Insurance & Coverage
What pays for what, in California senior care.
The single most expensive decisions in senior care turn on coverage facts most families learn too late. These pages explain who pays for what, in plain English, with the citation.
Medicare
What does Medicare Part A cover for seniors?
Hospital, skilled nursing, hospice, home health. The four covered settings and the gaps families discover at the worst time.
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Medicare
What Medicare does not cover for senior care
Long-term care, custodial care, most dental, vision, hearing aids. Worth reading before need begins.
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Medicare
The Medicare 100-day myth, corrected
Medicare home health is not a fixed 100-day benefit. The actual rules.
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Medicare
Does Medicare cover home health care?
Yes, conditionally. Skilled, intermittent, homebound. What that means in plain language.
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Medicare
Does Medicare cover hospice care?
100 percent. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is the most generous Medicare service. What families gain, and what they give up by electing it.
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Medicare
Does Medicare cover assisted living?
No, not the rent. Medicare covers some clinical services delivered inside an assisted-living facility, but not the residence itself.
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Medicare
Does Medicare cover memory care?
No. The dementia diagnosis does not change Medicare's custodial-care exclusion. What does cover memory care in California.
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Medi-Cal
Does Medi-Cal cover dental for seniors? (Denti-Cal)
Yes, broadly, since the Denti-Cal restoration. What is covered, what is not, how to find a participating dentist.
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Medi-Cal
Does Medi-Cal cover hearing aids?
Yes, with a per-ear cap and a defined replacement schedule. Original Medicare does not.
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Medi-Cal
Dual eligible (Medi-Medi) benefits in California
What Medicare pays, what Medi-Cal adds, and how D-SNPs coordinate both for California seniors enrolled in both programs.
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LTC insurance
Long-term-care insurance in California
How modern LTC policies work, what to look for if buying, what to ask if your parent already has one.
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LTC insurance
The California Partnership for Long-Term Care
A state program that pairs LTC policies with Medi-Cal asset protection.
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VA
VA Aid & Attendance for California veteran families
Cash benefit on top of VA pension when a veteran needs help with ADLs. How to apply, how long it takes.
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Cost
How much does memory care cost in California in 2026?
Ranges by metro. What drives the difference. What ALW changes.
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Cost
How much does assisted living cost in California in 2026?
Metro-by-metro 2026 ranges, what is included in the base rate, and how level-of-care add-ons work in California RCFEs.
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