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Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

Same building as a nursing home, but the term emphasizes the medical-care function over the residential one.

What they don't tell you

Hospitals discharge to SNFs for short-term rehab — broken hip, stroke, post-surgery. Medicare covers the first 20 days fully and days 21-100 with a copay. After that, you're on your own. Many people enter for rehab and never leave; the hand-off from skilled to long-term is where families get blindsided.

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