Understanding Florida Nursing Home Costs — Get Legal Help

What does nursing home care actually cost in Florida?

Florida nursing homes typically charge between $8,000 and $14,000 per month, depending on the facility, location, and level of care required. South Florida facilities tend to be on the higher end. Memory care units specializing in Alzheimer's or dementia often charge more.

At $10,000 a month, a single year of nursing home care costs $120,000. Most families cannot sustain this for more than a year or two out of pocket. Understanding your payment options — and acting before a crisis hits — can protect your family's financial future.

What Medicare covers (and what it doesn't)

Medicare is health insurance, not long-term care insurance. It covers skilled nursing care only for a limited time after a qualifying hospital stay of at least three days:

• Days 1–20: Medicare pays in full
• Days 21-100: You may owe a daily coinsurance amount, and Medicare pays the rest if coverage requirements continue to be met
• Day 101 and beyond: You pay everything

Medicare does not cover custodial care — help with bathing, dressing, eating, or moving around when someone is not actively recovering from an illness. That is the category most long-term nursing home residents fall into.

How Florida Medicaid pays for nursing home care

Florida Medicaid covers long-term nursing home care for people who meet both medical and financial eligibility requirements. The financial rules are strict: single applicants generally must have less than $2,000 in countable assets and income below the cost of care.

Getting to Medicaid eligibility usually requires spending down your savings first — unless you have worked with an elder law attorney to legally restructure your assets in advance.

Florida's estate recovery program

After a Medicaid recipient passes away, Florida may seek repayment from their estate for the cost of care it covered. This can affect the family home if it was not properly protected. An elder law attorney can explain what estate recovery means for your specific situation and what steps may be available.

When should you call an elder law attorney?

The best time to call is before a nursing home admission, while there is still time to plan. The second best time is right after one. The longer you wait, the more limited your options become.