Medicare Part A – Hospitalization
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Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
What Medicare Part A Covers:
Hospital services, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care.
Coverage includes Semi-private rooms, Meals, General nursing, Drugs as part of your inpatient treatment, Other hospital services and supplies
This includes the care you get in these facilities:
Acute care hospitals, Critical access hospitals, Inpatient rehabilitation facilities, Long-term care hospitals
Skilled Nursing Facilities –
To be admitted to a skilled nursing facility and covered by Medicare Part A, you must have been admitted to a general hospital as an inpatient for 3 days (qualifying hospital stay). This means that if you are getting observation services, the day(s) under observation do not count towards inpatient status in a hospital.
There are additional conditions to qualify for skilled nursing facility benefits, and they come with limits.
Medicare pays the full cost for up to 20 days; from day 21 through day 100, you pay a share of the cost ($209.50/day in 2025) ($204.00/day in 2024); beyond 100 days you pay the full cost. Some or all of these costs may be covered if you have additional insurance coverage through Medigap (Medicare Supplement) insurance, Medicaid, employer health insurance, Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) or long-term care insurance —check your policy to find out.
Medicare Part A also includes these:
Inpatient care as part of a qualifying clinical research study
Inpatient mental health care given in a psychiatric hospital or other hospital.
What’s not covered
Private-duty nursing, Private room (unless medically necessary), Television and phone in your room (if there’s a separate charge for these items), Personal care items, like razors or slipper socks
Original Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental and vision services, acupuncture, and chiropractic services.
Summary of Medicare Part A Costs:
Premium:
There is no premium for Medicare Part A insurance if you (or another qualifying person, like your current or former spouse) paid Medicare taxes for 40 plus quarters (10 years) and sign up in the Initial Enrollment Period.
If you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $518 for 2025 ($505 for 2024, $506 for 2023, $499 for 2022, $471 for 2021 , $458 for 2020, $437 for 2019, $422 for 2018). If you paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $285 for 2025 ($278 for 2024, $278 for 2023 , $274 for 2022, $259 for 2021, $252 in 2020, $240 in 2019, $232 in 2018). Even if you do not qualify for no premium Medicare because you did not work enough qualifying quarters, you will still probably be eligible for Part B and should enroll in Part B during the period that will not require higher premiums for Part B.
If you do not sign up for Medicare in the Initial Enrollment Period, you may have to pay a higher premium for late enrollment in Part A and/or a higher premium for late enrollment in Part B.
Deductible:
There is a $1,676 in 2025 ($1,632 in 2024, $1,600 in 2023, $1,556 – 2022; $1,484 – 2021) Deductible, and possibly coinsurance and/or co-payment
There is a maximum payout.
Days 1-60: $0 coinsurance for each benefit period
Days 61-90: $419 in 2025 for coinsurance per day of each benefit period
Days 91 and beyond: $838 in 2025 for coinsurance per each “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 for each benefit period (up to 60 days over your lifetime)
Beyond lifetime reserve days: all costs
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