Medicare Part A is medical insurance that helps pay for medical expenses relating to hospitalization, also known as inpatient expenses. 99% of all Medicare beneficiaries are automatically enrolled in Part A when they first become eligible.


You should automatically be enrolled in premium-free Medicare Part A if:

  • You are a U.S. citizen or legal resident who has resided in the United States for a minimum of five years, and
  • You or your spouse (or ex-spouse) have worked for at least 40 quarters (10 years) at a job in which Social Security was deducted from your paycheck

You should be eligible to enroll in Medicare Part A and pay a premium if:

  • You are a U.S. citizen or legal resident who has resided in the United States for a minimum of five years

Cost

Most people don’t pay a Part A premium because they paid Medicare taxes while working.


In 2010, you pay up to $461 each month if you don’t get premium-free Part A. If you pay a late enrollment penalty, this amount is higher.


Covered

Medicare Part A helps pay for the care you receive as a patient in a hospital or a skilled nursing facility with some limitations. It also helps cover hospice care and some home health care, but you must meet certain conditions to get these benefits.


If you stay in a hospital, Medicare Part A will pay for:

  • Semiprivate rooms
  • Meals
  • General nursing
  • Other hospital services and supplies

This includes inpatient care you get in critical access hospitals and mental health care. Medicare Part A will pay for inpatient mental health care in a psychiatric facility. You can have this coverage for up to 190 days in a lifetime.


If you stay in a hospital, Medicare Part A will not pay for:

  • Private duty nursing
  • A television or telephone in your room
  • A private room, unless medically necessary

If you stay in a skilled nursing facility, Medicare Part A will pay for:

  • Semiprivate room
  • Meals
  • Skilled nursing and rehabilitative services
  • Other services and supplies (only after a related three-day inpatient hospital stay)

In some circumstances, Medicare Part A will pay for home health care after a hospital stay or after leaving a skilled level nursing facility:

  • Reasonable and necessary part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care and home health aide services
  • Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology that are ordered by your doctor and provided by a Medicare-certified home health agency
  • Medical social services, such as rides to doctor appointments or home inspections to ensure your home is suitable to live in with your condition
  • Durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, oxygen, and walkers) and other medical supplies

If you have a terminal illness and receive hospice care, Medicare Part A will pay for:

  • Drugs for symptom control and pain relief
  • Medical and support services from a Medicare-approved hospice
  • Other services Medicare does not cover if you are receiving hospice care (like grief counseling)

Hospice care is usually given in your home (which may include a nursing facility if this is your home). However, Medicare covers some short-term hospital and inpatient respite care (care given to a hospice patient so that the usual caregiver can rest).


Medicare Part A will pay for pints of blood you receive in a hospital or skilled nursing facility during a covered stay.


Costs for these services vary, depending on if you are also enrolled in a Medigap or a Medicare Advantage plan.