Medigap
Just as Medicare provides only limited coverage for long-term care services, so do Medigap policies. Medigap policies are designed to cover the “gaps” in Medicare associated with the program’s many deductibles, coinsurance, co-payments, and other similar limits. These policies pick up where Medicare leaves off. They are not intended to provide coverage or benefits for conditions that Medicare does not cover. Consequently, because Medicare does not cover long-term custodial care and does not cover long-term stays in skilled nursing facilities, Medigap does not cover these needs either. Other than coverage for the daily coinsurance amount for post-hospital care in a skilled nursing facility—a benefit that ends after 100 days—Medigap policies provide no benefits or payments for long-term care.
Many older people who need long-term care and do not have LTC insurance begin paying for their services themselves when they learn Medicare will not be coming to their rescue. Unfortunately, most quickly discover that their financial resources are insufficient to cover home health care services or lengthy stays in nursing home facilities for an extended period.
