Original Medicare guide
Medicare Part A Coverage and Costs
Learn how Part A handles hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice and certain home health care—and why a benefit period can matter more than a calendar year.
Core coverage
What does Medicare Part A cover?
Inpatient hospital care
A semiprivate room, meals, general nursing, medications administered as part of inpatient treatment and other hospital services can be covered after formal admission.
Skilled nursing facility care
Short-term skilled care can be covered after a qualifying inpatient hospital stay when daily skilled services are needed and other requirements are met.
Hospice
Part A covers hospice for a terminal illness when eligibility is certified and the beneficiary elects comfort-focused hospice care for that illness.
Certain home health care
Part A or Part B may cover qualifying intermittent skilled home health services ordered by a provider and delivered by a Medicare-certified agency.
Costs and limits
What Can Change Your Part A Costs or Coverage?
Benefit Periods and the Deductible
A Part A benefit period begins the day you are admitted as an inpatient to a hospital or skilled nursing facility. It ends after you have not received inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility care for 60 consecutive days. A later admission can begin a new benefit period and another deductible.
2026 inpatient hospital costs: $1,736 deductible for each benefit period; $0 daily coinsurance for days 1–60; $434 per day for days 61–90; and $868 per lifetime reserve day after day 90. After lifetime reserve days are exhausted, you pay all costs.
Who Pays a Part A Premium?
About 99% of beneficiaries do not pay a Part A premium because they or a spouse have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment. In 2026, people with 30–39 quarters can buy Part A for $311 per month; people with fewer than 30 quarters can pay $565 per month. Eligibility and premium determinations come from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board. Review the Part A work-credit rules, spouse records and 40-quarter threshold →
Inpatient vs. Observation Status
Part A hospital coverage depends on formal inpatient admission. Emergency-department care, observation services and many same-day procedures are generally Part B outpatient services, even if you occupy a hospital bed overnight. Ask the hospital whether you are an inpatient or outpatient and read every status notice.
What Part A Does Not Promise
- A private hospital room unless medically necessary.
- Private-duty nursing.
- Most physician services during a hospital stay; those are commonly billed under Part B.
- Unlimited skilled nursing facility days.
- Room and board in a long-term-care setting when custodial care is the only need.
If Medicare is expected not to cover a service, ask what notice should be provided and who will be financially responsible.
For the broad 2026 premium-and-deductible picture across Parts A, B and D, see Medicare Costs in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Medicare Part A Questions
Is the Part A deductible once per year?
No. It applies per benefit period, and more than one benefit period can begin in a calendar year.
Does Part A cover an emergency-room visit?
Emergency-room and observation services are generally outpatient Part B services unless a physician formally orders inpatient admission and the hospital admits you.
Does Part A pay for a nursing home?
Only limited skilled nursing facility care can be covered when the requirements are met. Part A does not pay for most long-term custodial nursing-home care.
Is hospice free under Part A?
Most covered hospice services have no deductible, but there can be a copayment of up to $5 for outpatient drugs for pain and symptom management and 5% coinsurance for inpatient respite care.
Primary references
Official Sources
- Medicare.gov: Part A
- CMS: 2026 Parts A and B premiums and deductibles
- Medicare.gov: Inpatient hospital care
Reviewed against official sources on August 22, 2026. Medicare and state program rules can change; verify current requirements before acting.
Independent Medicare guidance
Make the Next Decision With the Actual Details in Front of You
Benjamin Thompson can help compare the Medicare insurance options represented by Thompson Medicare Brokerage using your doctors, prescriptions, coverage priorities and budget.
Thompson Medicare Brokerage is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. This page provides general educational information. Coverage, costs, eligibility, networks, formularies and enrollment rights depend on individual facts, location, plan and coverage year. Thompson Medicare Brokerage does not offer every plan available in every area; Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE and SHIP can provide information about all available options.