Does Medicare Cover Skilled Nursing and Nursing Home Care? The 3-Day Rule, the 100 Days and What You’ll Pay in 2026
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Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing care after a hospital stay, not long-term nursing home care. Here's how the 3-day inpatient rule works, what days 1 to 100 cost in 2026, the observation-status trap, and what to do when coverage is ending.
Medicare Observation Status in 2026: What It Costs You and How to Protect Your Nursing Home Coverage
If a hospital keeps you under observation, Medicare treats you as an outpatient even if you sleep there for two nights. That changes what you pay and whether Medicare will cover a nursing home stay afterward. Here's how it works and what to ask.