Part A – Hospital Insurance
Medicare Basics Video
Medicare Part A – Hospital Insurance
Medicare is a federal health insurance program. It’s for people age 65 or older, others under 65 with certain disabilities and people of any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant)
Part A covers (Hospital Insurance):
- Inpatient care in a hospital
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Nursing home care (inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility that’s not custodial or long-term care)
- Hospice care
- Home health care
You can sign up for Part A during your Initial Enrollment Period witch starts 3 months before you turn 65 and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65 – for a total of 7 months.
If you miss the 7-month Initial Enrollment Period you can sign up during the General Enrollment Period between January 1st and March 31st of each year. You may have to pay a monthly late enrollment penalty if you don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.
A Special Enrollment Period is only available for a limited time and only allowed under specific circumstances.
If you are already collecting Social Security benefits when you turn 65, you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part A. You will also be signed up for Medicare Part B, if you sign up for Medicare Part B at the time you sign up for retirement benefits.
In order to keep your Social Security benefits, you must have Part A benefits.
Medicare Part A doesn’t cover 100%; you need to enroll in a Supplement Plan or a Part C (Advantage Plan) to help you cover what Medicare Part A doesn’t cover.