Inpatient hospital care (original) (raw)
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers inpatient hospital care if you meet both of these conditions:
- You’re admitted to the hospital as an inpatient after an official doctor’s order, which says you need inpatient hospital care to treat your illness or injury
- The hospital accepts Medicare
Your costs in Original Medicare
In 2024 you pay:
- Days 1–60: (of each benefit period): 0afteryoumeetyourPartAdeductible(0 after you meet your Part A deductible (0afteryoumeetyourPartAdeductible(1,632).
- Days 61–90: (of each benefit period): $408 each day.
- After day 90: (of each benefit period): $816 each day for each lifetime reserve day (up to 60 days over your lifetime).
- After you use all of your lifetime reserve days, you pay all costs.
Hospitals are now required to share the standard charges for all of their items and services (including the standard charges negotiated by Medicare Advantage Plans) on a public website to help you make more informed decisions about your care.
Frequency of services
Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. Ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and if, or how much, Medicare will pay for them.
What it is
Medicare-covered inpatient hospital services include:
- Semi-private rooms
- Meals
- General nursing
- Drugs (including methadone to treat an Opioid Use Disorder)
- Other hospital services and supplies as part of your inpatient treatment
Medicare doesn't cover:
- Private-duty nursing
- A private room (unless medically necessary)
- A television or phone in your room (if there's a separate charge for these items)
- Personal care items (like razors or slipper socks)
Things to know
Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient mental health care in a freestanding psychiatric hospital during your lifetime. The 190-day limit doesn’t apply to care you get in a Medicare-certified, distinct part psychiatric unit within an acute care or critical access hospital.
Inpatient hospital care includes care you get in:
- Acute care hospitals
- Critical access hospitals
- Inpatient rehabilitation facilities
- Inpatient psychiatric facilities
- Long-term care hospitals
It also includes inpatient care you get as part of a qualifying clinical research study.
If you also have Part B, it generally covers 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for doctor’s services you get while you’re in a hospital.