Medicare Part A helps cover your inpatient care in hospitals (critical access hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation facilities), skilled nursing facilities after a hospital stay, and Religious Nonmedical Health Care Institutions. Part A also helps cover hospice services and home health care services. Medicare doesn’t cover custodial or long-term care. You must meet certain conditions to get these benefits.
Cost: Most people are automatically enrolled in Part A and don’t have to pay a monthly premium if they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes while they were working.If you (or your spouse) didn’t pay Medicare taxes while you worked and you are age 65 or older, you may still be able to apply for Part A, but you will have to pay a premium. You pay up to $423 each month in 2009 if you don’t get premium-free Part A. This amount changes each year.
