Medicare Part A Deductible and Benefit Period | Anthem Medicare Supplement

Anthem Medicare Supplement – International Health Insurance

Medicare Part A Hospital Deductible

18 August 2009 No Comment

Medicare’s part A deductible of $1,156 is the amount a Medicare Beneficiary must pay during an inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility stay. The Part A deductible is NOT an annual deductible, it is actually a Benefit Period deductible, which means it does not start and stop at the beginning and end of any given year. It actually starts and stops each “Benefit Period.” This begins on the day you enter a hospital or skilled nursing facility, and it ends when you have not received any hospital or skilled nursing care for 60 days in a row.

For example, Sue enters a hospital on January 10th for two days then is discharged on January 13th (Sue owes the $1,156 deductible if she does not own a Medicare Supplement). On March 15 Sue’s 60 day Benefit Period is complete. Sue then enters the hospital again, and again the Part A deductible of $1,156 will be due, because a new Benefit Period has started. So, it is possible for a Medicare Beneficiary to be responsible for several Part A deductible in any given year.

This is one of the many reason a Medicare Supplement Plan is so important to cover the many expenses Medicare does not.