Does Medicare Cover Inpatient Hospital Stays?

Medical care you get when you’re admitted for at least one night in a hospital or other inpatient facility.

Medicare-covered inpatient hospital services include:

• Semi-private rooms
• Meals
• General nursing
• Certain drugs (including methadone to treat an Opioid Use Disorder)
• Other hospital services and supplies you might get as part of your inpatient treatment

Medicare doesn't cover:

• Private-duty nursing
• A private room (unless medically necessary)
• A television or phone in your room (if there's a separate charge for these items)
• Personal care items (like razors or slipper socks)

You must meet both of these conditions:

• You’re admitted to the hospital as an inpatient with a doctor’s order which says you need inpatient hospital care to treat your illness or injury.
• The hospital accepts Medicare.

What you pay for each benefit period in 2026 depends on how long you're getting care:

• Days 1–60: After you pay the Part A deductible ($1,736 in 2026), you pay $0 each day. (Note: If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may be charged copayments during the first 60 days.)
• Days 61–90: You pay $434 each day.
• Days 91-150: You pay $868 each day while using your 60 lifetime reserve days (These are additional days that Medicare will pay for when you're in a hospital for more than 90 days. You have a total of 60 reserve days that can be used once during your lifetime).
• After day 150: You pay all costs.

Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient mental health care in a freestanding psychiatric hospital during your lifetime. The 190-day limit doesn’t apply to care you get in a Medicare-certified "distinct part" psychiatric unit (a physically separate section of an acute care or critical access hospital that provides inpatient psychiatric care.

If you also have Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), it generally covers 80% of the Medicare-approved amount for doctors’ services you get while you’re in a hospital.

Hospitals are now required to share the standard charges for all of their items and services (including the standard charges negotiated by Medicare Advantage Plans) on a public website to help you make more informed decisions about your care.

The hospital where you're admitted must accept Medicare.

Inpatient hospital care includes care you get in:

• Acute care hospitals
• Critical access hospitals
• Inpatient rehabilitation facilities
• Inpatient psychiatric facilities
• Long-term care hospitals

It also includes inpatient care you get as part of a qualifying clinical research study.