Most private and public health insurance programs do not cover nursing home care. Nursing homes primarily provide support for activities of daily living: eating, bathing, toileting, transferring, and dressing. Health insurance makes claims payments for medical care, not for care to help with activities of daily living.
Long term care insurance pays claims for nursing home care. Claims trigger on the policy holder's inability to perform activities of daily living.
Agent Owner, Gilmore Insurance Services, Marysville, Washington State
Does private health insurance cover nursing homes? No, not really. While there may be situations such as transition where an individual may be at a nursing home as a recuperative thing where health insurance will pick up the cost, it will not pay for extended stays without the idea of "going home". That would be long term care insurance territory.
Long term care insurance pays claims for nursing home care. Claims trigger on the policy holder's inability to perform activities of daily living.