Market note: This article draws on materials from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
Deciding to move a parent into a care facility is never easy for any family. Yet even after that decision is made, one question remains: what makes a facility a good one? Being eligible for admission does not mean every facility provides the same level of care. This article takes a careful look at admission criteria, facility-selection standards, and the structural differences between the two countries' systems.
🇰🇷 Korea To be admitted to a nursing home (노인요양시설) in Korea, the first step is receiving a long-term care grade determination from the 국민건강보험공단 (National Health Insurance Service). In principle, recipients rated Grade 1 or 2 are eligible for facility benefits, while Grades 3 through 5 default to home-visit benefits. However, if there is no primary family caregiver or caregiving is not feasible, if living conditions are poor, or if behavioral symptoms related to dementia make home-visit benefits impractical, a Grade 3–5 recipient may be converted to facility benefits after review by the 등급판정위원회 (Long-Term Care Grade Assessment Committee). In such cases, a benefit-type change application form, a fact-confirmation statement, and — where required — a physician's written opinion must be submitted to the 공단.
🇺🇸 U.S. To be admitted to a nursing home (Skilled Nursing Facility) under Medicaid, three conditions must be met simultaneously. The first is functional need: a medical assessment must find that the person has difficulty performing two or more activities of daily living (ADLs) independently. The second is an income requirement: in most states, monthly income must be at or below $2,982 as of 2026. The third is an asset requirement: for a single applicant, countable assets must generally be at or below approximately $2,000, though some states such as New York apply higher limits. Both the functional and financial requirements must be satisfied; once Medicaid eligibility is confirmed, admission is guaranteed without a waiting period.
🇰🇷 Korea Once eligibility is established, facilities must be compared. The 국민건강보험공단 conducts regular evaluations of all long-term care institutions nationwide on a three-year cycle, assigning ratings from A (최우수, outstanding) to E (미흡, inadequate). Results are published on the 노인장기요양보험 (Long-Term Care Insurance) website and are available for anyone to view. In 2026, a regular evaluation with strengthened human-rights and safety indicators is under way for home-visit benefit providers. When choosing a facility, checking the 공단 evaluation rating first is essential, and an in-person visit to observe staff conduct and cleanliness is equally important.
🇺🇸 U.S. Medicare assigns a Five-Star rating to every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country. The rating covers three domains: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures. Results are searchable by anyone on CMS's Nursing Home Care Compare website. Experts advise giving the greatest weight to the Health Inspections score among the three domains. It is also advisable to review specific outcome indicators such as fall-injury rates among long-stay residents, pressure-ulcer incidence, and antipsychotic medication prescription rates.
🇰🇷 Korea Understanding the cost structure in advance is also essential. For nursing home services, the 공단 covers 80% of the benefit cost, and a standard recipient pays the remaining 20% out of pocket. Based on 2026 figures, the total monthly benefit for a Grade 1 recipient is approximately 2,710,000 won, making the standard out-of-pocket share roughly 540,000 won. However, non-covered items — such as food-ingredient fees, snack fees, and premium room charges — vary by facility, and actual monthly expenditure including these items can range from approximately 800,000 to 1,100,000 won. When consulting about admission, always ask specifically for the total monthly cost including non-covered items.
It is worth highlighting one structural difference between the 🇰🇷 Korea and 🇺🇸 U.S. systems. In Korea, admission eligibility is determined by a single national standard — the long-term care grade — and 공단 evaluation results can be compared in the same way regardless of region. In the United States, by contrast, Medicaid eligibility criteria differ from state to state, and facility quality also varies considerably by state. Korean-American families in the United States must individually verify the specific income and asset limits for the state where their parent lives, as well as the Five-Star score of the facility in question.
Sources: 국민건강보험공단 (National Health Insurance Service) Long-Term Care Institution Regular Evaluation Announcement (2026); 보건복지부 (Ministry of Health and Welfare) and 국민건강보험공단 Facility Benefit Guidelines; Medicaid Planning Assistance (medicaidplanningassistance.org) 2026 Income & Asset Limits; CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System Users Guide (September 2026); Brevy Nursing Home Medicaid by State (2026); CANHR (California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform) Nursing Home Evaluation Checklist.
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.