How much does Medicare Part A cost?

How much does Medicare Part A cost in 2026?

Medicare Part A, also called hospital insurance, helps cover the cost of inpatient hospital stays, inpatient skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health care. For most people, there is no Part A premium cost if they or their spouse worked for 10 years and paid Medicare taxes. If you haven’t worked enough, you may pay a monthly premium – in 2026, this could be up to $565. The Part A deductible in 2026 is $1,736 per benefit period. You must pay this amount before Original Medicare starts covering hospital costs.

Do you pay a premium for Medicare Part A?

Most people do not pay a premium Medicare Part A if they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. This is called premium-free Part A.

You may also qualify for premium-free Part A even if you haven’t worked if:

• You’re 65 or older and are already getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits.
• You’re under 65 and have a disability.
• You have end-stage renal disease and meet certain conditions.

Medicare Part A monthly premium costs in 2026

The cost of your Medicare Part A premium depends on how long you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes. If you worked 40 quarters (10 years) or more, your Part A premium is $0. If you worked fewer than that, you may pay a monthly premium – the less time you worked, the higher the premium.

This is how it works:

Medicare Part A deductible and copay costs in 2026

The table below shows how much you may pay for Medicare Part A deductibles and copays for hospital stays, skilled nursing facility stays, home health care, and hospice care. These costs can change based on the number of days you receive inpatient care. Understanding these amounts can help you plan for unexpected medical costs. 

*A benefit period is the way Medicare measures your use of hospital and skilled nursing facility services. It begins the day you’re admitted as an inpatient and ends when you haven’t received any inpatient care for 60 days in a row. If you go back to the hospital after 60 days, a new benefit period starts, and you’ll have to pay your Part A deductible again. This means that it is possible to have multiple benefit periods and multiple deductibles in one year if you have more than one hospital stay separated by 60 days or more. 

**Lifetime reserve days are extra days Original Medicare will pay for long inpatient hospital stays. You get 60 of these days to use in your whole life and they start after you’ve been in the hospital for more than 90 days in one stay. Medicare will pay all covered costs for lifetime reserve days except for daily coinsurance. 

***The Medicare-approved amount is the amount Medicare agrees to pay for a covered service or item. If your provider accepts Medicare, they agree to this amount. Medicare will pay its share and you pay your share of that agreed amount. 

Part A costs: inpatient hospital stay

For the first 60 days in the hospital, you pay nothing after your deductible. From days 61-90, you pay a daily cost, and it gets higher for days 91-150 when you start using your lifetime reserve days. 

*Lifetime reserve days are extra days Original Medicare pays for if you’re in the hospital longer than 90 days, but you only get 60 of these days to use in your whole life. 

Part A costs: inpatient mental health services 

Medicare will help you pay for your stay in a psychiatric hospital, but only up to a certain limit. If you’re in a psychiatric hospital instead of a general hospital, Medicare Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient psychiatric care in your lifetime. This means if you ever need more than 190 days in a psychiatric hospital, you’ll have to pay the full cost after reaching that limit. It’s important to plan ahead and talk to your doctor about the best kind of care for you.

Part A costs: skilled nursing facility stay

For the first 20 days in a skilled nursing facility stay, Original Medicare covers the full cost, so you don’t pay anything. Starting on day 21, you pay a daily copay, which is $217 in 2026. There is no deductible for a skilled nursing facility stay. 

Part A costs: home health care

Medicare Part A covers home health care at no cost to you for the first 100 days. After 100 days, if you still qualify for home health care, Medicare may still cover it under Part B. Under Part B, you typically pay $0 for home health services and 20% the cost for durable medical equipment, like a walker or wheelchair.

Part A costs: hospice care

Here are some typical costs for Medicare-covered hospice care:

• $0 deductibles: Medicare Part A covers almost all costs related to hospice care – not including room and board or unrelated treatment.
• Prescription copays: You may pay up to $5 per prescription drug used for pain or symptom control
• Respite care copays: For short-term inpatient respite stays arranged by your hospice team, you pay no more than 5% of the Medicare-approved daily rate. This is capped at the yearly inpatient deductible.
• Sliding scale for unrelated care: Treatments that are not part of your hospice diagnosis for a new medical condition follow standard Medicare rules – including deductibles and coinsurance under Parts A and B.

What Medicare Part A doesn’t cover

While Part A covers your stay in hospitals, it doesn’t cover everything. Here is a list of what Medicare Part A does NOT cover during inpatient hospital stays:

• Private-duty nursing
• Private rooms (unless medically necessary)
• Personal items like TV, phone, or toiletries
• Long-term or custodial care such as help with bathing, dressing, or eating
• Prescription drugs you take at home
• Services that aren’t considered medically necessary by Medicare

FAQs about Medicare Part A

Does Medicare Part A cover the cost of an ambulance?

Medicare Part A does not cover the cost of ambulance rides. Ambulance services are covered under Medicare Part B, which helps with doctor visits and outpatient care.

What is the Part A late enrollment penalty?

If you have to buy Medicare Part A and don’t sign up when you’re first eligible, you may pay a 10% higher monthly premium. This extra cost usually lasts for twice the number of years you delayed signing up.

What is premium-free Medicare Part A?

Premium-free Part A means you don’t have to pay a monthly premium for your hospital insurance. Most people get Part A for free because they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.