Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 years of age and older, and certain younger people with disabilities, and Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with low incomes and limited resources, are two of the common medical insurance programs that help pay for inpatient medical rehabilitation. This page provides information that may help you learn more about some of the programs and services Medicare provides and more. Note: Medicaid programs vary from state to state. Please check with your state Medicaid website for information about Medicaid services in your specific state.
Medicare calls inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitals and units “Inpatient rehabilitation facilities” or IRFs. Use these links to learn more about Medicare.
- IRF Compare from Medicare.gov — Allows you to compare inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitals and units, and provides information on inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitals and units, how Medicare covers care, and more.
- Medicare Coverage Information — Learn more about Medicare coverage
- Care Compare — Compare inpatient medical rehabilitation hospitals and units as well as other forms of long-term and post-acute care options
- Termination notices – A list of providers that have been instructed to close down
- Filing grievances — Information on how to file a complaint if you have concerns about the quality of care or other services you get from a Medicare provider.
Filing a Medicare Appeal
What’s an appeal?
An appeal is the action you can take if you disagree with a coverage or payment decision made by Medicare, your Medicare health plan, or your Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. You can appeal if Medicare or your plan denies one of these:
- Your request for a health care service, supply, item, or prescription drug that you think you should be able to get;
- Your request for payment for a health care service, supply, item, or prescription drug you already got; or
- Your request to change the amount you must pay for a health care service, supply, item or prescription drug.
You can also appeal if Medicare or your plan stops providing or paying for all or part of a health care service, supply, item, or prescription drug you think you still need. If you have a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plan, you may appeal if you’ve met your deductible or you believe a service or item should count toward your deductible.
If you decide to appeal
If you decide to appeal, ask your doctor, health care provider or supplier for any information that may help your case. See your plan materials, or contact your plan for details about your appeal rights.
Generally, you can find your plan’s contact information on your plan membership card. Or, you can get your plan’s contact information from a Personalized Search (under General Search), or search by plan name.
The appeals process has five levels. If you disagree with the decision made at any level of the process, you can generally go to the next level. At each level, you’ll be given instructions in the decision letter on how to move to the next level of appeal.