Many nursing home residents miss out on spending holidays and other special occasions with their families because they fear they will lose their Medicaid or Medicare if they leave the facility. The rules vary statewide, but in most cases a resident can leave a nursing home for a family visit and still keep their Medicaid or Medicare benefits.
Medicare recipients may leave a nursing home for one or two days and still keep their benefits. Medicare would not consider a one- or two-day leave as evidence the recipient no longer needs nursing home care. If the resident returns to the facility no later than midnight that same day, the nursing home may bill Medicare for that day. If the resident does not return and spends a night away from the facility, Medicare may not reimburse the nursing home. In this case the resident may need to find out if his or her bed can be held–for a possible fee–if they plan to be away from the facility for longer than two days.
Medicaid recipients need to check their state’s rules regarding nursing home leaves. In some states, Medicaid will not pay to hold a resident’s bed, while in other states it will pay to hold a bed for up to a month. If a resident stays away from a facility longer than what is allowed by the facility’s policy, the facility is legally required to readmit the resident to the first available room.
