What Is Medicare Part A, and What Does It Cover?
Key takeaways:
Medicare Part A covers many inpatient or intensive services beginning with the letter “H”: hospitalization, hospice, and some home health — as well as limited stays in a skilled nursing facility, and inpatient psychiatric care.
Depending on your work and tax histories, you may be eligible for Medicare Part A at no monthly cost. Most people are. Otherwise, you can buy Part A for a monthly premium.
Medicare Part A doesn’t cover all healthcare costs, and you may face deductibles and coinsurance for certain services.
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If you’re nearing the age of 65, you may be preparing to sign up for Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older adults and younger people with long-term disabilities.
Medicare Part A, together with Medicare Part B, make up what’s called original Medicare. Individually, these two parts cover different kinds of healthcare services. Many people qualify for premium-free Part A coverage and may even be enrolled in the program automatically when they become eligible.
What is Medicare Part A?
Medicare Part A is also known as hospital insurance. It’s one of the two pillars of the original Medicare program that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1965.
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Coverage under Medicare Part A includes inpatient or intensive services — those that typically involve staying at a treatment facility overnight or receiving complex care at home — such as:
Hospital care
Skilled nursing facility (SNF) stays after hospitalization
Hospice
Some home healthcare
Inpatient mental healthcare
Medications used during a covered hospital or SNF stay
By contrast, Medicare Part B is medical insurance. It covers medically necessary and preventive services that don’t typically involve long stays. Examples include healthcare professional visits, annual health screenings and flu shots, and certain injected and infused medications.
What medical services does Medicare Part A cover?
One way to remember what Part A covers is to think of four H’s (hospital, hospice, and home health) and an “SNF” (skilled nursing facility). Here’s what you need to know about these covered services:
Inpatient hospital care
Inpatient hospital care involves staying in a hospital where you receive around-the-clock care and monitoring for an illness or injury. Once you meet the annual Part A deductible, Medicare begins to cover approved services, though you may still be responsible for coinsurance costs depending on the length of your stay. However, a healthcare professional must formally admit you as an inpatient, and the hospital must accept Medicare. Emergency room visits and observation services without a formal hospital admission are not considered inpatient care.
During your stay, Medicare Part A helps pay for services such as:
Semiprivate hospital room
General nursing
Hospital meals
Medications used to treat you during an inpatient stay
Supplies and hospital services that are part of your treatment
What does Medicare Part B cover? From mental health support to preventive services, here are examples of what Medicare Part B covers.
Surprising Medicare-covered items: Beyond the extensive list of common services and supplies that are covered by Medicare, there are some, such as acupuncture and nutrition therapy services, that may surprise you.
Medicare does not cover everything. From weight-loss medications to routine dental care, here are 9 surprising things not covered by Medicare.
You can receive inpatient care in various Medicare-approved facilities, including:
Acute care hospitals
Hospitals designed as critical access
Facilities providing inpatient rehabilitation services
Psychiatric centers for inpatient treatment
Long-term care hospitals
Medicare Part A also covers inpatient care that you receive as part of a qualifying clinical research study.
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Skilled nursing facility care
To qualify for Part A coverage in a skilled nursing facility, you must need specialized medical care, such as therapy and nursing, that can only be provided by trained healthcare professionals. However, you might need to cover coinsurance costs depending on the duration of your stay. Medicare won't cover custodial care in an SNF — help with daily activities such as bathing or dressing — if that's the only care you need.
Part A may cover your skilled nursing facility stay if you meet several conditions, including:
You had a qualifying hospital stay of at least 3 days before the SNF admission.
You enter the SNF within 30 days of leaving a hospital.
A healthcare professional certifies that you need skilled care.
You receive care at a Medicare-certified facility.
While you're admitted, Medicare Part A provides coverage for services such as:
Semiprivate room
Meals and dietary counseling
Skilled nursing care
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
Medical supplies and equipment used in the facility
Medications prescribed as part of your treatment plan
Ambulance transportation (when other forms of transportation would pose a danger to your health)
Hospice care
If your care team has certified that your life expectancy is 6 months or less, Medicare Part A helps cover hospice care, which focuses on comfort and support. The medical team works together to manage your pain, provide emotional and spiritual support, and address your physical needs, allowing you to spend your remaining time as comfortably as possible.
To qualify for hospice coverage, you must:
Have a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less
Accept hospice care instead of curative treatment
Receive care from a Medicare-approved hospice program
Medicare covers a wide range of hospice services, including:
Medical and nursing services
Medical equipment and supplies
Pain relief and symptom management medications
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
Dietary counseling
Social work services
Grief and loss counseling for you and your family
Short-term inpatient care for pain management, as recommended by your hospice care team
Temporary respite care to give your regular caregiver a break
Home healthcare
Home healthcare allows you to receive certain medical services in your home when you're unable to travel to medical facilities. Medicare Part A covers home healthcare when you need skilled care on a part-time basis and the care is provided by trained healthcare professionals.
To qualify for home healthcare, you must meet specific conditions:
A healthcare professional must certify that you need the care.
You must be considered “homebound,” meaning that leaving home takes considerable effort and you typically need help doing so.
The home health agency providing the care must be Medicare-approved.
If you meet the qualifications, covered home health services include:
Part-time skilled nursing care
Physical therapy
Occupational therapy
Speech-language therapy
Medical social services
Part-time home health aide services
Medical supplies for use at home
Durable medical equipment
Inpatient psychiatric care
Medicare Part A covers mental health care when you need treatment in a psychiatric hospital or specialized psychiatric unit. There's a lifetime limit of 190 days for care in a freestanding psychiatric hospital, but this limit doesn't apply when you receive mental health care in a psychiatric unit of a general hospital or critical access hospital.
What does Medicare Part A not cover?
Part A doesn’t cover hospital add-ons and special services, such as:
Private-duty nursing
Private hospital room, unless deemed medically necessary
Television or phone in your hospital room, if there’s a separate charge for these amenities
Razors, slipper socks, or other personal care items
Part A also doesn’t cover home care extras, such as:
24-hour home care
Meal delivery to your home
House services including laundry, cleaning, or shopping — if this is the only care you need
Personal or custodial care, such as help for bathing, dressing, or using the bathroom — if this is the only care you need
Parts A and B also don’t cover:
Most dental exams
Routine foot care
Cosmetic surgical procedures
Eye exams for prescribing glasses
How much does Medicare Part A cost?
Most people don't pay a monthly premium for Part A. However, you'll still need to plan for other costs, such as your yearly deductible and coinsurance for hospital or facility stays. Here’s a breakdown of what these expenses might look like:
Medicare Part A premiums
Once you turn 65, you’ll either be eligible for premium-free Part A, or you will need to pay Part A premiums if you haven’t worked long enough to earn premium-free coverage. You may qualify for free Medicare premiums if:
You or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 40 quarters (10 years).
You’re receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits.
You’re under age 65 and qualify for Medicare due to a disability or have end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease).
If you don't meet these requirements, you can still enroll in Part A, but you'll need to pay a monthly premium. The amount you owe will depend on how long you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes.
If you paid taxes for: | Your Part A premiums in 2025 are: |
|---|---|
40 quarters (10 years) | $0 per month |
30-39 quarters | $285 per month |
Less than 30 quarters | $518 per month |
Medicare Part A deductible
The Medicare Part A deductible for 2025 is $1,676 for each benefit period. A benefit period starts the day you’re admitted to a hospital or skilled nursing facility and ends when you haven’t had inpatient treatment at either place for 60 days in a row.
Coinsurance
Your coinsurance under Medicare Part A varies based on the services you receive.
Inpatient hospital
If you’re admitted to a hospital, you will have to pay your Medicare Part A deductible. Your admission starts the clock on your cost-sharing, because your out-of-pocket costs are based on benefit periods.
After you pay your deductible, the first 60 days in a hospital are free of coinsurance. If you’re in the hospital for more than 60 days, you’ll then be responsible for coinsurance each day. The 2025 coinsurance rates for care in an inpatient hospital are as follows:
If you’re in the hospital for: | You’ll pay this amount in coinsurance per day of each benefit period, as of 2025: |
|---|---|
Days 1-60 | $0 |
Days 61-90 | $419 |
Days 91 and beyond | $838 using your lifetime reserve days. Lifetime reserve days give you an extra 60 days of hospital coverage after you’ve used up 90 days in a benefit period under Medicare Part A. You can only use these extra 60 days once in your lifetime, hence the name. Once you use up these reserve days, you'll be responsible for all costs if you stay longer than 90 days in future hospital stays. |
Day 151 and beyond | You’re responsible for all costs. |
Skilled nursing facility
The 2025 coinsurance rates for staying in a skilled nursing facility are as follows:
If you’re in a skilled nursing facility for: | You’ll pay this amount per day of each benefit period: |
Days 1-20 | $0 |
Days 21-100 | $209.50 |
Day 101 and beyond | You’re responsible for all costs. |
Home healthcare services
For home healthcare services covered by Medicare Part A, here’s what you can expect to pay:
Service | Your cost |
|---|---|
Covered home health services | $0 |
Durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, etc.) | 20% of Medicare-approved amount |
Hospice care
Medicare covers most hospice care costs, though you may have copays for certain services, as follows:
Service | Your cost |
|---|---|
Covered hospice services | $0 |
Prescription medication for symptom control while at home | Up to $5 copay per prescription |
Inpatient respite care | 5% of Medicare-approved amount |
Inpatient psychiatric care
If you're admitted to a general or psychiatric hospital, you’ll cover some of the costs. Here’s what you can expect to pay:
Service | Your cost |
|---|---|
Covered inpatient mental health services | Up to 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care during your lifetime. Psychiatric care in a Medicare-certified psychiatric unit of a general hospital or critical access hospital isn’t subject to the 190-day limit. |
Who is eligible for Medicare Part A?
Medicare Part A is available to U.S. citizens and legal residents who meet certain requirements. Generally, you can qualify for Part A if you:
Are 65 or older
Are under 65 and have been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months
Have ESRD and require dialysis or a kidney transplant
Have ALS, in which case you qualify as soon as you're eligible for SSDI
Do you need supplemental insurance to go with Medicare Part A coverage?
Even with Medicare Part A, your healthcare costs can add up. If you don’t have additional coverage through an employer, retiree benefits, or Medicaid, you might consider a Medicare supplement insurance plan, known as Medigap. Medigap helps cover out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for Medicare Parts A and B.
Medigap plans, available through private insurers, require a monthly premium. The best time to enroll is during your 6-month Medigap open enrollment period, when you can’t be denied coverage for preexisting conditions. After this period, medical underwriting may apply.
If you’re considering a Medicare Advantage plan, keep in mind that you can’t have both a Medigap plan and a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage bundles Parts A and B and often includes additional benefits, such as prescription medication coverage.
How to find out what your Medicare covers
Find out whether an item, service, or test is covered by searching on the Medicare website. You also can ask your healthcare team, call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227 / TTY 1-877-486-2048), or contact your Medicare plan for help with more specific needs.
The bottom line
Many people qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A, which helps cover inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, home health services, and hospice care. However, even with premium-free coverage, you’ll still face out-of-pocket expenses, such as deductibles and coinsurance.
If you don’t qualify for premium-free Part A, you can choose to pay for it. And if Medicare Parts A and B leave you with significant costs, a Medigap plan can help cover coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.
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References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2024). 2025 Medicare Parts A & B premiums and deductibles.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Home health services.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Hospice care.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Inpatient hospital care.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Inpatient or outpatient hospital status affects your costs.
Medicare.gov. (n.d.). Skilled nursing facility care.
