In general, Medicare Part A helps pay for the hospital care you receive in hospitals, critical access hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities. It also helps cover palliative care and some home health care. Part A helps cover inpatient care, care in skilled nursing facilities, palliative care and home health care. It also covers some outpatient home health care.
To be eligible for premium-free Part A, a person must be entitled to receive Medicare based on their own income or that of their spouse, parent or child. To receive premium-free Part A, the worker must have a specific number of quarters of coverage (QC) and submit an application to receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits. The exact amount of quality controls required depends on whether the person is applying for Part A because of age, disability, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Quality controls are achieved by paying payroll taxes under the Federal Social Security Contributions Act (FICA) during the person's working years.
Most people pay the full FICA tax so that the quality controls they earn can be used to meet the requirements for both monthly Social Security benefits and Part A. Talk to your doctor or other health care provider and ask if Medicare will cover the test, item or service you need. Medicare Part A can cover up to 100 days of home health care if you spent 3 days or more as an inpatient within 14 days of receiving home health care. People who qualify for premium-free Part A and who don't automatically enroll can enroll in Part A at any time after they become eligible for coverage for the first time.
You are eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A if you or your spouse have worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years or 40 quarters. People who use Medicare Part A coverage for hospitalizations must still meet their deductible before Medicare pays for any treatment. Medicare Part A plans are free for people who have worked for 40 quarters and have paid Medicare taxes. Medicare Part A eligibility requirements for people under 65 include those who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits for at least 24 months due to a disability.
In general, if you're 65 or older and you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years, you won't pay any premiums for Part A. There you'll find more information about ways to prepare for Medicare, when and how you should enroll, what to do if you plan to work beyond age 65, options to supplement Medicare, and resources for more information and assistance. If you need specialized care and are homebound, you may qualify for Medicare home health care coverage. Part A coverage begins the month a person turns 65, provided they file an application for Part A (or to receive Social Security or RRB benefits) within 6 months of the month they turn 65. People who did not enroll in Part B or the Part A premium when they were first eligible because they were volunteering outside the United States for at least 12 months on behalf of a tax-exempt organization and had health insurance that covered them for the entire time of their volunteer service can enroll using this SEP. The eligibility rules for Part B depend on whether a person is eligible for premium-free Part A or whether they have to pay a premium for Part A coverage.
Medicare is federal health insurance for people age 65 and older and for younger people with certain disabilities. Keep in mind that Medicare generally doesn't pay for the full cost of your care and you're likely responsible for some of the shared costs (deductibles, coinsurance, and copays) of services covered by Medicare. The Medicare Part A benefit period for a hospital stay or an SNF begins the day you are admitted and ends when you have been out of the hospital or SNF for 60 consecutive days.
