Who pays for a nursing home bed when the resident is in the hospital?

Nursing home residents who need to be treated in a hospital usually want to be able to return to the same bed and room in the nursing home as soon as they are discharged for the hospital.  Many nursing homes will ask the resident to pay for the nursing home bed during the hospitalization in order to keep that bed available.

Will Medicare or Medicaid pay the facility to reserve my bed when I am temporarily absent from the facility?

Medicare will not make any payment to the nursing facility to reserve a bed for a Medicare beneficiary.

Medicaid will make bed reservation payments for up to 15 days if you are hospitalized. Medicaid will also pay for up to 21 days per year if you are temporarily absent for other reasons, such as short visits to family or friends on holidays. Once these payments have been exhausted, you, your family members, or others cannot be required to pay to continue to reserve your bed, but may do so voluntarily at the Medicaid per diem rate to assure that you can return to your bed.

Can I still return to the nursing home even if my bed is not reserved?

Even if no one paid to reserve your bed, you are still entitled to return to your bed in the facility if a new resident hasn’t taken that bed.  Even if your former bed is no longer available, you will be entitled to the first available bed at the facility.

What are the laws on bed reservation?

Definitions.  Nursing home responsibilities re reservation of beds. Reimbursement.  Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-537.

Requirements for the reservation of beds in nursing homes.  Regulations of Connecticut. State Agencies § 17-134d-79.

Payments for reserving beds in institutions.  42 Code of Federal Regulations § 447.40.

Notice of bed-hold policy and readmission. 42 Code of Federal Regulations § 483.12 (b).

Special provisions applicable to prepayment requirements.  42 Code of Federal Regulations § 489.22 (d).