Original Medicare: Getting Care in a Hospital,
Nursing Home, at Home and with Hospice
The Original Medicare Plan has two parts:
- Hospital Insurance, called Part A, helps pay for
hospital bills, and
- Medical Insurance, called Part B, helps pay for doctor
bills.
Under the Original Medicare Plan, you choose your own doctors,
specialists, and hospitals. Doctors and hospitals charge you for the
care they give you. The Original Medicare Plan pays its share of the
cost of your doctor and hospital bills and you pay your share.
Many people in the Original Medicare Plan have additional
insurance, such as retiree health insurance or a Medicare
Supplemental (Medigap) Insurance policy to pay for care Medicare
doesn't cover.
Medicare Part A
Most people do not have to pay a monthly fee or premium for Part
A. That is because they or their spouse paid Medicare taxes while
they were working.
Medicare Part A helps pay for the cost of:
- hospital stays
- short term nursing home stays, following a hospital stay
- home health care, following a hospital stay
- hospice care
Medicare Part A
Service |
Part A helps pay for: |
Hospital Care |
Semi-private room, meals, nursing care, and other hospital
services and supplies. |
Nursing Home Care (Skilled Nursing Facility)
|
Semi-private room, meals, skilled nursing and
rehabilitative care, and other services and supplies. Part A
pays for this care only after you have been in a hospital for
three or more days. Your care in the facility must begin
within 30 days after you leave a hospital. |
Home Health Care |
Part-time skilled nursing care; physical, occupational, and
speech therapy; some home health aides; medical social
services; medical equipment (wheelchairs, hospital beds,
walkers, and oxygen); and other supplies and
services. |
Hospice Care |
Doctor and nursing services; drugs for pain and to help
control your symptoms; counseling services; and care in a
hospice, hospital, nursing home, or your home.
|
Medicare Part A does not pay all of the costs of hospital,
skilled nursing home, home, and hospice care. The following
describes what your share of the costs will be.
Care in a Hospital
Medicare Part A helps pay for hospital stays, including stays in
psychiatric hospitals. Here's how it works:
- Once you pay your deductible, ($840 in 2003), Medicare pays
the rest of your hospital bill for a stay of up to 60 days in a
benefit period. A benefit period begins the day you go to the
hospital and ends when you have been out of the hospital for 60
days in a row.
If you go into the hospital again before you've
been out 60 days, you continue in the "old" benefit period. If you
go into the hospital again after you have been out at least 60
days, you begin a new benefit period. You pay a deductible for
each new benefit period.
- If you stay in the hospital more than 60 days, you will pay a
bigger part of the bill.
How Much You and Medicare Pay for Hospital
Care (In 2003)
Number of Days |
You Pay |
Medicare Pays |
Days 1-60 |
$840 deductible (per benefit period), then nothing |
The rest |
Days 61-90 |
$210 per day |
The rest |
Days 91-150* |
$420 per day |
The rest |
All additional days |
Everything |
Nothing |
* Days 91-150 (60 days) are called lifetime reserve days. They
can be used after you have been in the hospital 90 days. You don't
need to use these lifetime reserve days all at once. There are 190
lifetime day reserve days for stays in a psychiatric hospital.
In the hospital, Medicare Part A helps pay for:
- semi-private room and meals
- resident and intern services
- nursing services
- medical social services
- drugs, shots, and blood for use in the hospital
- equipment, such as wheelchairs, and medical supplies
- physical therapy
- planning for follow-up care
In the hospital, Medicare Part A does not pay for:
- private-duty nursing (you hire your own private nurse)
- private rooms (unless the doctor says you need a private room
for your health)
- television
- telephone
Care in a Nursing Home
Medicare Part A helps pay for some of your stay in a nursing
home. A skilled nursing facility is a place where you get skilled
nursing or rehabilitative care from licensed health professionals.
Help from family members or care you give yourself is not considered
skilled nursing care.
You must meet these conditions for Medicare to help pay for your
care in a nursing home:
- You need to have been in the hospital for three or more days
before you go to a skilled nursing home. Your care must begin
within 30 days after you leave the hospital.
- Your doctor must order daily skilled nursing or rehabilitation
services that you can get only in a skilled nursing home. "Daily"
means seven days a week for skilled nursing services and five days
a week or more for skilled rehabilitation services.
- You get these skilled services in a nursing home that has been
approved by Medicare.
If you meet these conditions, Medicare pays for up to 100 days in
a benefit period. A benefit period begins the day you go into the
hospital or skilled nursing home. The benefit period ends when you
have been out of the hospital or skilled nursing home for at least
60 days in a row. You pay a deductible ($840 in 2003) for each new
benefit period.
How Much You and Medicare Pay for Skilled
Nursing Home Care (In 2003)
Number of Days |
You Pay |
Medicare Pays |
Days 1-20 |
Nothing |
Everything |
Days 21-100 |
$105 per day |
The rest |
Over 100 days |
Everything |
Nothing |
If you need care in a skilled nursing home at a later time, you
must again meet the same conditions for Medicare to help pay for
your care.
In a skilled nursing home, Medicare helps pays for:
- a semi-private room
- meals
- skilled nursing and rehabilitative services
- medical social services
- prescription drugs, medical supplies and equipment
- possible ambulance service
- dietary counseling
- other services such as lab tests and x-rays
Care at Home
Medicare Part A and Part B both help pay for home health care.
Home health care is skilled nursing and other kinds of health care
services that you get in your home to treat an illness or injury.
(Medicare doesn't pay for care to help you with activities of daily
living, such as bathing, dressing, eating or using the toilet.)
You must meet four conditions for Medicare to help pay for your
home health care:
- Your doctor must order medical care for you in your home and
make a plan for that care.
- You must need help from a skilled nurse or a physical,
occupational, or speech therapist on a part-time basis. Medicare
does not pay for these services round-the-clock (24 hours).
- You must be homebound. This means it is very hard for you to
leave your home because of your illness or injury.
- You must get your care from a home health care agency that is
approved by Medicare.
What Medicare Pays
Medicare will pay for your home care for as long as you meet
these conditions. Your doctor and home health care agency will
review your plan of care at least every 60 days.
Medicare will pay for the following as part of your home health
care:
- part-time skilled nursing care
- home health aides
- physical, occupational, or speech therapists
- medical social services or counseling to help you cope with
your illness or injury
- medical equipment and supplies
What You Pay
You do not have to pay anything for these services as long as you
meet the four conditions listed above. However, you must pay 20
percent of the cost of medical equipment and 100 percent of the
costs of outpatient prescription drugs.
Hospice Care
Medicare Part A will help pay for your hospice care. Hospice care
is a special way of caring for people who are dying and for their
family members. The focus of hospice care is to help make people as
comfortable as possible at the end of their life rather than try to
cure their illness or injury. While you can receive hospice care in
your home, a hospice facility, a nursing home, or a hospital, most
people use hospice care at home.
You must these conditions for Medicare to pay for your hospice
care:
- You must have or be able to get Medicare Part A.
- A doctor must say you are terminally ill.
- You, or the person who is making your health care decisions,
must sign and send a form to Medicare to tell them you are
choosing hospice care.*
- You must get care from a hospice approved by Medicare.
*Once you choose hospice care, you can't use your Medicare
benefits to cure your terminal illness. You can, however, get care
for other health problems. If for any reason you stop hospice care,
you will again get your health care from Medicare.
For example, Mary is getting hospice care for cancer. She is not
using Medicare to continue chemotherapy or radiation to cure her
illness. Unfortunately, while receiving hospice care, Mary fell and
broke her wrist. Medicare will pay for treating her broken wrist.
What Medicare Pays
You get hospice care for up to two 90-day periods, followed by an
unlimited number of 60 day periods. At the start of each period of
care, your doctor must confirm that you still terminally ill in
order to continue the care.
Medicare pays for the following services as part of your hospice
care:
- doctor and nursing care
- drugs to help control your pain
- dietary counseling
- counseling for you and your family
- short-term hospital care (including respite care)
- physical, occupational, and speech therapy
- medical social services
- home health aide and homemaker services
- medical supplies and equipment
What You Pay
You pay up to $5 for each prescription drug. You also pay 5
percent of the Medicare-approved amount for respite care. Respite
care is short-term care given to you so that your caregiver can get
some rest, run errands or get away for a few days.
AARP Resources
Checklist:
20 Ways to Identify the Local Hospital That's Best for You
AARP reports on how to check on the quality of care in local
hospitals.
State-by-State
List of Nursing Home Performance Data AARP provides
information on how to find out about complaints or problems with
nursing homes.
Checklist:
What to Look for In a Nursing Home Tips on what to look for
in a good nursing home.
Choosing
a Good Nursing Home Getting started on finding a good nursing
home.
End of Life
Issues AARP covers end of life issues such as "Dealing with
Pain" and "At the End of Life."
Understanding
Medicare, Medigap, and Medicaid AARP explains how these
programs work.
Additional Resources
State Health
Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) How to contact your
State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), an important
Medicare partner. Free one-on-one health insurance counseling to
people with Medicare.
National
Association of Home Care Information about Medicare coverage
for home health care.
Hospice
Association of America (HAA) Consumer's guide to hospice
care
National Hospice
Foundation Information about hospice care and the Medicare
hospice benefit
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