Inpatient hospital care
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) usually covers inpatient hospital care if you’re eligible
Description
Medical care you get when you’re admitted for at least one night in a hospital or other inpatient facility.
Coverage details
Medicare-covered inpatient hospital services include:
- Semi-private rooms
- Meals
- General nursing
- Certain drugs (including methadone to treat an Opioid Use Disorder)
- Other hospital services and supplies you might get 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)
Who's eligible
You must meet both of these conditions:
- You’re admitted to the hospital as an inpatient with a doctor’s order which says you need inpatient hospital care to treat your illness or injury.
- The hospital accepts Medicare.
Costs
What you pay for each benefit period in 2026 depends on how long you're getting care:
- Days 1–60: After you pay the Part A deductible ($1,736 in 2026), you pay $0 each day.
- Days 61–90: You pay $434 each day.
- Days 91-150: You pay $868 each day while using your 60 lifetime reserve days (These are additional days that Medicare will pay for when you're in a hospital for more than 90 days. You have a total of 60 reserve days that can be used once during your lifetime).
- After day 150: 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 (a physically separate section of an acute care or critical access hospital that provides inpatient psychiatric care.
If you also have Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) , it generally covers 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for doctors’ services you get while you’re in a hospital.
Facility
The hospital where you're admitted must accept Medicare.
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.
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