Will My Loved One’s Room Change once eligible for Medicaid?

In an earlier article, we discussed the topic “What is a Medicaid Bed?” If you need a refresher on that, be sure and check it out. However, as the topic title suggests, you may still have some questions as to whether or not your loved one’s room will change if he or she is on Medicaid.

The answer is, yes and no. It won’t change unless the elder has to take an extended leave from the facility for hospitalization or therapeutic reasons. That said, the nursing home is required to hold a resident’s bed for a certain period of time, known as the “Medicaid Bed-Hold” period. If the resident returns to the facility within that period, he or she is guaranteed to have their same bed in the same room upon their return. 

If their time away extends beyond the bed-hold period, and if the patient still needs skilled or intermediate nursing services, he or she will then be entitled to receive the first available bed in a semi-private room at the facility.

So yes, the room has the possibility to change, but only in the event that their time outside the facility is beyond that of the bed-hold period. If it doesn’t extend beyond the bed-hold period, then their room assignment will not change.

However, it is also important to note that these rights, known as “Bed-Hold and Readmission” rights, only extend to Medicaid patients; those on Medicare are not covered, and, instead, they may even be charged significant fees if they want the facility to hold their beds.