What will Medicare pay?
Medicare will pay up to 100 days in a skilled/ sub-acute nursing center as long as you are receiving skilled services. The first 20 days are paid at 100%. There is $119.00 per day co-pay from day 21 to 100. Prior to admission there needs to be a minimum of a 3-day in-patient hospital stay within 30 days of admission.

How can the co-pay be paid?
Many secondary insurance companies will pat the entire co-payment. If you have Tenncare, they will pay the co-pay, however, your Social Security check will become your liability and will be paid to the health care center. You will, however get to keep $40.00 a month.

Is there a lifetime limit on Medicare days? 
No. A full 100 Medicare days are renewed after the patient has been off skilled services for 60 days. Which means discharged to home or to intermediate care (ICF).

Are my Medicare days affected if I transfer from one Skilled/ Sub-acute facility to another?
No. However, the days you used at the other facility will count against your total days.

What if I decided to try to make it at home, after my hospital stay, and can’t do it?
You have 30 days, after a qualifying hospital stay, to be admitted to a Sub-acute Rehabilitation Center. This means if you go home and find that it is not working as well as panned, you can be admitted to rehab without returning to the hospital.

Director of Social Services: Cassandra Pillow, M.S.W.