Last verified: October 2026
What does a nursing home cost in Maryland in 2026?
CareScout's 2025 Maryland median is $12,927 a month for a semi-private room ($425 a day) and $14,448 for a private room ($475 a day), well above the national semi-private median of $9,581.
The Baltimore metro has 107 licensed nursing homes (Baltimore County 43, Baltimore City 27, Anne Arundel County 14, Carroll County 10, Harford County 6, Howard County 6, Queen Anne's County 1), each with CMS ratings in our nursing home directory. CareScout does not publish a Baltimore-only median.
When does Medicare pay for a nursing home in Maryland?
Medicare Part A covers skilled nursing facility care only after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days and only while daily skilled care is needed; it never covers long-term custodial care.
Nights spent in a Baltimore hospital under observation status do not count toward the three inpatient days, even if your parent slept in a regular room. Ask the case manager, in writing, whether the stay is inpatient or observation. Days 21 to 100 carry a daily coinsurance.
How does Maryland Medicaid pay for long-term nursing home care?
Maryland Medicaid covers nursing facility care for residents who need that level of care and meet the aged, blind and disabled financial rules, generally a countable-asset limit of $2,500 for an individual, with the resident's own income paid toward the bill except a personal needs allowance.
Transfers for less than fair market value in the 60 months before applying for long-term care Medicaid can trigger a penalty period. Long-term care Medicaid is separate from the adult expansion Maryland adopted in 2014; expansion did not change these rules. Applications go through the local department of social services; nursing home business offices and Maryland Access Point (844-627-5465) can explain the steps.
What protects the spouse who stays home?
Federal spousal-impoverishment rules let the community spouse keep resources between $32,532 and $162,660 in 2026, and an income allowance of at least $2,705.00 (effective July 1, 2026) a month, up to $4,066.50.
The home itself is generally exempt while a spouse lives in it. Because these rules interact with Maryland's own resource assessment, a consultation with an elder law attorney before moving money usually pays for itself.
Source: CMS Informational Bulletin, Updated 2026 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards (April 27, 2026)
Is a nursing home stay the same as a rehab stay?
Often the same building, but a different benefit and a different length of stay.
| Short-term rehab | Long-term nursing home care |
|---|---|
| Medicare Part A after a qualifying inpatient stay | Private pay, LTC insurance or Medicaid |
| Days or weeks, goal is discharge home | Months or years, goal is a safe permanent home |
| Read the CMS short-stay quality rating | Read the CMS long-stay quality rating |
