Medicare is the national health insurance program in the United States. If a person is age 65 or older or has certain medical conditions, they can receive Medicare coverage.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services run Medicare, and they divide services intoparts A, B, C, and D.

Medicare Part A helps pay if a person requires hospital services. If you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years, you can qualify for Medicare Part A free of charge.

Medicare Part Ais the hospital coverage plan for people age 65 and older. The creators of Medicare envisioned the parts like a buffet.

You would always receive Part A, so you’d have coverage for a hospital stay. If you don’t have private insurance and want more coverage, you could choose from Medicare’s other parts.

You don’t have to be retired tosign up for Medicare Part A– it’s a benefit you can start receiving as soon as you turn age 65. Many people choose to have private insurance (such as from an employer) and Medicare.

With some exceptions, Medicare Part A covers the following services:

  • Inpatient hospital care.This covers any tests or treatments you need when you’ve been admitted to the hospital.
  • Limited home healthcare.If you need care from ahome health aideafter you’ve been released from an inpatient hospital stay, Medicare will cover medically necessary care while you recover.
  • Hospice care.Once you’ve made the choice to seekhospice careinstead of treatment for a terminal illness, Medicare will cover most of your healthcare costs.
  • Short-term skilled nursing facility stays.If you needskilled nursing facility care, Medicare will cover your stay and services for a certain amount of time.

Inpatient care in a hospital includes services like meals, nursing services, physical therapy, and medications that a doctor says are important for care.

Medicare Part A usually onlycovers emergency room visit costsif a doctor admits you to the hospital. If a doctor doesn’t admit you and you return home, Medicare Part B or your private insurance may pay for the costs.

It’s also important to know that Medicare Part A doesn’t cover all hospital costs. Here are a few things that Part A won’t cover:

  • Your first 3 pints of blood.If a hospital receives blood from a blood bank, you may not have to pay anything. However, if a hospital has to get special blood for you, it’s possible you may have to pay for it out of pocket.
  • Private rooms.而住院护理包括留在semiprivate room, you are not entitled to a private room during your care.
  • Long-term care.Part A is only intended to provide care during an acute illness or injury. If you have long-term care needs, such as anursing home, you will have to pay for your own residential care out of pocket.

When you work, your employer (or you, if you’re self-employed) takes out money for Medicare taxes. As long as you or your spouse works for 10 years paying Medicare taxes, you getMedicare Part A without a premiumwhen you’re 65 years old.

That’s not to say that you or a loved one can walk into a hospital and receive free care. Medical Part A requires youpay a deductibletoward your inpatient care. For 2022, this is$1,556for eachbenefit period.

If youdon’t automatically qualify for free Part A, you can still buy Part A. For 2022, the monthly premium for Part A is$499if you’ve worked less than 30 quarters. If you paid Medicare taxes for 30 to 39 quarters, you would pay$274.

There’s more to Medicare than Part A – there are also parts B, C, and D. You or a loved one don’t have to utilize any other parts. They do each have a monthly premium. Examples of services covered under each include:

Of course, there are some services that original Medicare doesn’t usually cover. Sometimes, a person has private insurance that may pay for these services, or they pay for them out-of-pocket. Examples include:

If you aren’t sure if a service is covered under different Medicare types, you can call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) to ask.

If you or a loved one is in the hospital, you’ll usually have a case worker assigned to you who can help answer questions about Medicare coverage.

If you’re currently receiving Social Security benefits and are under age 65, you’ll be automatically enrolled in Medicare parts A and B when you turn 65 years old. However, if you’re not currently getting Social Security, you’ll have to actively enroll in Medicare.

The section below on initial enrollment explains when you can begin the enrollment process based on your age.

However, you canqualify for Part Abefore this time if:

There are three ways to enroll in Medicare Part A:

  • Go online toSocialSecurity.govand click on “Medicare Enrollment“.
  • Call the Social Security office at 800-772-1213. If you need TTY, call 800-325-0778. This service is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • 适用于人在当地社会安全办公室ce.Click hereto find your local office by ZIP code.

Initial enrollment

You can startenrolling in Medicare3 months before you turn 65 years old (this includes the month you turn 65 years old) and up to 3 months after your 65th birthday. As a general rule, your coverage will start on July 1 of the year you enroll.

Special enrollment

Under certain conditions, you may be able to apply late for Medicare. This period of time is known as thespecial enrollment period.

You may qualify to enroll during this period if you were employed by a company that had more than 20 employees when you turned 65 years old and had health insurance through your job, union, or spouse.

In this case, you can apply for Medicare Part A within the 8 months after your previous coverage ended.

Navigating the world of Medicare can be confusing – if you just turned or are nearing age 65, it’s a new world for you.

Fortunately, there are many resources available to you, from the internet to the phone to your local Social Security office. If you have a specific question, these sources are a great place to start.

Medicare plan options and costs are subject to change each year.