Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care and some home health care. You are not charged a monthly premium for Part A if you have paid for your coverage through payroll taxes under your own work record or your spouse’s.
Medicare pays a portion of Part A services, and you are responsible for deductibles, copays and coinsurance as you receive services. The Part A deductible for an inpatient hospital stay is defined by a 60-day “benefit period.” A new benefit period begins and a new deductible is imposed when you are re-admitted after 60 days of receiving no inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility care. It is possible to incur the Part A deductible several times in one year if you have multiple hospitalizations. You are also responsible to pay copays for days 61-90 in a hospital and for days 21-100 in a skilled nursing facility. There is no annual out-of-pocket maximum that limits your cost-sharing for Part A services.