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The Manorsof Citrus

Homosassa and Crystal River, Florida

Paying for assisted living in Citrus County

Both of our communities accept Florida Medicaid. This page covers what actually pays for assisted living here, including the one benefit almost every family asks about first and which does not.

Updated

Sugarmill Manor(352) 382-2531The Gardens(352) 794-7601

What pays for assisted living, and what does not

Medicare does not pay for assisted living room and board. It is the most common misunderstanding families bring to the first phone call, and learning it on day one instead of week three saves a great deal of wasted effort.

What does pay, in Citrus County, is some combination of Florida Medicaid, VA Aid and Attendance for a veteran or a surviving spouse, a long term care insurance policy a parent may already own, and private funds. Sugarmill Manor in Homosassa and The Gardens in Crystal River both accept Florida Medicaid.

What Medicare does and does not cover

Medicare covers doctors, hospital stays, prescriptions under Part D, and a limited stretch of skilled nursing or rehabilitation after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay. Those matter, and a resident keeps all of them after moving in.

What Medicare calls custodial care is the part it does not cover: help with bathing, dressing, eating, walking and medications. That is most of what assisted living actually is. Medicare says so on its own long term care page.

Medicare on long term care

Where the money usually comes from

Florida Medicaid

Both of our communities accept Florida Medicaid, so a stay can continue if a family's finances change. Eligibility depends on income, assets, and the level of help a person needs. Call either community and the administrator will walk you through how it works in your situation.

Florida long term care Medicaid

VA Aid and Attendance

A wartime veteran or a surviving spouse who needs help with daily activities may qualify for an added monthly VA benefit on top of a pension. It is paid to the person, not to us, so it can go toward assisted living. Applications take time, so start early.

VA Aid and Attendance

Long term care insurance

If a parent bought a policy years ago it may pay a set amount toward assisted living. Two things in the policy decide whether it pays here: what triggers benefits, usually needing help with a set number of daily activities or having significant memory loss, and the elimination period, the days of care you pay for yourself before the policy starts.

Private funds

Most families begin here, often alongside one of the above, using savings, a pension, Social Security, or the sale of a home. What a stay costs depends on the community and the level of help needed. We publish a starting price for every room, so you can see whether we are in your range before you call.

Both communities accept Florida Medicaid

Sugarmill Manor

8985 S Suncoast Blvd, Homosassa

Accepts Florida Medicaid in assisted living and in the secured memory care section. Call and the administrator will tell you how it applies to your parent.

(352) 382-2531

The Gardens

10845 W Gem St, Crystal River

Accepts Florida Medicaid in assisted living and in the secured memory care section. Call and the administrator will tell you how it applies to your parent.

(352) 794-7601

Questions families ask

No. Medicare does not cover assisted living room and board. It pays for doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, and a limited stretch of skilled nursing or rehabilitation after a qualifying hospital stay, but not for the daily help with bathing, dressing and medications that assisted living provides. Many families searching for assisted living that accepts Medicare are looking for Medicaid, which is a different program and which both of our communities accept.

Yes. Sugarmill Manor in Homosassa and The Gardens in Crystal River both accept Florida Medicaid, in assisted living and in the secured memory care section. Call either community to talk through eligibility for your parent.

Medicare is health insurance tied to age or disability, and it does not pay for assisted living. Medicaid is a needs based program, and in Florida it can help pay for assisted living for people who meet its income, asset and care requirements. If you have been searching for Medicare, Medicaid is almost certainly the program you want.

VA Aid and Attendance is paid to the veteran or surviving spouse rather than to a community, so it can be put toward a stay at either of ours. Whether someone qualifies is decided by the VA. Applications take time, so it is worth starting before you need the money.

It depends on the policy, though most written in the last few decades work the same way. Benefits begin once a licensed practitioner certifies that your parent needs help with at least two of six daily activities, which are eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring and continence, or needs supervision because of significant memory loss. Most policies then have an elimination period, a set number of days of care you pay for yourself before the policy begins paying. Bring the policy to a tour and we will read it with you.

We publish a starting price for every room at both communities, so you do not have to call to find out whether we are in your range. Assisted living starts at those figures and moves with how much daily help your parent needs; memory care is a set rate. See the published prices, then call and the administrator will give you a real number for your situation.

Not sure which of these your family qualifies for? Call either community, or come and ask in person.