Health Insurance & Medical Costs · Surprise rank #237
Get Medicaid-Funded Care in Assisted Living Instead of a Nursing Home!
New York’s Assisted Living Program serves people medically eligible for nursing-facility placement in a less medically intensive residential setting.
Who
People medically eligible for nursing-home placement who can be safely served in an Assisted Living Program and meet the facility’s admission and payment requirements.
Where: New York State certified Assisted Living Programs
What to do
Start here: Use the NYS Health Profiles ALP list or ask a long-term-care counselor to identify certified ALPs, then contact facilities about openings, Medicaid participation and admission screening.
Eligibility: Medical eligibility for nursing-facility level care is required. Medicaid beneficiaries must also meet Medicaid financial/program rules, and the person must be accepted by a certified ALP with an available bed.
What you get
Certified ALPs provide supportive housing plus services such as personal care, room and board, housekeeping, supervision, home health, nursing and other covered care components.
Benefit: For eligible Medicaid recipients, Medicaid can pay covered ALP health and personal-care services while the program coordinates the residential setting and care.
Possible value: Potentially thousands of dollars per month in long-term-care services compared with paying privately, but resident payment responsibilities vary.
Good to know
Important: An ordinary Assisted Living Residence is not automatically an Assisted Living Program. Medicaid coverage described here applies through certified ALPs, and bed availability can be a major constraint.
Availability: Active; admission depends on certified ALP capacity and openings.
Why people miss it: “Assisted living” sounds like one category, but the Medicaid-linked ALP is a specific certified program with different financing from ordinary private-pay assisted living.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026