The 411 on Medicare Part A

By Britt Erica Tunick

If you are anywhere near the magical retirement age of 65, it is time to start familiarizing yourself with the alphabet soup of Medicare and the four different types of coverage options available to you – Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D.  Each option covers different kinds of healthcare costs. So, let’s start with Medicare Part A.

When you boil it down, Medicare part A is essentially hospital coverage for anyone 65 or older –whether you are retired or not– who has been a United States citizen, or a permanent legal resident who has resided in the U.S. for a minimum of five years, and who has paid into the Social Security system (or is married to someone who has) for at least 10 years. The only exception to this is government employees and their spouses who do not need to have paid into Social Security to qualify since they will have paid Medicare payroll taxes.

As the original Medicare created by Congress, Medicare Part A subsidizes the costs of an inpatient hospital stay that is at least two days and up to 60 days long, provided that the reason for hospitalization has been qualified as a necessity by a doctor and the hospital is one that accepts Medicare. In addition to hospitalizations, Part A also covers crucial urgent care, care within a nursing home, and some types of home care. What it does not cover is anything deemed to be “custodial” –such as assistance with everyday activities like bathing, dressing, or eating, or “personal services” —such as a telephone or television. The majority of outpatient services are also excluded, such as X-rays, bloodwork, non-critical doctor visits, or any other type of screening services.

Medicare Part A is not that different from typical insurance, as patients must pay a deductible for each benefit period, anytime they are checked into a hospital or nursing home for 90 to 100 days, which varies based on the kind of facility. And there must be a minimum of 60 consecutive days between benefit periods. For 2019, the deductible a person must pay for hospital coverage is $1,364 and that amount is projected to increase to $1,420 in 2020.