Do all Nursing Homes Accept Medicaid?

We often hear families talk about “Medicaid Nursing Homes” as if there are nursing homes in Georgia that are for residents relying on Medicaid. There is a fear behind this assumption that Medicaid beneficiaries are relegated to terrible nursing homes. Fortunately, this is a myth. Most nursing homes in Metro Atlanta are dual-certified for Medicare and Medicaid. That is, most of our nursing homes accept both Medicare and Medicaid, and there are no Medicaid-only nursing homes. There are a few private-pay only or Medicare-only nursing homes, but not very many. And in the dual-certified homes, visitors, residents and even staff have no indication of who is a Medicaid recipient and who is paying privately to be in the nursing home. Discrimination based on payer-source is prohibited; and remember that most nursing home residents in Georgia are Medicaid beneficiaries. That being said, not all nursing homes provide the same quality of care, and you should do your homework to find ones that have good ratings and reputations. Here are some resources that might help:

Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare – www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare/

Georgia Healthcare Facility Regulator -
www.GaMap2Care.info

Georgia Health Care Association -
www.ghca.info

Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center – www.georgiaombudsman.org

Making the decision to move a loved one into a nursing home is never easy, and then finding a nursing home bed can be difficult. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult. Our firm has three care coordinators on staff to help our families navigate this process. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at (404) 843-0121 or at https://hurleyeclaw.com/contacts/