Calculating Medicare’s hospital deductibles and copays
Anyone going into the hospital knows there will be a bill coming on the way out. But for Medicare beneficiaries, figuring out this bill can be a challenge. Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage charge for hospital stays. We have seen three different models.
- Per-benefit period: Original Medicare follows this model. The Part A coinsurance for 2024 is $1,632 per benefit period.(For days 61-90, the coinsurance is $404 and, for days, 91-150, it is $808.) Many Medigap policies help cover this out-of-pocket amount. Several hospitalizations separated by days or weeks would fall into the same benefit period and be subject to just one coinsurance. However, if there are more than 60 days between one hospital discharge and the next admission, the beneficiary would face copayments both times.
- Per-day: A common Medicare Advantage practice is charging a copayment per-day for so many days.
Two examples: $450 per day for the first six days and $375 per day for the first four days.
- Per-stay: An Advantage plan can opt for a coinsurance, such as 50% of the cost.
Just-in-case planning is not an easy task. It’s difficult to predict when a hospitalization will occur, let alone to know how many days it will be and whether there will be a follow-up admission.
IMPORTANT: Those who are in and out of the hospital frequently (the "revolving door" as some in the trade call it) will pay considerably more under the per-day model (the common Medicare Advantage method) than the per-benefit period (the Original Medicare method with a Medigap policy). Beyond that, costs depend on individual circumstances.
Also know: There is a charge for a Medicare-covered stay in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare covers the first 20 days and, for days 21-100, the copayment is $204 in 2024. Medicare Advantage plans determine their charges.
Last updated: 02-27-2024