Inpatient rehabilitation care
Medicare covers medically necessary inpatient rehabilitation care if you’re eligible
Description
Inpatient rehabilitation can help if you’re recovering from a serious surgery, illness, or injury and need an intensive rehabilitation therapy program, physician supervision, and coordinated care from your doctors, other health care providers, and therapists.
Coverage details
- Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers medically necessary care you get in an inpatient rehabilitation facility or unit (sometimes called an inpatient “rehab” facility, IRF, acute care rehabilitation center, or rehabilitation hospital).
- Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers doctors’ services you get while you’re in an inpatient rehabilitation facility.
Medicare-covered inpatient rehabilitation care includes:
- Rehabilitation services, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology
- A semi-private room
- Meals
- Nursing services
- Prescription drugs
- Other hospital services and supplies
Medicare doesn’t cover:
- Private duty nursing
- A phone or television in your room (if there’s a separate charge for these items)
- Personal items, like toothpaste, socks, or razors (except when a hospital gives them as part of your hospital admission pack)
- A private room, unless medically necessary
Who's eligible
Medicare covers inpatient rehabilitation care if your doctor certifies that you have a medical condition requiring intensive rehabilitation, continued medical supervision, and coordinated care from your doctors, other health care providers, and therapists.
Costs
You pay this for each benefit period :
- Days 1-60: $0 after you meet your Part A deductible ($1,736 in 2026).
- Days 61-90: $434 each day in 2026.
- Days 91 and beyond: $868 each day in 2026 for each lifetime reserve day (up to a maximum of 60 reserve days over your lifetime).
- Each day after you use all of your lifetime reserve days: You pay all costs.
You don’t have to pay a deductible for inpatient rehabilitation care if Medicare already charged you a deductible for care you got in a prior hospitalization within the same benefit period. This is because your benefit period starts on day one of your prior hospital stay, and that stay counts towards your deductible. For example, you won’t have to pay a deductible for inpatient rehabilitation care if:
- You’re transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility directly from an acute care hospital.
- You’re admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility within 60 days of being discharged from a hospital.
Ask your doctor or healthcare provider how much your test, item, or service will cost.
Your doctor may recommend services that Medicare does not cover or offers too frequently. This could end up in additional costs for you. Make sure to ask your doctor about the reasons for these recommendations and what Medicare will actually cover.
Specific amounts you could owe depend on:
Other insurance you may have
How much your doctor charges
If your doctor accepts assignment
The type of facility
Where you get your test, item, or service