Part A (Hospital Insurance) costs

Part A costs: What you pay in 2026: Premium Monthly $0 for most people (because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough while working — generally at least 10 years). If you get Medicare earlier than age 65, you won’t pay a Part A premium . This is sometimes called “ premium-free Part A .” Do I qualify for premium-free Part A? If you don’t qualify for premium-free Part A: You might be able to buy it. You’ll pay either $311 or $565 each month for Part A, depending on how long you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes. Remember: You also have to sign up for Part B to buy Part A. Learn more about how Medicare works. If you don’t buy Part A when you’re first eligible for Medicare (usually when you turn 65), you might pay a penalty. Find out more about how to avoid the Part A penalty. Deductible Each benefit period $1,736 for each inpatient hospital benefit period , before Original Medicare starts to pay. You pay the Part A deductible each time you start a new benefit period. There’s no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have in a year. This means you may pay the deductible more than once in a year. How do benefit periods work? Inpatient stay Daily What's not covered? During a benefit period, what you pay depends on how long you get care: Days 1-60: $0 each day after you pay your Part A deductible. Days 61-90: $434 each day. Days 91-150: $868 each day while using your 60 lifetime reserve days . After day 150: You pay all costs. What will I pay if I get mental health services as an inpatient? Skilled nursing facility stay Daily During a benefit period, what you pay depends on how long you get care: Days 1-20: $0 each day after you pay the Part A deductible. Days 21-100: $217 each day. Days 101 and beyond: You pay all costs. You don’t have to pay the Part A deductible for skilled nursing facility care if you already paid it for care you got in a hospital during the same benefit period. Home health care $0 for covered home health care services. 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other equipment) Hospice care $0 for covered hospice care services. A copayment of up to $5 for each prescription drug and other similar products for pain relief and symptom control while you're at home. What if my hospice care doesn't pay for my drug? 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care . What's not covered? Out-of-pocket limit Yearly There’s no yearly limit on what you pay out-of-pocket, unless you have supplemental coverage, like a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy or join a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) .

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