Skilled Nursing Costs

What is Skilled Nursing Care?

Skilled nursing care includes a range of medical services to treat individuals who are recovering from a severe injury or illness following a hospital stay. Skilled nursing care is helpful in stroke recovery, wound care, rehab after an operation, or managing a terminal illness.

Many nursing homes in the United States offer short-term skilled nursing care. You can also find stand-alone skilled nursing facilities. Doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physical therapists, and other medical professionals provide care in these facilities.

Some people require skilled nursing care for the long term. Most stay for a short period and then go back home, but others move into an assisted living facility or nursing home afterward.

What Affects the Cost of Skilled Nursing Care?

Several factors affect how much you’ll pay for skilled nursing care. These include:

• The state and region that the facility is located in
• Whether or not it’s a luxury senior living facility
• Whether you stay in a private room or a semiprivate room
• The length of your stay
• The type of care you need (specialized care might cost more)
• Your insurance benefits

Average Cost of Skilled Nursing Care

Since skilled nursing care is commonly offered by nursing homes, the median costs that follow come from Genworth’s 2024 Cost of Care Survey nursing home data.1

Average Daily Cost of Skilled Nursing Care

Daily rates for skilled nursing care vary based on where you live and what provider you choose. They’re also higher if you choose a private room instead of a semiprivate room. In 2024, the median national cost for a private nursing home room is $330 per day. The median national cost for a semiprivate room is $294 per day.

Average Monthly Cost of Skilled Nursing Care

Most individuals who reside in a skilled nursing care facility only stay for a short period of time. Others stay much longer. So, it’s important for families to understand monthly costs, as well as daily ones.

Expect a monthly median cost of $8,929 for a semiprivate room or $10,025 for a private room. At first glance, the cost might seem steep. Just remember that this includes room, board, nursing services, and everything else the nursing home has to offer. Plus, it’s only the sticker price before accounting for insurance benefits.

Average Annual Cost of Skilled Nursing Care

As you can imagine, staying in a nursing home for a year or longer can get expensive. The median cost for a semiprivate room in a nursing home is $107,146 per year. A private room costs $120,304. Keep in mind that this isn’t necessarily an out-of-pocket cost. You may be able to use insurance and state programs to help pay for skilled nursing home costs.

Skilled Nursing Costs by Location

Location greatly influences the cost of skilled nursing care. Some older adults move to a different state or city to access more affordable skilled nursing care.

Skilled Nursing Costs by State

While skilled nursing care is the most expensive type of senior care, some states have more affordable options than others. The table below shows the median monthly costs of nursing homes, where skilled nursing care can be received, by state.3

Skilled Nursing Costs by Region

Nursing home costs can vary greatly within states. In Florida, for example, a semiprivate room ranges from a monthly cost of $9,618 in Gainesville, to $10,887 in Ocala.

Top 10 States with the Most Affordable Nursing Home Care

The states below have the lowest median daily cost for semiprivate nursing home care.4 Semiprivate rooms are the only type of room covered by Medicare.

10 Regions With Affordable Nursing Home Care

Below is a sample of some of the lowest median daily costs for skilled nursing care in a semiprivate nursing home room in the United States.

Nursing Home Costs in the 10 Most Populous U.S. Cities

Will the Cost of Skilled Nursing Care Rise?

The charts above show what nursing home costs looked like in 2024. But what about five years from now? Or 10?  Like most types of senior care, nursing home care has become more expensive and is projected to climb even higher in the future.

Genworth estimates at least a 3 percent increase in prices each year. By 2033, the median national cost of a semiprivate room is expected to rise to around $11,650 per month, and the cost of a private room is expected to be $13,080 per month.

How to Pay for Skilled Nursing Costs

Fortunately, most older adults don’t rely solely on personal funds to cover the cost of skilled nursing care. Care provided in a skilled nursing facility is medically necessary, so you have more options for payment than you do with an assisted living facility or adult day care.

The main exception is if you’re choosing to live in a skilled nursing facility for any reason aside from needing medical care — for example, living with a spouse who requires skilled nursing care. In that case, you may need to use private funds to cover your portion of expenses.

Does Medicare Cover Skilled Nursing Costs?

Good news! Medicare will cover skilled nursing care. How much Medicare pays depends on where you go and how long you require care. You also need to meet Medicare’s criteria for skilled nursing coverage.

Medicare Part A covers a total of 100 days of care in a semiprivate room in a skilled nursing community per benefit period, provided that all criteria are met.5

Criteria to receive coverage includes:

• A recent stay in the hospital for at least three days receiving medically necessary care
• A doctor prescribing and verifying that you require daily skilled nursing care or therapy
• A Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility

Your benefit period starts when you’re admitted to a hospital or skilled nursing facility. It ends when you’ve gone 60 consecutive days without any inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility care.

Medicare covers unlimited benefit periods. However, you must have a new three-day qualifying inpatient stay at the start of each benefit period.

Your out-of-pocket costs will look like this for each benefit period:

• Days 1-20: You owe $0
• Days 21-100: You owe up to $200 coinsurance per day
• Days 101 and beyond: You’re responsible for all costs

Medicare doesn’t cover the costs of convenience items such as televisions and telephones, private room charges (when not medically necessary), or private duty nurses. It’s also possible that your doctor might order additional services that aren’t covered by Medicare.

Does Medicaid Cover Skilled Nursing Costs?

Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and each state, so what’s covered can vary from state to state. Thankfully, to meet federal government requirements, states must cover Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Services, which includes skilled nursing care.

If you meet the criteria for SNF care in your state, you’re entitled to at least the following services free of charge:6

• Nursing and related services
• Specialized rehabilitative services
• Medically related social services
• Pharmaceutical services
• Dietary services customized to the needs of individual residents
• Room and bed maintenance services
• Routine personal hygiene items and services
• Professionally directed program of activities designed to meet the needs and interests of residents to enhance their well-being
• Emergency dental services, along with routine dental services that are covered under the state plan

Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cover Skilled Nursing Care?

Long-term care insurance can pay for skilled nursing care. However, policies vary widely between plans and carriers. Visit your long-term care insurer’s website or call their customer service line to discuss your plan’s coverage.

Even if you don’t need your long-term care insurance policy to cover your skilled nursing services, you might need it afterward. Many long-term care policies help cover costs associated with assisted living or a move into a nursing home.

>>Read About: Long Term Care Calculator

Are Skilled Nursing Costs Tax Deductible?

In a nutshell, yes! If you, your spouse, or another dependent is in a SNF to primarily receive medical care, the entire cost of care is tax deductible as a medical expense. This even includes money spent on meals and lodging.

However, if the skilled nursing facility stay is for primarily nonmedical reasons, you can only deduct the cost of medical expenses. You can’t deduct money spent on meals and lodging.

Have questions? It’s always best to consult a financial adviser or accountant who’s familiar with tax laws. Understanding senior tax deductions can help you make the most of your money during your retirement years.