Nursing home costs in California

What Medicare pays for in California

Medicare rules are federal, so they work the same in California as everywhere else: a skilled nursing stay after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay, for a limited number of days, only while skilled care is needed. It does not pay for long-term custodial care anywhere in the United States.

Medi-Cal and long-term care

1,120 of the 1,165 nursing homes in California — 96% — are certified to accept Medicaid. That certification matters long before anyone needs it: if a resident spends down their savings in a home that does not take Medicaid, they may have to move at the worst possible moment.

Income limits, asset limits and spousal protections are set by California within federal rules, and they change. Confirm the current figures with the state Medicaid agency or an elder law attorney licensed in California before making any financial decision.

Private-pay rates

We do not publish an estimated daily rate for California. The federal files behind this site do not contain private-pay pricing, and a guessed figure would be worse than none. Call three homes from the list below and ask for the semi-private daily rate, what it includes, and what is billed on top.