Medicare Part A is the hospital insurance component of original , the federal health insurance program primarily designed for adults age 65 and older. Part A coverage kicks in when you need medical care in a hospital, but it does not cover outpatient services, such as visits to the doctor.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about Medicare Part A.
[SEE: ]
What Does Medicare Part A Cover?
Medicare Part A covers inpatient and intensive care, “but it doesn’t cover everything,” says Dr. Billy Zhang, an internal medicine physician specializing in aging adults with in Orange County, California.
Here’s what to know about what’s covered and what’s excluded from Part A benefits.
| Covered by Part A | Excluded from Part A |
| Shared hospital room | Private hospital room |
| Meals while hospitalized | Personal care items or a TV or phone if those aren’t already included in your hospital room |
| Medications while hospitalized | Prescriptions for use at home after discharge |
| Short-term post-hospitalization | nursing care at home |
| , including family support services | Care and support in an |
| Limited, part-time skilled nursing care or therapy at home | 24-hour |
| Limited personal assistance only while receiving skilled nursing care | Assistance with, including grooming, meal prep and housekeeping |
[READ: ]
How Part A fits with parts B and D
Medicare Part A is designed to work together with Medicare Part B and Part D to provide more comprehensive coverage:
— : Covers a wide range of outpatient medical services and preventive care, such as , visits to the doctor and some . You will have to pay a standard monthly premium for Part B, which is $202.90 for most people in 2026.
— : Covers prescription medications and has a monthly premium that may vary based on your income. If you don’t sign up for a when you first become eligible, you may have to pay a later. That penalty also varies depending on how long you went without creditable prescription drug coverage, and it can get expensive quickly.
How Much Does Medicare Part A Cost?
Most beneficiaries don’t need to pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part A, as long as you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.
However, there are other costs, including , that you must pay. This means Medicare Part A is not, as many people describe it, “free,” says Scott Maibor, a licensed insurance advisor and managing director of Senior Benefits Boston LLC, a Medicare advisory based in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Some costs include:
| Out-of-Pocket Medicare Part A | 2026 Cost |
| Premium (if you’ve met the work requirement of 40 quarters, or at least 10 years) | $0 |
| Premium (if you haven’t met the work requirement) | Ranges from $311 to $565 per month |
| Deductible | $1,736 |
Source:
Eligibility and Enrollment
Your Medicare Part A and enrollment depend on your age, employment and health insurance status.
— Automatic enrollment: If you’ve received Social Security benefits or Railroad Retirement Board benefits for 24 months, you’ll automatically be enrolled in Medicare. That waiting period is waived for people with certain conditions, such as or (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
— Initial enrollment window: You’ll need to Part A and Part B coverage “during your initial enrollment period, which starts three months before your 65th birthday and ends the third month after your birthday,” says Whitney Stidom, vice president of consumer enablement with eHealth Inc., a health insurance broker and online resource provider headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
— Employer-provided coverage exceptions: If you’re still working and have creditable coverage through your or a spouse’s employer that has more than 20 employees, you can delay enrolling in Medicare. If you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, then you do need to sign up for Medicare, Maibor notes.
— HSA trap: Check if you have a . “If there is a health savings account in your name being actively contributed to, you cannot have Medicare, including Part A, at the same time,” Maibor says.
— Disability qualification: If you have a , you may be eligible for Medicare before age 65.
[Read: ]
How Can I Lower Out-of-Pocket Costs?
You can lower your out-of-pocket costs by exploring which coverage options are the best fit for your health and budgetary needs. For instance:
— A , also called a , can help cover your out-of-pocket costs, such as coinsurance, copayments and deductibles. This kind of plan can be paired with original Medicare but not a Medicare Advantage plan.
— bundles parts A and B and usually includes an annual out-of-pocket maximum, Zhang says. These plans also typically include prescription drug benefits, and some include other health care services, such as and .
— A or can help pay premiums and cost sharing if you meet the low-income requirements.
It can all seem very complicated, but working with a licensed insurance can take the confusion out of the process and help you decide which options make the most sense for you, Stidom says.
FAQs
More from U.S. News
originally appeared on
Update 06/01/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
