What Does Medicare Part A Cover?
Medicare Part A covers several important healthcare services. Coverage may depend on your medical needs, your doctor’s instructions, the type of care you receive, and whether the service meets Medicare requirements.
Medicare Part A May Cover:
- Inpatient hospital care
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Nursing home care when skilled care is medically necessary
- Hospice care
- Home health services for a limited period when requirements are met
What Are My Medicare Part A Costs?
Many people are eligible to receive Medicare Part A without a premium if they or their spouse worked the required amount of time under Medicare-covered employment, generally ten years or 40 quarters, and paid Medicare taxes while working.
However, your Part A coverage may still include other costs, even after Medicare has paid its share. This may include deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance, which can change from year to year. Your costs may depend on the type of service you receive and how often you receive it.
Inpatient Hospital Care Costs in 2026
- Medicare Part A deductible: $1,736 for each benefit period
- $0 coinsurance for the first 60 days of each benefit period
- $434 per day for days 61 through 90 of each benefit period
- $868 per day for days 91 and beyond per each lifetime reserve day of each benefit period
- You get up to 60 lifetime reserve days
- After lifetime reserve days are used up, you are responsible for all costs
Skilled Nursing Facility Care Costs in 2026
- $0 for days 1 through 20 for each benefit period
- $217 per day for days 21 through 100 for each benefit period
- Days 101 and beyond: you are responsible for all costs
Additional Medicare Plan Benefits
Did you know that some Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement plans might offer additional services beyond Medicare Parts A and B? For example, some Medicare Advantage plans include benefits like wellness programs and routine vision and dental benefits.
Medicare Parts A and B do not typically cover these supplementary benefits.
Contact us today to learn more about Medicare plans.