Nursing Home Communities in Murphy, North Carolina

Murphy is a small rural town in the Appalachian Mountains with just over 1,600 residents. Over a quarter (27.7%) of the ...

Many seniors and their families use some form of financial assistance to help them pay for nursing care. The main options available are Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits. These programs can be complicated, especially when it comes to benefit terms. Below, we give a brief overview of how these programs may be used towards paying for skilled nursing care.

• Medicare: Medicare will typically cover all skilled nursing costs for the first 20 days of one's stay in a nursing home and a portion of the costs until day 100. After 100 days, Medicare will not cover any part of the cost of the stay. While this is adequate when short-term care is needed, those who need long-term care will have to either pay out-of-pocket or use another source of financial assistance.

• Medicaid: Medicaid covers most of the cost of living expenses in a skilled nursing facility for qualifying seniors. Care and room and board are covered with no time limit, but residents may be charged for extras such as specially prepared food or cosmetic services. Medicaid eligibility requirements are strict and complex, so not all seniors qualify for Medicaid benefits.

• Veterans Benefits: Veterans receiving a VA pension may also be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit administered by the VA. Aid and Attendance is a monthly allowance that beneficiaries may use to pay for their long-term care, including skilled nursing care.

If these options aren't available to you, check if your loved one has long-term care insurance or contact your Area Agency on Aging to ask about local financial assistance programs for seniors.