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Nursing Homes & Skilled Nursing in Minnesota
Licensed skilled nursing facilities providing 24-hour nursing care, short-term rehabilitation after hospital stays, and long-term care for complex needs.
351 providers statewide · most in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth
Nursing Homes providers
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Guides on nursing homes in Minnesota
- Assisted living vs nursing home in Minnesota: the license is the difference — Every national article describes a generic difference. In Minnesota the difference is legal and specific: two separate licenses, two chapters of statute, two payment systems, and two different state report cards. Here is the whole comparison in one table.
- The Minnesota rule that stops a nursing home charging you more than it charges Medicaid — Minnesota bars a nursing facility from charging private-pay residents more than the state-approved Medical Assistance rate for the same services, and backs it with triple damages. Almost nobody explains it — so here is the statute, the two exceptions, and where your rate actually comes from.
- How to check a Minnesota care provider’s license, inspections and ratings — Minnesota publishes more free oversight data than almost any state — and nobody explains which tool answers which question. Here is the routing table: who licenses what, where to look, what each tool cannot tell you, and why a good facility may show no rating at all.
- How to pay for long-term care in Minnesota — Medicare pays for almost none of it. Minnesota's real payers are private funds, Medical Assistance, the Elderly Waiver, Alternative Care, long-term care insurance and VA benefits — and four of them refuse to pay room and board. Here is the matrix.
Common questions about nursing homes in Minnesota
What does a nursing home cost in Minnesota?
Genworth's 2024 Cost of Care Survey put the Minnesota median at $146,000 per year for a semi-private room (about $12,167 per month) and $168,813 per year for a private room (about $14,068 per month) — increases of 18% and 10% respectively over the prior year. Minnesota ranked 15th and 13th nationally. Most long-stay residents eventually qualify for Medical Assistance: just under 54% of all nursing facility days in Minnesota are paid by MA.
Can a Minnesota nursing home charge private-pay residents more than Medicaid residents?
No. Minnesota has a rate equalization law: a nursing facility is not eligible for Medical Assistance payments unless it refrains from charging private-paying residents rates for similar services that exceed the state-approved MA rate. Facilities may charge more only for a private room and for special services not included in the daily rate, and those must be offered to MA residents at the same price. A resident who is overcharged can recover three times the excess payments plus costs and reasonable attorney fees.
Source: Minn. Stat. § 256R.06 subd. 2
How do I check a Minnesota nursing home's quality rating?
Two tools. Minnesota runs its own Nursing Home Report Card through DHS, and every Medicare-certified nursing home also carries a federal star rating on Medicare Care Compare, based on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. The Minnesota Department of Health publishes survey and complaint findings separately. Check all of them — a facility can look different on each.
Does Medicare pay for nursing home care?
Medicare covers a limited skilled nursing benefit after a qualifying hospital stay, not long-term custodial care. For 2026 the Part A skilled nursing facility coinsurance is $217 per day for days 21 through 100, after which Medicare coverage ends. Long-term custodial care is where Medical Assistance takes over for those who qualify financially. Confirm current coverage rules and your own eligibility with Medicare directly.
How many nursing homes are there in Minnesota?
As of January 28, 2026 there were 328 Medical-Assistance-certified and state-licensed nursing facilities in Minnesota with 23,158 active beds. Statewide occupancy averaged 81.7% in the 2024 reporting period. A further 24 nursing homes are licensed by MDH but not certified to serve MA residents, including five Minnesota veterans homes.
Source: MN House Research, "Nursing Facility Reimbursement and Regulation" (April 2026)
Can I choose any nursing home for rehab after a hospital stay?
Yes — hospital discharge planners will offer options, but the choice is yours. To qualify for Medical Assistance payment, an enrollee must first be screened by a long-term care consultation team and determined to need nursing-facility-level care. Check availability, therapy staffing, and distance for family visits.
Source: MN House Research, "Nursing Facility Reimbursement and Regulation" (April 2026)
Figures and rules on this page are quoted from the sources named above and were last reviewed August 2026. Programs and rates change — verify anything you are relying on with the agency directly before you act on it.