What Medicare covers
Medicare Part A covers care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) only when all of these are true:
- You had a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days in a row. Time in the emergency room or under observation doesn't count, even overnight.
- You enter the facility within a short time, generally 30 days, of leaving the hospital.
- A doctor says you need daily skilled care, such as IV medication or physical therapy, for a condition treated in the hospital.
Coverage lasts up to 100 days per benefit period: days 1 to 20 at no cost, days 21 to 100 at $217 a day in 2026. Medicare Advantage plans may waive the 3-day stay rule; ask your plan. Neither Medicare nor Medigap pays for custodial care, the help with bathing, dressing and eating that most long-term residents need.
How Florida Medicaid pays for long-term nursing home care
Florida Medicaid pays for long-term nursing home care for people who qualify on two fronts:
- Money: the Department of Children and Families (DCF) decides financial eligibility under the Institutional Care Program (ICP). Gross income can't exceed 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate; above that, a Qualified Income Trust (Miller trust) can bring you under the cap. DCF looks back 60 months for transfers of assets.
- Medical need: the Department of Elder Affairs' CARES program decides whether you need nursing-home level of care.
Nursing facility care is then provided through Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (LTC) program, run by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Florida's wait list applies to home and community-based services, not nursing facility care, and a resident of at least 60 days in a row who wants to move back home gets priority. DCF's Appendix A-9 lists the current dollar limits. See Florida Medicaid long-term care.
Checking a Florida nursing home
AHCA licenses Florida nursing homes; compare them on its FloridaHealthFinder site, which also lists Florida's Gold Seal award winners, and on Medicare's Care Compare. For concerns about a resident's care, Florida's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program takes calls at 1-888-831-0404.
Get help
To compare how plans from the companies an agent works with handle skilled nursing stays, you can request a call from a licensed insurance agent. For a hospital discharge you think is too early, see Medicare appeals in Florida.
Related questions
Does Medicare cover assisted living in Florida?
ALF rent and care, Medicaid LTC and OSS.
Does Medicare cover home health care in Florida?
Who qualifies and what's covered at home.
Does Medicare cover dental in Florida?
When Medicare pays and other options.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Skilled nursing facility care
- Medicare.gov — Long-term care
- CMS — 2026 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles
- Florida Administrative Code — Rule 65A-1.713, SSI-related Medicaid income eligibility (ICP income limit)
- DCF ESS Program Policy Manual — 1840.0110, Income Trusts (PDF)
- DCF — Appendix A-9, SSI-Related Medicaid Financial Eligibility Standards, July 2026 (PDF)
- Florida Agency for Health Care Administration — Long-term Care Program
- Florida Statutes — s. 409.979, Long-term care eligibility and wait list
- Florida Statutes — s. 409.9101, Medicaid Estate Recovery Act
- AHCA — FloridaHealthFinder
- Florida Department of Elder Affairs — Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
More questions in this guide
- Does Medicare cover assisted living in Florida?
- Does Medicare cover me if I travel to Cuba, Latin America or the Caribbean?
- Does Medicare cover dental in Florida?
- Does Medicare cover home health care in Florida?
- How do I get rides to the doctor with Medicare in Florida?
Part of the guide: Medicare basics for Floridians · All questions
Frequently asked questions
What does a skilled nursing stay cost with Medicare in 2026?
Days 1 to 20 cost nothing for covered care. Days 21 to 100 cost $217 a day in 2026. After day 100 you pay all costs. A Medigap policy or Medicare Advantage plan may change what you pay.
Does Florida Medicaid have an income limit for nursing home care?
Yes. Florida's Institutional Care Program caps gross income at 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate. If your income is higher, you can still qualify by setting up a Qualified Income Trust, sometimes called a Miller trust, that meets DCF's rules.
Can Florida Medicaid take my house after I die?
Florida's estate recovery law (s. 409.9101) reaches Medicaid paid after age 55, but not while a spouse, a child under 21 or a disabled child survives you, and not property Florida law protects from creditors, such as a protected homestead.
Medicare in your Florida county
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