Inpatient hospital care
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) usually covers inpatient hospital care if you meet both of these conditions:
- You’re admitted to the hospital as an inpatient after an official doctor’s order, which says you need inpatient hospital care to treat your illness or injury.
- The hospital accepts Medicare.
Your costs in Original Medicare
You pay this in each benefit period (in 2025):
- Days 1–60: $0 after you meet your Part A deductible ($1,676).
- Days 61–90: $419 each day.
- Days 91 and beyond: $838 each day for each lifetime reserve day (up to a maximum 60 reserve days over your lifetime).
- Each day after you use all of your lifetime reserve days: You pay all costs.
Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient mental health care in a freestanding psychiatric hospital during your lifetime. The 190-day limit doesn’t apply to care you get in a Medicare-certified, distinct part psychiatric unit within an acute care or critical access hospital.
If you also have Part B, it generally covers 80% of the
Medicare-approved amount
for doctors’ services you get while you’re in a hospital.
Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. Ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and if, or how much, Medicare will pay for them.
What it is
Medicare-covered inpatient hospital services include:
- Semi-private rooms
- Meals
- General nursing
- Drugs (including methadone to treat an Opioid Use Disorder)
- Other hospital services and supplies as part of your inpatient treatment
Medicare doesn't cover:
- Private-duty nursing
- A private room (unless medically necessary)
- A television or phone in your room (if there's a separate charge for these items)
- Personal care items (like razors or slipper socks)
Things to know
Inpatient hospital care includes care you get in:
- Acute care hospitals
- Critical access hospitals
- Inpatient rehabilitation facilities
- Inpatient psychiatric facilities
- Long-term care hospitals
It also includes inpatient care you get as part of a qualifying clinical research study.