Part A – What is it?

Medicare can be a whirlwind. Bills come and go, and the mail doesn’t seem to end! So how do you know what covers what? In essence, Medicare is a big puzzle, and each Part (like Part A) is a peice of that puzzle. Let’s delve in to what exactly Part A covers.

This Medicare part covers Inpatient Hospital Care, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Behavioral and Mental Health Services, Hospice Care, Home Health Services, and Nursing Home Care. That’s the general gist of it. It covers Hospital, and that’s how it’s labeled on your Medicare card, but let’s delve a bit deeper.

Inpatient Hospital Care

is when you stay overnight in the hospital, so Part A isn’t going to be covering the knee surgery you have where you are done mid-day and leave the facility. No, this coverage is for actually staying in the hospital. It’s going to cover things like semi-private rooms (NOT private rooms), drugs administered in the hospital while you’re there, and other services like general nursing.

Skilled Nursing Facility

coverage (also referred to as SNF) covers temporary living arrangements needed while going through rehab and treatment after hospitalization. This coverage is not blanket across the board, and it does have limitations. SNF coverage is NOT coverage for your long term care or assisted living that may occur as you age.

Behavioral and Mental Health Coverage

generally will cover services received when admitted to a psychiatric hospital as an inpatient. Part B can also assist with this type of coverage, but we’ll go more into that on another day!

Hospice Care

will be covered under this puzzle piece if, and only if, you meet the following conditions: 1) you are terminally ill (less than 6 months to live) 2) you are accepting palliative care instead of curative care, and 3) you sign a statement choosing hospice. Benefit periods can be limited here, so it’s a good idea to understand your hospice coverage well in advance of when you or a loved one may need to use it!

Home Health Care

will be covered under Part A when you need assistance in the home due to illness or injury. An extensive list of covered home health services can be found here for your reference.

Nursing Homes

The last part of this peice of the puzzle that is covered is nursing homes. Again, this is not nursing homes for long term care, but custodial care–the assistance with activities of daily living.

This information is an overview of what is available on Medicare.gov. I highly suggest exploring Medicare.gov and speaking with a licensed representative or agent about how Medicare will work for you. No information on this page is intended to be a comprehensive list of Medicare covered services.