Medicare does cover skilled nursing facility stays, but only a portion of the expense for short-term skilled care after a qualifying hospital stay. A Medigap plan can cover a large portion of the skilled nursing expenses that Medicare passes on to patients. Learn where and how Medicare stops paying and where Medigap picks up the additional cost in this article. Note: Neither Medicare nor Medigap will cover long-term custodial care.
What Counts as Skilled Nursing Facility Care?
Skilled nursing facility (SNF) care is nursing or therapy that can only be performed safely by, or under the supervision of, licensed professionals. Examples of this are: intravenous medications, wound care, or physical and occupational therapy after surgery, a stroke, or a serious illness. Medicare-covered SNF services can include a semi-private room, meals, skilled nursing, therapy, medications, and medical supplies used in the facility.
Does Medicare Cover Skilled Nursing Facility Stays?
Yes, Medicare Part A covers skilled nursing facility care when you meet every one of these conditions:
- You have a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days in a row before entering the SNF.
- You enter the SNF within a short time, generally 30 days, of leaving the hospital.
- Your doctor has decided you need daily skilled nursing or therapy care.
- You get the care in a Medicare-certified SNF.
- You still have days left in your benefit period.
The 3-day stay rule must be inpatient. Time spent in the emergency room or under “observation status” does not count toward the 3 days, even if you were in a hospital bed overnight. Source: Medicare.gov.
💡 Tip: Before you leave the hospital, ask point-blank whether you were admitted as an inpatient or kept under observation.
What You Pay for a Skilled Nursing Facility Stay in 2026
Medicare covers up to 100 days of SNF care per benefit period, and what you owe depends on how long you stay:
- Days 1–20: $0. Medicare pays everything. (You may owe the Part A deductible of $1,736, but not if you already paid it for a hospital stay in the same benefit period.)
- Days 21–100: $217 per day in coinsurance.
- Day 101 and beyond: You pay all costs.
Source: Medicare.gov.
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What Medigap Pays for Skilled Nursing Facility Care
The days 21–100 coinsurance is the SNF cost a Medigap policy is built to cover. Most Medigap plans pay this benefit in full, which means a covered SNF stay can cost you nothing out of pocket for those days. Here is how the standardized plans handle SNF coinsurance:
| Medigap Plan | Skilled Nursing Facility Coinsurance |
|---|---|
| Plan G, N, C, D, F, M | Covered 100% |
| Plan L | Covered 75% |
| Plan K | Covered 50% |
| Plan A, Plan B | Not covered |
As you can see: Both Plan G and Plan N, the two most popular choices for people new to Medicare, both cover SNF coinsurance at 100%.
📌 Note: Medigap does not extend coverage past Medicare’s 100-day limit. When Medicare stops at day 100, Medigap stops too.
The Gap Medigap Doesn’t Fill: Long-Term Custodial Care
Here is the part many people learn too late. Neither Medicare nor Medigap covers long-term custodial care, the help with bathing, dressing, eating, and daily living that someone may need for years rather than weeks. Once skilled care is no longer medically necessary, or once you pass the 100-day mark, the SNF benefit ends regardless of which Medigap plan you carry.
Long-term care is covered by separate long-term care insurance or, for those who qualify financially, by Medicaid. Senior65 helps with Medigap, not long-term care insurance or Medicaid planning, so an elder law attorney or a long-term care specialist is the right person to contact for this. We mention it because too many people assume Medigap covers nursing home stays, and it does not.
How to Make Sure You Have the Right Medigap Plan
If you are new to Medicare, your best window to choose a Medigap plan is your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, when carriers cannot turn you down or charge more for health reasons. A plan like G or N locks in full SNF coinsurance coverage for life. See our new to Medicare guide for how the enrollment timing works.
Already have a Medigap plan and want stronger coverage? You can apply to switch Medigap plans at any time of year through medical underwriting. Qualifying is easier than most people expect, and many applicants with pre-existing conditions are approved, though approval is never guaranteed. The fastest way to see where you stand is our Medigap Underwriting Checker. In a handful of states, a Birthday Rule or annual window also lets you switch Medigap-to-Medigap without underwriting.
Our team at Senior65 can help you compare Plan G, Plan N, and other options side by side and find the lowest available price. Our help is free, and by law no one can offer you a lower price on the same plan. Call 800-930-7956 to talk it through, or get a Medigap quote to see your rates.