If you return to the hospital after 60 days, a new benefit period begins and the deductible reapplies. You would be responsible for paying for two. Original Medicare measures your use of the services of a hospital and a skilled nursing facility (SNF) during benefit periods. The benefit period begins the day you are admitted as an inpatient to a hospital or SNF.
The benefit period ends when you haven't received any type of inpatient hospital care (or specialized care in an SNF) for 60 straight days. If you enter a hospital or an SNF after a benefit period has ended, a new one begins. You must pay the hospital deductible for inpatients for each benefit period. There's no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have.
Remember that you can once again be eligible for Medicare coverage for your SNF care, once you've been out of the hospital or SNF for 60 straight days. From then on, you'll be entitled to a new benefit period, including 100 new days of SNF care, after a qualifying three-day hospital stay. A benefit period can also affect the total amount you pay for your stay in a hospital or the SNF. You must pay your original Medicare Part A deductible at the beginning of each benefit period and possibly daily coinsurance depending on the number of days you stay.
