This is general information, not a coverage decision and not medical advice. Rules change, and a Medicare Advantage plan can differ from Original Medicare. Confirm a specific stay with Medicare, the plan, the hospital discharge planner, or your county Aging and Disability Resource Connection.
People call it “Medicare’s 100 days.” Original Medicare’s skilled nursing facility benefit can last up to 100 days in a benefit period. It does not promise that Medicare will pay for 100 days, or that the stay will last that long.
Days 1–20, then a daily coinsurance
Medicare.gov says that for days 1–20 you pay nothing each day after the Part A deductible, if that deductible was already met for hospital care in the same benefit period. For days 21–100 you pay a daily coinsurance. The dollar amounts change every year and are published on Medicare.gov under Medicare costs. This page does not copy them.
From day 101 on, Medicare does not pay the skilled nursing stay. A Medicare Advantage plan can use different cost sharing. Ask the plan. Do not treat an Original Medicare chart as the bill for an Advantage card.
The 100 days are not guaranteed
Coverage still depends on the qualifying inpatient hospital stay, a Medicare-certified facility, and a clinician’s decision that you need daily skilled care. If that skilled need stops, Medicare can stop paying before day 100. You should get a notice and a chance to appeal. The appeal guide on this site explains the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage.
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Questions families ask
Does Medicare pay all 100 days of rehab?
No. Medicare.gov describes days 1–20 and days 21–100 differently, and says Medicare does not pay the stay after day 100. A clinician can also end skilled coverage sooner.
Where is the 2026 daily copay?
On Medicare.gov under Medicare costs. This page does not copy the dollar amount, because a stale figure would be worse than the official page.
Keep reading
- The 3-day rule and observation status
- Medicare coverage after a hospital stay
- Short-term rehab in the directory
Sources
- Medicare.gov coverage descriptions
The skilled nursing benefit period, the 3-day stay, and the difference between days 1–20, days 21–100, and day 101.
Source dated 2026-10-14
- Medicare.gov, Medicare costs
Where Medicare publishes the yearly deductible and daily coinsurance. Amounts are not copied here.
Source dated 2026-10-14