Original Medicare offers some benefits for Skilled Nursing, but if you are not careful, you can pay $ 1,000 from your own pocket. Before we begin, we need to explain what we are talking about.
Skilled Nursing is not for older people stuck in bed at home
When you have a nurse in your home that helps you get up and get out of bed and feed you what is called Custodial Care. Medicare does not apply to custodial care. Skilled Nursing - inpatient rehabilitation. We are talking about physiotherapy or speech pathology in a special night facility here. We do not help to dress up. If you need serious treatment to stay in the hospital after the train, you need qualified nurses.
Skilled Nursing partially distributed under Medicare
Medicare pays for the first 20 days of inpatient rehabilitation. If you live more than 20 days, you will have to pay $ 148 a day for your own money over the next 80 days (rooms in 2013). This can be up to $ 11,840 in 80 days. You can solve this problem with Medigap, but this may be the least of your problems ...
Medicare cannot pay for your coverage unless you are careful.
Medicare Skilled Nursing is not paid if you have not been in the hospital for at least 3 days. That sounds pretty simple, but you could be burned if you don’t read the bullets below.
- The day you leave the hospital is not counted for three days. Therefore, if you leave the hospital after three days, it will be considered only two days, and you will have to pay 100% of the cost of inpatient treatment.
- Hospitals often keep you in hospital, but you are not officially accepted. This is called “observation” when you are in the hospital and not taken. You may never know that you were not allowed into the hospital until Medicare will pay for your inpatient rehabilitation center because you have not been admitted for 3 full days
Steps to make sure you are covered for Medic Skilled Nursing
1) Make sure you are officially hospitalized for 3 full days before applying for inpatient treatment. Ask your doctor to confirm that you are “allowed”, and not just under “supervision.”
2) Review the Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan to pay for a portion not covered by Medicare. The Medigap C, D, F, F-high franchise, M and N plans cover 100% of a daily penny of $ 148 for an additional 80 days over the benefits period.
