Medicare Part A Benefits (Hospital Insurance)
What Is Part A (Hospital Insurance)?
Part A helps cover:
Inpatient care in hospitals (such as critical access hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, and long-term care hospitals)
Inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (not custodial or long term care)
Hospice care services
Home health care services
Inpatient care in a Religious Nonmedical Health Care Institution
You usually don’t pay a monthly premium for Part A coverage if you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes while working. This is called “premium-free Part A.”
If you aren’t eligible for premium-free Part A, you may be able to buy Part A if you meet one of these conditions:
You’re 65 or older, you’re entitled to (or enrolling in) Part B, and you meet the citizenship or residency requirements.
You’re under 65, disabled, and your premium-free Part A coverage ended because you returned to work.
In most cases, if you choose to buy Part A, you must also have Part B and pay monthly premiums for both. If you have limited income and resources, your state may help you pay for Part A and/or Part B.