Does Medicare Cover Nursing Home Care?

Medicare covers skilled nursing care — medically necessary care requiring licensed nursing staff, following a qualifying hospital stay. It does not cover custodial care, which is help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and eating, when that's the only type of care you need.

This distinction matters a lot for long-term care planning: many people assume Medicare will pay for an extended nursing home stay, but Medicare's coverage is specifically for short-term, skilled recovery care, following the same eligibility rules as skilled nursing facility coverage — a prior 3-day inpatient hospital stay, admission within 30 days, and care tied to the hospitalization.