I just got Medicare Part A, and I'm worried about hospital stays. How do I know if my overnight stay will be covered fully?

Question

Comfort Olude · Accepted Answer

Overnight stay in hospital can be classified into two statuses (Inpatient and outpatient admission). If your doctor ordered that you need to be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient for medical care overnight, Medicare Part A will cover the cost of your hospital stay, including drugs, accomodation and meals for the first 60 days after you meet your Part A deductible which is $1,676.00 in 2025, for each benefit period. You will also pay coinsurance for days 61-90 of each benefit period.

If your doctor ordered that you be admitted as an outpatient for observation only, overnight, Medicare Part B will cover the costs, not Part A.

Larry Dalton · Answer

Under Medicare Part A, you must first ensure that you have a doctor's order admitting you as an inpatient. This indicates that you require hospital care. Once you are admitted, Medicare Part A will cover the cost of your stay, including services like medication and testing, but it does not cover everything. That is where Medicare Part B steps in to cover the additional expenses of surgery. Of course, there will be more expenses that Medicare Part B will not cover, leaving gaps. That is when a Medigap policy comes in to cover all the remaining expenses.

Answered by Larry Dalton on March 27, 2025

Broker Licensed in OK & TX

Answered by Larry Dalton Medicare Insurance Agent

Clarence &quot;Mark&quot; Christiansen · Answer

The 2025 Medicare Part A deductible is $ 1,676 for the first 60 days of in-patient hospitalization. After that, it gets nasty: $ 419 copay per day for days 61 - 90 then $ 838 per day (that's not a typo!) for in-patient hospital stays for days 91 - 150. Noting that the average hospital stay for seniors ages 65 - 74 is 5.3 days (5.6 days for ages 75 - 84), most people with nothing other than Medicare Part A will be OK with the $ 1,676 deductible. But ... this is all about "what if" and to be on the hook for a monster bill (after 60 days of hospitalization) could be a financially catastrophic event, not to mention the physical issues. Get some insurance! Most Medicare plans have something called a "maximum out-of-pocket," or MOOP to protect yourself against a big hospital bill.

Answered by Clarence "Mark" Christiansen on March 26, 2025

Agent Licensed in WI, AZ, CA & 16 other states

Answered by Clarence "Mark" Christiansen Medicare Insurance Agent

Christopher Palazzini · Answer

Your Medicare Part A will never be covered in full unless you have Medicare Part A and a Medicare Supplement G plan or N plan which will cover you up to 515 days in a hospital setting followed by up to 100 days in a SNF or rehab setting

Answered by Christopher Palazzini on April 5, 2025

Broker Licensed in FL, CA, GA & 6 other states

Answered by Christopher Palazzini Medicare Insurance Agent

Charise Karjala · Answer

Your part A benefits are for hospitalization.  Your medi-Gap policy should cover the majority of the patient coinsurance;  or you Medicare Advantage policy will cover it per your explanation of benefits.

Please find a Medicare agent to assist with your needs analysis and policy description so you can rest easy without worry about the what -ifs.

Danny Radisewitz · Answer

The answer to your question about whether your Hospital stay will be covered in full will depend on if you currently have any additional coverage i.e- Employee Group Coverage or Veterans Administration Benefits. If someone only has Medicare Part A you will first have to pay a large deductible that varies each year. If you have Employee group coverage you will either pay the Part A deductible first OR be responsible for your Hospital deductible that you selected.

Answered by Danny Radisewitz on April 1, 2025

Broker Licensed in SD, IA, MN & ND

Answered by Danny Radisewitz Medicare Insurance Agent

Dana Dane · Answer

Please contact your insurance agent who can explain how all the Medicare benefits work, how they coordinate with Medicare Part B, a Medicare Supplement, a Medicare Advantage plan or an employer health plan.

Answered by Dana Dane on April 14, 2025

Agent Licensed in OR, AZ, CA & 6 other states

Answered by Dana Dane Medicare Insurance Agent

Andrew Zurbuch, MBA · Answer

For just Original Medicare coverage overall. Listed as an approved covered expense at a Medicare Qualified  Hospital setting. Or Ordered by your medical Doctor & medically necessary.

Plans are insured or covered by a Medicare Advantage (HMO, PPO and PFFS) organization with a Medicare contract and/or a Medicare-approved Part D sponsor. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

Brian Leichner · Answer

Part A is for hospital coverage, if you are "In-Patient". If you are admitted, you will be covered subject to the roughly $1600 deductible and that will afford you 60 days of hospitalization. If you are not admitted as In Patient, it will most likely be a Part B claim. That is subject to a deductible and 20% of the cost. You can call me to get insured if you are In or Out patient. Brian Leichner, 402-896-9774 is my office phone.

Answered by Brian Leichner on April 15, 2025

Agent Licensed in NE, AZ, CO & IA, KS, MO & TN

Answered by Brian Leichner Medicare Insurance Agent

Fran Lovelace · Answer

$0 for most people (because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough while working - generally at least 10 years). If you get Medicare earlier than age 65, you won’t pay a Part A premium. This is sometimes called “premium-free Part A.”
Do I qualify for premium-free Part A? 
If you don’t qualify for premium-free Part A: You might be able to buy it. You’ll pay either $285 or $518 each month for Part A, depending on how long you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes.
Remember:
•	You also have to sign up for Part B to buy Part A. Learn more about how Medicare works.
•	If you don’t buy Part A when you’re first eligible for Medicare (usually when you turn 65), you might pay a penalty. Find out more about how to avoid the Part A penalty.
Deductible	$1,676 for each inpatient hospital 
benefit period
, before 
Original Medicare
 starts to pay.
There’s no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have in a year. This means you may pay the deductible more than once in a year. How do benefit periods work? 
Inpatient stay	•	Days 1-60: $0 after you pay your Part A deductible.
•	Days 61-90: $419 each day.
•	Days 91-150: $838 each day while using your 60 
lifetime reserve days
.
•	After day 150: You pay all costs.
What's not covered? 
What will I pay if I get mental health services as an inpatient? 
Skilled nursing facility stay 	•	Days 1-20: $0.
•	Days 21-100: $209.50 each day.
•	Days 101 and beyond: You pay all costs.
Home health care 	$0 for covered home health care services.
20% of the 
Medicare-approved amount
 for durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other equipment)
Hospice care 	$0 for covered hospice care services.
You may also pay:
•	A copayment of up to $5 for each prescription drug and other similar products for pain relief and symptom control while you're at home.
What if my hospice care doesn't pay for my drug? 
•	5% of the 
Medicare-approved amount
 for inpatient 
respite care
.
What's not covered?

I just got Medicare Part A, and I'm worried about hospital stays. How do I know if my overnight stay will be covered fully?

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I just got Medicare Part A, and I'm worried about hospital stays. How do I know if my overnight stay will be covered fully?

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