Medicaid nursing homes in Pennsylvania

Why dual certification matters

A stay often begins as Medicare-funded rehabilitation after a hospital admission and becomes long-term care when recovery stalls. If the home takes Medicare but not Medicaid, that transition means a move — at exactly the point when moving is hardest on the resident. Homes certified for both let the payer change without the address changing.

Questions to ask before admission

• Do you accept Medicaid, and do you limit how many Medicaid residents you take?
• If my relative spends down and moves onto Medicaid, can they stay in the same room?
• Do you require a period of private pay before accepting Medicaid? (Ask this in writing.)
• Who at the home helps families with the Medicaid application?