Medicare Part A is the hospital insurance portion of Original Medicare. Along with Part B, it was one of the original social insurance programs signed into federal law in 1965. Part A primarily covers inpatient care: hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care after a qualifying hospital stay, hospice care, and some home health services. It's available to people 65 and older, as well as those who qualify earlier through certain disabilities, including end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
Part A, often called hospital insurance, is a crucial component of Original Medicare. It primarily covers inpatient care in hospitals, including semi-private rooms, meals, nursing services, and medications administered during your stay.
Beyond acute hospital care, Part A also extends to skilled nursing facility care for a limited time after a qualifying hospital stay, hospice care for terminally ill patients, and some home health care services.
It's important to understand that while Part A covers the bulk of inpatient services, it typically does not cover personal care services in nursing homes or long-term care, nor private duty nursing or a private room unless medically necessary.
Specifically, Part A does not cover:
Medicare Part A covers intermittent or part-time skilled nursing care in your home if deemed medically necessary by your provider. This skilled nursing care and in-home health care includes giving IV drugs, wound care after surgery, and managing your healthcare plan. Medical devices for in-home care are covered by Medicare Part B.
Learn more about In-Home Care and Medicare Coverage
Medicare Part A is free to enroll and, for many, does not have a monthly premium once you have worked and contributed to Medicare for 40 quarters (10 years). However, if you have not met this working requirement, you may have to pay up to $565 per month. While you may not have to pay a premium for Part A, care under Medicare Part A is not free. Medicare Part A has its own deductible and will require cost-sharing after 60 days of a hospital stay.
Most people don't pay a monthly premium for Part A if they or their spouse paid Medicare taxes for a sufficient work history. This is often called "premium-free Part A."
Those without enough work history may pay a monthly premium to buy in. Beneficiaries are still responsible for deductibles and coinsurance for covered hospital stays. These costs are published annually by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
| Cost-sharing 2026 | Part A |
|---|---|
| Monthly premium | $565 |
| Annual deductible | $1,736 |
| Co-insurance & other costs | $434/day for days 61–90 in hospital $868/day for lifetime reserve days |
Part A is available to U.S. citizens and qualifying residents who are 65 or older, as well as younger people who qualify through certain disabilities, ESRD, or ALS. Eligibility for premium-free Part A is generally tied to your or your spouse's Medicare-covered work history.
Enrollment in Part A is often automatic for people already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits as they approach 65. If you're not receiving those benefits, you'll need to sign up through the Social Security Administration online, by phone, or in person during your Initial Enrollment Period.
While we do not enroll people in Medicare Part A, we can help you understand your eligibility and coordinate Part A with the supplemental coverage that fills its gaps. Connect with United Medicare Advisors today.
Most retirees have paid into Medicare for at least 10 years through employment taxes, and therefore delaying Part A enrollment will not lead to any enrollment penalties. For those who have to buy Medicare Part A, there will be a 10% penalty (that is, 10% of your determined penalty, which can depend on how much work history you have) appended onto your monthly premium. But you don’t have to pay the penalty every month indefinitely like the Part B or Part D late-enrollment penalties. You only have to pay the Part A premium for twice the number of years you delayed enrollment while you were eligible.
Medicare Part A is part of the original Medicare program signed into law in 1965. It covers hospital stays and skilled nursing care up until a certain threshold, where beneficiaries will have cost-sharing responsibilities. Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans are additional insurance policies that pay the cost-sharing not covered by Original Medicare.
Technically, Medicare Part B covers emergency service visits. However, if your doctor admits you into a hospital stay within three days of an emergency room visit (related to the issue that brought you to the ER), it would then count as part of your inpatient hospital stay and be covered under Medicare Part A.
Yes, Medicare Part A covers hospice care, if you are eligible. The hospice benefit begins in life's final months, after treatment to cure has ended, and you have signed a certified statement that hospice care has begun.
Under Medicare Part B, you are eligible for palliative care, which can begin during treatment of an illness and does not have to wait until you are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Understand the difference between hospice benefits and palliative care benefits here.
Yes, Medicare Part A covers inpatient surgeries and all care needed for a hospital stay as long as you meet your deductible. There may be cost-sharing responsibilities depending on the length of the hospital stay associated with the surgery.
No, Medicare Part B covers ambulance transportation if deemed medically necessary, and the ambulance must take you to the nearest hospital for care.
No, Medicare Part D covers the shingles vaccine, and you won't have a copay if you have Part D.
The annual deductible for Part A is $1,736 in 2026. See other Medicare 2026 cost-sharing here.
No, Medicare Part A does not cover doctors' or surgeons' fees, even during a hospital stay. Part A only covers the bed, supplies needed, nursing services, and meals. Medicare Part B covers the doctor's fees.
You are eligible to enroll in Part A at the start of your initial enrollment period: the three months before you turn 65, and any time after that if you are covered by an employer. You will enroll through the Social Security Administration or Railroad Retirement Board (not through Medicare.gov).
To enroll, you need to:
Medicare Part A and Part B were designed to cover the basic care needs of seniors through the end of their lives. If you need care such as preventive care, outpatient care, or durable medical devices, it may make sense to enroll in Part B. It may also make sense to enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan or Medicare Advantage plan to cover the gaps left by Part A and Part B.
United Medicare Advisors can answer all these questions — our licensed advisors compare plans from multiple carriers at no cost to you.
Have more questions? Browse our complete FAQ library or call 1 (855) 665-9200
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PLEASE NOTE: Medicare Supplement insurance is available to those age 65 and older enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B and, in some states, to those under age 65 eligible for Medicare due to disability or End-Stage Renal disease. The purpose of this communication is the solicitation of insurance. Contact will be made by an insurance agent/producer or insurance company. Medicare Supplement insurance plans are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
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