Does Medicare cover it?
Does Medicare cover a skilled nursing facility?
Yes, for a limited time after a qualifying hospital stay, under Part A. Enter the number of days: the estimator applies the 2026 daily amounts and, if you choose one, your Medigap plan.
What this service costs you
You pay
$2,170
| Your 20% or copayment | $2,170 |
Skilled nursing after a hospital stay: days 1 to 20 at $0, $217 a day for days 21 to 100, all costs from day 101.
How this is calculatedMedicare Part A covers care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) on a short-term basis, after a medically necessary inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days in a row. The days are counted from the day you were admitted as an inpatient, not including the day you leave; time under observation or in the emergency room before admission does not count, even overnight. In each benefit period of 2026, days 1 to 20 cost you $0 once the Part A deductible is paid, and you do not pay that deductible again if you already paid it for the hospital stay in the same benefit period. Days 21 to 100 cost $217 each, and from day 101 you pay all costs, because Part A limits SNF coverage to 100 days per benefit period. A 30-day stay leaves you $2,170; the full 100 days, $17,360. Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M and N pay that daily coinsurance in full, Plan K half and Plan L three quarters. Medicare Advantage plans may charge copays during the first 20 days.
Days in a skilled nursing facility
You pay
$0
| Days 21 to 100 billed | 25 |
| Daily coinsurance 2026 | $217 |
| Days Medicare does not cover | 0 |
Costs computed by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the costs are calculated
The 3-day qualifying stay
Medicare covers SNF care only after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay: a medically necessary stay of at least 3 days in a row as an admitted inpatient. The hospital part is paid under Part A with its own deductible, $1,736 per benefit period in 2026, so a 4-day stay before the transfer costs you $1,736. The nursing facility days then follow in the same benefit period, and the deductible already paid is not charged a second time. Your doctor may not need a 3-day minimum stay in some situations described on the medicare.gov page.
Day by day in 2026
| Days in the facility | Original Medicare only | With Medigap K | With Medigap G | Days not covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0 |
| 20 | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0 |
| 21 | $217 | $109 | $0 | 0 |
| 30 | $2,170 | $1,085 | $0 | 0 |
| 45 | $5,425 | $2,713 | $0 | 0 |
| 60 | $8,680 | $4,340 | $0 | 0 |
| 100 | $17,360 | $8,680 | $0 | 0 |
| 120 | $17,360 | $8,680 | $0 | 20 |
The jump comes on day 21: the first 20 days are free, and each day after costs $217. Over days 21 to 100, that is 80 days and $17,360 in all. After day 100 Part A pays nothing more in that benefit period, and the facility bills you its own daily rate.
Skilled care, not custodial care
Skilled care is nursing and therapy that can only be safely and effectively performed by, or under the supervision of, professionals or technical staff: managing and observing your condition, evaluating your care, therapy toward a health goal. A stay that is only help with daily living, without a need for skilled nursing or skilled therapy, is not what this benefit pays for, and non-medical long-term care is on the list of services Original Medicare does not cover.
Medigap and Medicare Advantage
The SNF coinsurance is one of the columns of the standardized Medigap chart: Plans C, D, F, G, M and N pay 100% of it, Plan K 50% and Plan L 75%, while Plans A and B do not pay it. A Medicare Advantage plan may charge copayments from the first day, including during the first 20 days; its Summary of Benefits gives the amounts and its yearly limit.
After the facility
When you go home, care can continue under the home health benefit if you qualify, with covered visits at $0, or as outpatient physical therapy under Part B at 20%. The 2027 daily coinsurance is not published yet; CMS announces it with the other Part A amounts in mid-November 2026.