LONG-TERM CARE PAYMENT

It is not always easy to find long-term care services. When they are found, they are very expensive. Insurance coverage for nursing home services is limited. Many people assume Medicare, MediCal and private supplemental health insurance provide substantial nursing home benefits. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Consumers themselves pay more than 50 percent of nursing home costs. Payments for long-term care are the largest out-of-pocket health care costs for older persons.

	MEDICARE Medicare Part A is a federal insurance program for people who are 65 or older. Medicare Part A is insurance protection intended to cover acute hospital care without regard to income. However, very restricted benefits are allowed for nursing home care. Medicare Part B is like an insurance policy and requires an annual co-insurance payment. Medicare B will cover some forms of therapy, doctors visits and some doctor-ordered medical supplies. It does not cover nursing home care.
	MEDICAL MediCal is a state administered healthcare payment program, which was established to pay for medical care for low-income Americans. The state determines eligibility and MediCal recipients must prove they are needy. Benefits are based upon personal income and assets. Normally, the MediCal reimbursement to skilled nursing facilities falls far short of their actual operating costs. Therefore, being on MediCal may limit one’s ability to be admitted to a facility of their choosing.
	TAX DEDUCTIBLE MEDICAL EXPENSES All skilled nursing home costs are legitimate deductions. www.medicare.gov/NHcompare If you wish to compare other skilled nursing facilities with Mary Health of the Sick or to retrieve federal and state inspection reports on Mary Health of the Sick, please visit the website listed above.