Nursing home care can exceed $100,000 a year. Medicaid planning helps you afford that care without surrendering everything you've saved.
What does Medicaid planning for a nursing home involve?
Medicaid planning for nursing home care is the process of legally structuring your finances so you can qualify for Medicaid's long-term care coverage while protecting as much of your estate as possible. It typically involves reviewing your countable and exempt assets, addressing the 5-year look-back, using tools like irrevocable trusts or Medicaid-compliant annuities, and applying spousal protections such as the community spouse resource allowance. Medicaid is the nation's primary payer for nursing home care — KFF reports it covers about 6 in 10 residents. Good planning starts early, well before a health crisis, but even last-minute 'crisis planning' can preserve a meaningful share of assets.
Why won't Medicare or Medigap pay for the nursing home?
Many families are shocked to learn Medicare covers only short-term, skilled nursing care — generally up to 100 days after a qualifying hospital stay — and Medigap helps with those same medical costs, not long-term custodial care. Once care becomes ongoing help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and eating, Medicare and Medigap stop paying. That's the coverage gap Medicaid fills. This is exactly why coordinating all your senior coverage matters. 1-800-MEDIGAP is one number for every senior need — call to review your Medigap plan and get pointed toward trusted nursing home Medicaid planning resources.