New Orleans Senior AdvisorDoes Medicare pay for long-term care in Louisiana?
No: Medicare does not pay for long-term custodial care, meaning help with bathing, dressing and supervision, in a nursing home, an ARCP or at home; it pays for medical and skilled care, including short skilled nursing facility stays, intermittent home health and hospice.
That gap is why most long-term care in Louisiana is paid privately or by Medicaid. Medicare remains the primary insurance for doctor visits, hospital stays and prescriptions for people living in any care setting.
When does Medicare pay for a nursing home stay?
Medicare Part A covers a skilled nursing facility stay after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay when a doctor orders daily skilled nursing or therapy, for up to 100 days per benefit period, with full coverage for the early days and a daily coinsurance after that.
Watch the “observation” trap: time in the hospital under observation status does not count as an inpatient stay. Ask the hospital case manager in writing whether your parent is admitted as an inpatient. Coverage ends when skilled care is no longer needed, even if the 100 days are not used.
Does Medicare pay for home health in New Orleans?
Yes, when a doctor certifies that a homebound person needs intermittent skilled nursing or therapy: Medicare pays a certified home health agency for those visits and related aide care, with no copay for the home health services themselves.
LDH's October 2026 report lists 32 licensed home health agencies, 22 hospices and 10 adult day health care centers with addresses in the six parishes; agencies routinely serve clients beyond their office parish. Medicare home health is not hourly caregiving; for that, families look to private home care, LT-PCS or the Community Choices Waiver. A resident of a Level 3 ARCP can receive Medicare home health in the apartment.
Does Medicare pay for hospice?
Yes: Medicare's hospice benefit covers the hospice team, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness, and short respite stays, for someone whose doctor certifies a life expectancy of six months or less who chooses comfort care.
Hospice can be delivered at home, in an ARCP or in a nursing home. Medicare does not pay room and board in those settings. LDH's roster shows 22 licensed hospices with offices in the six parishes, including Anvoi Hospice, Audubon Hospice of New Orleans, Guardian Angel Hospice, Gulf South Hospice of New Orleans; hospices licensed elsewhere in Louisiana may also serve New Orleans-area ZIP codes.
Where can New Orleans families get free Medicare help?
SHIIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program of the Louisiana Department of Insurance, gives free, confidential Medicare counseling at 1-800-259-5300, and its counselors do not sell insurance.
SHIIP can compare Medicare Advantage and supplement plans, explain Part D drug coverage, and check whether someone qualifies for help with premiums and copays.
At a glance
| Medicare covers | Medicare does not cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing homes | Short skilled stays after a qualifying inpatient admission | Long-term custodial care |
| Home | Intermittent skilled home health | Hourly caregivers |
| Assisted living | Medical care for residents | Rent, board or personal care |
| End of life | Hospice team, drugs and equipment | Room and board |
Sources include LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 (adult residential care providers), the Louisiana Department of Health's Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
