Medicare Part A is the hospital insurance component of original Medicare, 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: Preventing Costly Medicare Mistakes: Tips and Strategies]
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 Providence St. Joseph Hospital 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 skilled nursing care post-hospitalization | Long-term nursing care at home |
| Hospice care, including family support services | Care and support in an assisted living facility or nursing home |
| Limited, part-time skilled nursing care or therapy at home | 24-hour at-home care |
| Limited personal assistance only while receiving skilled nursing care | Assistance with activities of daily living, including grooming, meal prep and housekeeping |
[READ: Does Medicare Cover Home Health Care?]
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:
— Medicare Part B: Covers a wide range of outpatient medical services and preventive care, such as vaccines, visits to the doctor and some medical equipment. You will have to pay a standard monthly premium for Part B, which is $202.90 for most people in 2026.
— Medicare Part D: Covers prescription medications and has a monthly premium that may vary based on your income. If you don’t sign up for a Part D plan when you first become eligible, you may have to pay a Part D late enrollment penalty 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 deductibles and coinsurance, 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: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Eligibility and Enrollment
Your Medicare Part A eligibility 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 end-stage renal disease or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
— Initial enrollment window: You’ll need to sign up for Medicare 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 employer 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 health savings account (HSA). “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 qualifying disability, you may be eligible for Medicare before age 65.
[Read: When Can You Sign Up for Medicare?]
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 Medicare supplement plan, also called a Medigap plan, 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.
— 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 vision and dental benefits.
— A Medicaid or Medicare Savings Program 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 agent can take the confusion out of the process and help you decide which options make the most sense for you, Stidom says.
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What Is Medicare Part A? originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/01/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.