if needed to meet your health goal)
- Speech-language pathology services (if they're needed to meet your health goal)
- Medical social services
- Medications
- Medical supplies and equipment used in the facility
- Ambulance transportation (when other transportation endangers your health) to the nearest supplier of needed services that aren’t available at the SNF
- Dietary counseling