A semi-private nursing-home room in Maryland runs about $155,125 a year, well above the national median and more than most families can pay out of pocket for long. What makes it survivable for most long-term residents is Maryland Medicaid, which can pay for nursing-facility care for those who meet its medical and financial rules.

This guide covers what a nursing home is, how to check a facility's quality before you choose one, what it actually costs in Maryland, and how Maryland Medicaid pays for long-term care.

In This Guide

What a Nursing Home Is

In Maryland, a nursing home is a skilled nursing facility. It provides 24-hour licensed nursing care, help with daily activities like bathing and dressing, and rehabilitation services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy. That round-the-clock nursing is the line that separates it from assisted living. An assisted living program is built for people who need help with daily tasks but not constant skilled care. A nursing home exists for medical needs those settings can't meet, like managing a feeding tube, IV medications, or an open pressure wound.

People arrive at a nursing home along two different paths, and it pays to keep them straight because they're funded differently. The first is short-term rehabilitation, often after a hospital stay for a stroke, a fall, or surgery, where the goal is to recover and go home. Medicare helps with that short rehab stay under specific conditions, covering up to 100 days per benefit period, generally after a qualifying three-day inpatient hospital stay. In 2026 you pay $0 a day for days 1 through 20 once the $1,736 Part A deductible is met (usually already paid during the hospital stay), then $217 a day for days 21 through 100. The second path is long-term custodial care, where someone needs ongoing nursing and supervision they can't safely get at home. Medicare does not pay for that long-term custodial stay. That's the care families worry about affording, and it's where Medicaid becomes the main payer.

How to Check a Facility's Quality

Quality varies widely from one nursing home to the next, and Maryland gives you several free tools to vet a place before you commit. Use more than one. Each shows you something the others don't.

Start with state oversight. Maryland nursing homes are licensed and inspected by the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality, part of the Maryland Department of Health, which also carries out federal certification surveys on behalf of CMS. When you tour a facility, ask to see its most recent survey results and look for a pattern of repeat deficiencies rather than reacting to a single old citation. You can also file a complaint about a facility directly with OHCQ.

Next, check the federal star rating on Medicare Care Compare. For every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home, Care Compare shows an overall rating from 1 to 5 stars. That overall rating combines three things: health inspection results, staffing, and quality measures. Each of the three also gets its own star rating, so you can look at a facility's staffing score on its own rather than relying on the overall number.

Finally, know who to call for help. Maryland's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for the health, safety, well-being, and rights of nursing-home residents. It can be a useful person to talk to about a facility before you ever sign anything.

What a Nursing Home Costs in Maryland

Nursing-home care is expensive everywhere, and in Maryland it runs well above the national midpoint. According to the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey, the 2025 statewide medians were about $155,125 a year (roughly $12,927 a month) for a semi-private room and about $173,375 a year (roughly $14,448 a month) for a private room. Both sit well above the national medians, which were about $114,975 for a semi-private room and $129,575 for a private room. These are medians from an industry survey, not government rates and not maximums, and CareScout collects rates by metropolitan area, so prices differ across the state. The figure at any one facility can land higher or lower depending on location, room type, and level of care.

Room type Maryland (year) Maryland (month) National (year)
Semi-private room $155,125 $12,927 $114,975
Private room $173,375 $14,448 $129,575

To put that in context, the same 2025 survey put Maryland assisted living at a median of about $7,172 a month, roughly $86,070 a year. A semi-private nursing-home room costs about 80% more. The gap is the reason families look hard at whether assisted living or in-home care can meet the need before moving to a nursing home, and at these prices it's the reason most long-term nursing-home residents in Maryland end up relying on Medicaid rather than paying privately for years.

Does Medicaid Pay for Nursing Homes in Maryland?

Yes, and this is the single most important thing to understand about paying for a Maryland nursing home. Maryland Medicaid, called Medical Assistance, can cover nursing-facility care for those who qualify, through Maryland Medicaid's Long Term Services and Supports program. Home care through the Community Options Waiver has a waitlist, but a nursing-facility resident whose care Medicaid has paid for at least 30 days can apply for that waiver with no wait.

Qualifying turns on two findings that run on separate tracks. Here's how the pieces fit together.

Level of care. The medical side of eligibility, separate from the money side below, asks whether the person needs a nursing-facility level of care. In Maryland that need is also a requirement for the Community Options Waiver, which can deliver long-term care in your own home instead.

The financial test. The financial side has two parts: income and assets. For 2026, the long-term-care income limit is 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate, about $2,982 a month for an individual. Countable assets may not be more than $2,000 or $2,500, depending on eligibility category. A married couple with one spouse staying in the community is protected by spousal-impoverishment rules, which in 2026 let that community spouse keep between $32,532 and $162,660 of the couple's resources. Because these rules depend on your household and can change, confirm the current income and asset figures with Maryland Medicaid before you apply.

The five-year look-back. Maryland reviews asset transfers made for less than fair market value during the 60 months before an application. Gifts or below-value sales in that window can trigger a penalty period during which Medicaid won't pay for nursing-facility care, so this is one area where planning well ahead matters.

Estate recovery. After a resident dies, Maryland seeks recovery from the estate of anyone who was 55 or older when Medicaid paid for their care. Recovery waits until after a surviving spouse has died, and it does not happen while there is a surviving child under 21 or a son or daughter who is blind or disabled. Maryland also will not seek recovery where it finds substantial hardship, so recovery is not automatic in every case.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a nursing home cost in Maryland?

The CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey put Maryland's median at about $155,125 a year (roughly $12,927 a month) for a semi-private room and about $173,375 a year (roughly $14,448 a month) for a private room. Those are statewide medians from an industry survey, not maximums, and both run well above the national median. Prices at individual facilities vary by area and room type.

Does Medicaid pay for nursing home care in Maryland?

Yes. Maryland Medicaid, called Medical Assistance, can pay for nursing-facility care for people who meet its medical and financial rules. People who need a nursing-facility level of care may also qualify for home and community-based care through the Community Options Waiver, though that waiver has a waitlist.

How do I qualify for Medicaid for a nursing home in Maryland?

Eligibility has two parts that run separately. The medical side asks whether the person needs a nursing-facility level of care, and the financial side uses a 2026 income limit of 300% of the SSI benefit rate, about $2,982 a month, along with a countable-asset limit of $2,000 or $2,500 depending on eligibility category. Spousal-impoverishment protections let a spouse who stays in the community keep a share of the couple's resources. Confirm the current income and asset figures with Maryland Medicaid before applying.

Does Medicare pay for a nursing home in Maryland?

Only for short-term rehab, not long-term custodial care. Medicare Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care per benefit period generally after a qualifying three-day inpatient hospital stay. In 2026 days 1 through 20 cost $0 once the $1,736 Part A deductible is met, and days 21 through 100 cost $217 a day. It does not pay for long-term custodial nursing-home care, which is the care most families need to fund through private pay, long-term care insurance, or Medicaid.

How do I check whether a Maryland nursing home is good?

Check the facility's 1-to-5-star overall rating on Medicare Care Compare, paying attention to the staffing component, and review its license and survey results through the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality. Maryland's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for nursing-home residents, and you can file a complaint about a facility with OHCQ.

Learn More

Care TypesNursing Homes by State: Costs, Medicaid Coverage, and How to ChooseWhat a nursing home costs, how Medicaid pays for it, and how facilities are rated all share a federal floor but vary by state. See yours, with a 50-state guide. Care TypesAssisted Living in MarylandAssisted living in Maryland runs about $7,172/month. What an Assisted Living Program is, who licenses it, what it costs, and how Medicaid and SOAR can help. Care TypesMemory Care in MarylandMemory care in Maryland is an Assisted Living Program's Alzheimer's Special Care Unit. See the disclosure form, what it costs, and how to vet a place. Care TypesHome Care vs. Home Health in MarylandHome care vs. home health in Maryland: home health is skilled care Medicare covers, home care is non-medical help it won't, and what an RSA license covers. MedicaidMedicaid Estate Recovery, ExplainedMedicaid estate recovery can claim a home after death, but not while a spouse or a child under 21, blind or disabled survives. See your state's rules. MedicaidMedicaid Personal Needs Allowance, ExplainedHow the Medicaid Personal Needs Allowance works in 2026: the $30 federal floor, what the states set, and how patient liability is calculated. MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house. Care TypesMemory Care vs. Nursing Home in MarylandMemory care vs. nursing home in Maryland: how skilled-nursing need and who pays differ. Memory care is private-pay; a nursing home runs about $12,927 a month.

Find personalized help comparing nursing homes in Maryland at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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