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Nursing Home (Skilled Nursing Facility)

A licensed facility providing 24-hour skilled medical care plus help with daily living.

What they don't tell you

The highest level of long-term care outside a hospital. Federal CMS rates every nursing home in the US 1-5 stars. Medicare pays for up to 100 days of skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay — and that's it. Long-term stays are paid by Medicaid (after spend-down) or private funds at $9,000-$12,000+ a month.

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