Does Medicare Cover Skilled Nursing Facility Care?

Coverage · Facility & End-of-Life Care

This covers Medicare and skilled nursing facility care — short-term skilled care after a hospital stay.

Does Medicare cover skilled nursing facility care?

Yes, but short-term only — Medicare covers a skilled nursing facility stay after a qualifying hospital stay. Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility (SNF) care per benefit period when you have a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days and need daily skilled care (skilled nursing or therapy) for a condition treated during that stay.

Which part of Medicare covers it?

Part A.

What you pay

Days 1–20 are fully covered. Days 21–100 carry a daily coinsurance amount. After day 100 in a benefit period, you pay all costs. (The exact daily amounts change yearly — see our costs page.)

Exact dollar amounts change every year — see Medicare costs for 2026 for the current deductibles and coinsurance, or a Medigap plan can cover most of this cost-sharing for you.

The limits people get wrong

The 3-day rule counts inpatient days only — time spent "under observation" does not count, a common and expensive surprise. Medicare does NOT cover long-term custodial (non-skilled) care, which is the biggest misunderstanding about nursing homes.

Related services

• Does Medicare cover physical therapy?
• Does Medicare cover hospice care?

Related Medicare guides

• All service coverage · drug coverage · dental, vision & hearing.
• Medicare costs · Glossary · Medicare Help Center.

Get a Real Answer for Your Situation — Free

Whether skilled nursing facility care is covered — and what you’ll owe — depends on the details of your care and your plan. Call us free at 435-219-5120 (TTY: 711) and we’ll tell you what Medicare covers in your case, and whether a different plan would cover it better. No cost, no pressure.