The specific rights you have when a Medicare Advantage plan says your skilled nursing or rehabilitation coverage is ending. One phone call before noon can stop the discharge.
When a Medicare Advantage plan decides to end coverage for skilled nursing facility (SNF) care, inpatient rehabilitation, or home health services, the plan or facility is required to give you a specific written notice before coverage ends — called a Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC). It must be delivered at least two calendar days before the coverage end date. If you do not receive this notice, coverage cannot legally be terminated.
Request an immediate fast appeal through your state's Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO). The QIO has two business days to issue its decision after receiving all necessary information. During that time, you remain in the facility at Medicare rates. The process is free.
The facility cannot discharge you while a QIO review is pending if you requested the appeal before the deadline. If the facility is pressuring you to leave anyway, remind them in writing of the pending QIO review and state clearly that you are refusing voluntary discharge. Contact the QIO directly and let them know the facility is attempting to discharge you before the review is complete.
