New England Health Center

Nursing home expenses can be drastically different depending on what state you are in. Learn more information about the average costs for a month in a private room in a nursing home in each state.

If you’re a senior who is receiving Social Security income, you can use it to help pay for your nursing home expenses. However, it’s important to note that Social Security usually isn’t enough to cover the cost of living in a nursing home. You’ll need to use another form of income, whether that’s long-term care insurance or savings you may have, to pay for Social Security in its entirety. It’s also important to note that if you are using Medicaid to pay for your nursing home costs, you may need to forfeit some or all of your Social Security income, depending on how much you receive.

Getting your loved one into a nursing home can take time, particularly if you plan on using Medicaid to pay for their care. Medicaid approval can take several months, so it’s important to plan ahead when you can. Some nursing homes will accept ‘Medicaid pending’ patients, but others may require you to use another form of payment for admission until the Medicaid goes through.

Moving a patient to a new nursing home can be difficult, particularly if you are using Medicaid to pay for your care. If you are staying in the same state, you will just need to make sure that the new nursing home has Medicaid beds available. However, if you are moving to a different state, you will need to apply for Medicaid separately in that state. Every state has different Medicaid rules, so this process can take some time.

If you qualify for Medicaid, they will pay the full cost of your nursing home expenses in most cases. However, if you do have any remaining income, you will be required to relinquish most of it. You will be allowed to keep a small portion of your income as an allowance for your daily needs.