What are your medicare part a costs?

WHAT IS THE MEDICARE PART A DEDUCTIBLE? Even if you don't pay for Part A premiums, you may still have out-of-pocket costs. You’ll have to pay a hospital deductible of $1,600 for each

benefit period you’re hospitalized in 2023, or $1,632 in 2024. The Part A deductible isn't annual like you’ve probably encountered with private insurance. A benefit period begins when

you're admitted to a hospital or a skilled nursing facility as an inpatient and ends when you’ve been out of the hospital or skilled nursing facility for 60 days in a row. You pay a

single deductible even if you have more than one hospital stay during a benefit period. But if you're out of the hospital for 60 days and then have to go back in, you could pay more

than one deductible during a calendar year. WHAT IS MEDICARE PART A COINSURANCE? You may have to pay other costs for Part A coverage in addition to deductibles. If you stay a long time in a

hospital or skilled nursing facility, you may have to pay a portion of that cost, called a coinsurance. * HOSPITAL COSTS. Medicare covers the first 60 days as an inpatient in the hospital.

But you may have to pay coinsurance for days 61 to 90 — $400 a day in 2023 — and a $800 daily coinsurance in 2023 after day 90 for up to 60 lifetime reserve days. In 2024, those numbers rise

to $408 and $816. Each lifetime reserve day may be used once, but you may apply the days to different benefit periods. You then will have to pay all costs after using all your lifetime

reserve days. * SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES. Medicare covers the first 20 days in a skilled nursing facility after a qualifying hospital stay. But you have to pay coinsurance for days 21 to

100 — $200 a day in 2023; $204 in 2024 — and all costs beyond day 100. * HOSPICE CARE. If you’re receiving end-of-life care through a hospice program, you may need to pay up to $5 per

prescription for pain and symptom management and 5 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care. CAN I GET HELP PAYING MEDICARE PART A’S COSTS? You may qualify for help

through one of the Medicare Savings Programs in your state, depending on your income and assets. The Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) Program helps pay the premiums, deductibles,

coinsurance and copayments for Parts A and B. In most states, you can qualify if your gross monthly income in 2023 doesn’t exceed $1,235 for individuals or $1,663 for couples. The 2024

figures are not available yet. In most states, individuals can’t have more than $9,090 in assets and couples can’t have more than $13,630 in assets. Other Medicare Savings Programs also can

 help with out-of-pocket costs for Part B and some other expenses for people with slightly higher income levels. To find out if you qualify for a Medicare Savings Program, contact your state

Medicaid office or State Health Insurance Assistance Program or call 800-MEDICARE. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands don’t have Medicare Savings Programs. But Medicaid, which provides

health insurance to people with low incomes, may be able to assist. CAN A MEDIGAP POLICY HELP PAY PART A COSTS? Yes. Medigap, also called Medicare supplement insurance, is private insurance

you can purchase to cover some of your out-of-pocket expenses in traditional Medicare. Even though private insurers sell Medigap plans, federal rules standardize the coverage.