Medicare and Long-Term Services

The long-term services that Medicare covers are quite limited—both in terms of the type of service and in the amount of time that services are covered. Coverage is limited to skilled care and home health services and does not include the personal attendant services and intermediate nursing care services that most people think of as long-term care. Because the skilled care that Medicare pays for is very costly, Medicare ends up covering more than 20 percent of all long-term services costs, in spite of the limited coverage the program provides.

Even with its limited coverage, Medicare does provide vital care to those needing skilled services. The following resources can help people with questions about Medicare coverage or provide assistance with individual cases:

The Health Assistance Partnership has tools to help individuals locate the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in their area. SHIPs can help people navigate Medicare benefits. The SHIP locator is available online at http://www.hapnetwork.org/ship-locator/.

The National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center can help people find area nursing homes, and it also advocates for quality care. You can find state centers through its locator tool online at http://www.ltcombudsman.org/ombudsman.

For more information about Medicare coverage of long-term services and supports, see these other pages:

Summary of Medicare Long-Term Care Benefits
In Depth: Skilled Nursing Facilities
In Depth: Home Health Care