Medicare Part A Premiums

Generally, most seniors over 65 don’t pay any monthly premiums for Medicare Part A coverage. Medicare taxes were included in your monthly payroll deductions, so your monthly taxes were used to satisfy your Medicare Part A coverage once you become eligible.

If you don’t qualify for premium-free Part A coverage through Medicare you can actually “buy in” to Medicare Part A under certain conditions.

You’ll most likely need to purchase both Part A and B in order to buy into your Medicare coverage. Therefore, you’ll have monthly premiums for both Part A and Part B coverage. In some situations, you may qualify for assistance in paying those premiums.

What Medicare Part A Covers and Does Not Cover

Medicare Part A covers the following patient services:

• Most hospital inpatient services are covered by Part A. There are also some outpatient hospital related services covered as well.
• Nursing and home-based health care services are usually covered but your care must be ordered by a doctor and provided by an agency that has been approved and certified by Medicare.
• Hospice care is also covered if you are certified as having a terminal condition by your doctor.

The Medicare Part A program is for general coverage that assists in paying for many of your in-hospital expenses. This includes the hospital services that you receive such as a semi-private room, your inpatient medication and meals, nursing services while in hospital and many other hospital services.

Medicare Part A does not cover many of your outpatient and prescription services that you will need in your overall healthcare plan.

Medicare Supplement Plans provide coverage for many expenses that are not covered by standard Part A and Part B Medicare plans.