What is Medicare Part A: What Does it Cover and Cost? (2024)

What is Medicare Part A?

Medicare is a United States federal health insurance program that reduces the cost of healthcare services. Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is part of Original Medicare, along with Medicare Part B (medical insurance).

Medicare Part A Eligibility

You are eligible for Medicare if you meet one of the following three criteria:

• You’re aged 65 or older.
• You’re younger than 65 and meet Social Security Administration disability eligibility requirements.
• You have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

How Much Does Medicare Part A Cost?

Medicare Part A Premium 2024

You are eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A if you are aged 65 or older and:

• You receive retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration or the Railroad Retirement Board.
• You’re eligible for Social Security or Railroad benefits but haven’t filed for them.
• You or your spouse had Medicare-covered government employment.
• You or your spouse earned 40 credits or worked and paid Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes for at least ten years.

You can still purchase Part A if you don’t qualify under one of these four ways. It could cost you up to $505 per month in 2024, depending on how many quarters you or your spouse worked.

If you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters, the standard Part A premium is $505. But if you paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, your standard Part A premium is $278.

Those not qualifying for premium-free Part A will typically pay a monthly or quarterly premium.

Avoid the Part A Late Enrollment Penalty

If you don’t qualify for premium-free Medicare Part A and choose not to buy it when you first become eligible for Medicare, your premium may go up 10%. Plus, you’ll need to pay the increased premium twice the number of years you didn’t sign up.

Medicare Part A Deductible 2024

The 2024 Medicare Part A deductible is $1,632.

Medicare Part A Out-of-Pocket Costs 2024

Beyond the monthly premium and annual deductible, Medicare Part A hospital insurance also has coinsurance. This is an additional out-of-pocket cost that you should budget for. Continue reading to discover what Medicare Part A covers and the potential coinsurance costs for each service.

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What Does Medicare Part A Cover?

Medicare Part A is primarily hospital insurance. For coverage of doctor’s visits, services, and supplies, learn more about Medicare Part B. Part A covers services when medically necessary and delivered by a Medicare-assigned healthcare provider in a Medicare-approved facility.

It covers but is not limited to:

• Inpatient care in a hospital,
• Skilled nursing facility care,
• Short-term nursing home care,
• Hospice care,
• Home health care.

Agent tip:

“If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare plan, that plan may have different rules. But your plan must give you at least the same as Part A coverage.“

If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare plan, that plan may have different rules. But your plan must give you the same coverage as Part A.

Inpatient Hospital Care Coverage

Inpatient care is when you are admitted to a hospital overnight. Part A inpatient care includes a stay in an acute care hospital, a critical access hospital, rehabilitation facilities, psychiatric facilities, a long-term care hospital, or participation in a qualifying clinical research study.

What’s Covered During Inpatient Hospital Care?

Medicare-covered hospital services include semi-private rooms, meals, general nursing, drugs, services, and supplies as part of your inpatient treatment.

Inpatient mental health care in a psychiatric hospital is limited to 190 days in a lifetime. If you also have Part B, it generally covers 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for doctor’s services you get while in a hospital.

Part A hospital insurance covers inpatient hospital care when:

• You are enrolled in Medicare Part A.
• You’re under an official doctor’s order that says you need inpatient hospital care to treat your illness or injury, and you are admitted to inpatient hospital care.
• The hospital accepts Medicare insurance.
• Sometimes, the hospital’s Utilization Review Committee (URC) approves your stay while you’re in the hospital.

What Isn’t Covered by Part A

Private-duty nursing, a private room (unless medically necessary), television and phone in your room, and personal care items such as razors or slipper socks are all at additional cost. This is not a complete list, and you should ask questions to understand the care you’ll receive and whether your Medicare plan covers certain services. Asking questions will help you save on out-of-pocket costs.

To avoid surprising out-of-pocket costs, call Connie Health to learn more about Medicare Part A coverage gaps. Call (623) 223-8884, or review your Medicare plan options online.

How Much Does Inpatient Hospital Care Cost?

The amount of coinsurance you will owe for inpatient care depends on the duration of your stay.

Medicare Part A coinsurance in 2024 is:

• Days 1-60: $0 coinsurance.
• Days 61-90: $408 coinsurance per day.
• Days 91-150: $816 coinsurance per “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 (up to 60 days over your lifetime).

Mental Health Inpatient Care

Medicare Part A coinsurance costs are similar when inpatient care is related to mental health.

• Days 1–60: $0 coinsurance per day of each benefit period.
• Days 61–90: $408 coinsurance per day of each benefit period.
• Days 91-150: $816 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.
• 20% of the Medicare-Approved Amount for mental health services you get from doctors and other providers while you’re a hospital inpatient.
• Medicare Part A covers 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care in a lifetime.

Skilled Nursing Care Coverage & Short-term Nursing Home Care

Skilled nursing care is nursing or therapy care performed by professionals or technical personnel. It’s health care given when you need skilled nursing or therapy to treat, manage, or observe your condition and evaluate your care. Limited care in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) is covered by Part A.

Your skilled nursing care is Medicare-eligible when you:

• You are enrolled in Part A.
• You have days left in your benefit period to use. The benefit period begins when you’re admitted to a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) or an inpatient hospital and ends when you haven’t had inpatient or skilled nursing care for 60 consecutive days.
• Have a qualifying inpatient hospital stay of at least three days (72 hours). The time begins at midnight after admission and includes no hours on the discharge date.
• Your doctor has decided that you require daily skilled care.
• The care received must be given by or under the supervision of a skilled nursing or therapy staff member at an SNF Medicare-certified facility.

The coverage is limited to a maximum of 100 days in a benefit period. The first 20 days are paid in full, and the remaining 80 days require a copayment.

The purpose of the skilled services is for a medical condition that’s either:

• A hospital-related medical condition treated during your qualifying three-day inpatient hospital stay, even if the reason you were admitted to the hospital is unrelated.
• A condition started while you were getting care in an SNF for a hospital-related medical condition.

What’s Covered While At A Skilled Nursing Facility?

The following Medicare-covered services include, but are not limited to:

• A semi-private room that you share with other patients and meals.
• Part-time skilled nursing care.
• Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology services if they are needed to meet your health goal.
• Medical social services and dietary counseling.
• Medications while in Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) care.
• Medical supplies and equipment used in the facility and swing bed services while in SNF care.
• Ambulance transportation to the nearest supplier of needed services available at the SNF, but only when other transportation endangers your health.

Long-Term Nursing Home Care is Not Covered

Medicare will not cover long-term nursing home care that’s custodial/daily living in nature—if it’s the only care needed. Custodial care means that you’re receiving support for everyday living. This includes tasks such as bathing, dressing, using the restroom, eating, and other personal needs that couldn’t be done without the help of a skilled nurse.

Let Connie Health help you avoid surprising out-of-pocket costs related to a skilled nursing facility stay. Call (623) 223-8884 to ensure you’re on the right Medicare plan. Or review your plan options online.

How Much Does Skilled Nursing Care Cost?

The cost of skilled nursing care depends on the duration that you need it.

In 2024, the Medicare Part A coinsurance is:

• Days 1–20: $0 coinsurance per day.  
• Days 21–100: $204 coinsurance per day.
• Days 101 and beyond: All costs.

Home Health Care Benefits

Home health care provides a range of health care services in your home for an illness or injury. Services could include wound care, patient and caregiver education, intravenous or nutrition therapy, injections, or monitoring of serious illness and unstable health.

Home health care can help you regain your independence, become as self-sufficient as possible, maintain your current condition or level of function, get better, or slow decline.

It is also usually less expensive, more convenient, and as effective as the care you receive in a hospital or Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF). Usually, a home health care agency coordinates the care your doctor orders for you.

Your home health care is Medicare-eligible when you:

• You have Medicare Part A.
• You are under the care of a doctor and are receiving services under a plan of care created and reviewed regularly by a doctor.
• Your doctor must certify that you need intermittent skilled nursing care—such as blood drawn. Or physical therapy, speech-language pathology, or continued occupational therapy. Read the additional criteria for eligibility for these services and when Medicare covers them.
• The home health agency caring for you is Medicare-certified.
• A doctor certifies that you are homebound. This means that you cannot leave your home without substantial effort. Or it is medically unadvised that you leave home without the help of another person, transportation, or special equipment.

If you require more than part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care, you are not eligible for the home health benefit. Although your doctor certifies that you are homebound, you may leave home for medical treatment or short, infrequent absences for non-medical reasons. That could include attending religious services, for example. You can still receive home health care if you attend adult day care.

What Home Health Care is Covered?

Your Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) or Medicare Part B covers eligible home health services. This includes part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care or home health aide services, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology services, medical social services, and injectible osteoporosis drugs for women, among others. You should ask whether the care that you need will be covered by Part A.

What Isn’t Covered by Part A

Medicare Part A doesn’t cover 24-hour-a-day care in your home or meals delivered. Nor does it pay for homemaker services or custodial care when these are the only care you need. These services include shopping, cleaning, laundry, bathing, dressing, and restroom use. You may incur a 20% cost of the Medicare-approved amount for durable medical equipment.

Before starting your home health care, the home health agency should let you know what isn’t covered by Medicare and any out-of-pocket costs. This should be provided when they speak with you, but also in writing. Before any home health care begins, the agency should also provide a notice called an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) that outlines the services and supplies that Medicare doesn’t cover.

Contact Connie Health to ensure you’re covered for the home health care you need within your budget. Call (623) 223-8884 or review your Medicare plan options online.

How Much Does Home Health Care Cost?

Home Health Care services in 2024 cost $0 for Medicare Part A coinsurance if Medicare-approved. You may incur a 20% cost of the Medicare-approved amount for Durable Medical Equipment (DME).

Hospice Care Coverage

If your doctor certified that you have a terminal illness with approximately six months or less to live, you may be eligible for hospice care coverage under Medicare. Hospice care is not for curing your disease but for relieving your pain and making you as comfortable as possible.

Your hospice care is Medicare-eligible when:

• You are enrolled in Medicare Part A.
• A hospice doctor or your doctor certifies that you’re terminally ill with a life expectancy of 6 months or less.
• You agree to comfort care instead of care to cure your disease.
• You’ve signed a statement choosing hospice care instead of other benefits Medicare covers to treat your terminal illness and related conditions.
• You receive hospice care from a Medicare-approved facility, which could include your home or another facility where you live—like a nursing home.

What Hospice Care is Covered?

The following Medicare-covered services may include, but are not limited to:

• All items and services required for pain relief and symptom management, including pain relief medications.
• Medical, nursing, and social services, as well as spiritual and grief counseling for you and your family.
• Durable medical equipment and medical supplies for pain relief and symptom management.
• Hospice aide and homemaker services.
• Physical, occupational therapy, and dietary counseling.
• Short-term inpatient care if necessary for managing pain or symptoms.
• Short-term respite care.

Even though you need to give up curative treatments to receive Medicare coverage for your terminal illness, you have the right to stop hospice care at any time. If you are considering going back to curative treatments, talk to your doctor.

What Isn’t Covered by Part A

You should check with your hospice team before receiving any of the following services or you may be required to pay the entire cost:

• Treatment or prescription drugs to cure your terminal illness and/or related conditions.
• Care from any hospice provider that wasn’t set up by the hospice medical team.
• Room and board in your home, at a nursing home, or a hospice inpatient facility.
• Care you get as a hospital outpatient, like an emergency room, care you get as a hospital inpatient, or ambulance transportation unless it’s arranged by your hospice team or is unrelated to your terminal illness and related conditions.

There may come a time when you’ll be in need of the hospital care traditionally covered by Medicare Plan A. But there are exclusions to that coverage.

Call Connie Health to ensure that you’re on the right plan for your health and budget: (623) 223-8884. Or review your Medicare plan options online.

How Much Does Hospice Care Cost?

• For covered hospice care services you pay $0.
• You may pay up to a $5 copayment for each prescription drug or pain relief and symptom control product while you’re at home.
• 5% of Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care.

Need Help Deciding The Right Medicare Coverage For You?

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• Compare all major plans and carriers
• Local, licensed insurance agents with 25+ years of experience

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Enrolling in Medicare Part A

When to Enroll in Medicare Part A

Instances when you’re automatically enrolled in Original Medicare

• When you’re already receiving Social Security benefits, you’ll be automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A & B starting the first day of the month you turn 65. 
• If you are younger than 65 with an eligible disability by the Social Security Administration, the Initial Enrollment Period does not apply to you. You will automatically receive Medicare Parts A & B after receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration for 24 months.
• Have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or End-Stage Renal Disease? You’ll automatically get Medicare Part A and Part B the month your disability benefits begin.

Not Automatically Enrolled?

You are first eligible for Medicare during your Initial Enrollment Period. For most, the Initial Enrollment Period begins three months before your 65th birthday, the month you turn 65, and ends three months after your 65th birthday. You have this seven-month window to enroll in Medicare. 

Should you miss your Initial Enrollment Period, you can enroll in Medicare Part A during the General Enrollment Period (January 1 – March 31) or a Special Enrollment Period if you qualify.

How to Enroll in Medicare Part A

Most who qualify for Medicare are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A. Many people choose to have private insurance (such as from an employer) and Part A until they retire and begin receiving Social Security benefits.

Here are the four ways to apply for Original Medicare (Medicare Parts A & B) through the Social Security Administration. 

Choose the most convenient method for you:

1. Apply online at Social Security Medicare Benefits.
2. Visit your local Social Security office. Find your field office.
3. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778). Representatives are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM in all U.S. time zones.
4. If you worked for a railroad, call the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772.

Need help? Connie Health can assist your Original Medicare enrollment. Call (623) 223-8884 to speak with a local licensed agent in your community. We’ll help you enroll in the best coverage for your health and budget.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Medicare Part A?

Depending on your work history, Medicare Part A costs may include a monthly premium. After the premium, out-of-pocket costs include the annual deductible, coinsurance, and copayments.

If you or your spouse worked for 10 years and paid into the FICA Medicare taxes, then you would not pay a Medicare Part A premium. However, if you worked between 30-39 quarters, the monthly base premium would be $278. If you worked less than 30 quarters, the monthly base premium would be $505.

The Medicare Part A deductible is $1,632. Coinsurance and copayment amounts vary depending on the hospital need, duration of a stay, and other factors.

Is Medicare Part A free?

Whether or not Medicare Part A’s premium is free is a common question. The answer depends largely on your work history. If you or your spouse paid FICA Medicare taxes for 10 years while working, you are not required to pay a premium for Part A, often referred to as “premium-free Part A.”

Individuals who don’t meet these requirements can still purchase Part A by paying a premium. If you’ve paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters, your premium will be reduced to $278; otherwise, you’ll pay the full premium, $505, if you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters.

While you may or may not need to pay a Medicare Part A premium, you will still have to pay the Part A deductible, coinsurance, and copayments.

How to sign up for Medicare Part A?

Signing up for Medicare Part A is relatively straightforward. You can do so during your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period. Your Initial Enrollment Period begins three months before turning 65, includes the month of your 65th birthday, and the three months after your 65th birthday.

You can sign up online through the Social Security Administration, over the phone, or by visiting a local Social Security office.

For those already receiving Social Security benefits, turning 65 automatically enrolls you in Medicare Part A.

What is the deductible for Medicare Part A?

The Medicare Part A deductible is the annual amount you must pay for services before your insurance plan shares any costs in a given plan year. The 2024 Medicare Part A deductible is $1,632. After you have paid your annual deductible, your insurance plan begins cost-sharing.

Do you pay for Medicare Part A?

Most Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a premium for Medicare Part A. However, whether you will pay a premium depends on your work history. If you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for 10 years while working, you will not pay a premium for Part A.

However, if you worked for less than 10 years without paying FICA Medicare taxes, you can purchase Part A by paying a premium. Those who worked and paid Medicare taxes for 30-39 quarters will pay $278 a month. Those who worked and paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters will pay $505.

Remember that you would pay for the Part A deductible, copayments, and coinsurance in addition to the Part A premium. So, regardless of whether you pay for the Part A premium, you will have Medicare Part A out-of-pocket costs.