Original Medicare includes Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). These complement each other. Part B helps pay for some services that part A doesn't cover.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps pay for:
Your inpatient care in hospitals, including the cost of a shared hospital room, meals and nursing. It can also assist with costs associated with hospice, home health, and skilled nursing facility care if you meet certain requirements.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps pay for:
Services that are considered important for the diagnosis or treatment of a medical condition. These include doctor visits, procedures that didn't require an overnight hospital stay and some preventive care services, such as flu shots.
Cost of Original Medicare
Medicare Part A: If you and your spouse paid Medicare taxes while working, you may not have to pay a monthly premium for Part A services. If you don't qualify for premium-free Part A, you can purchase it.
To learn more, visit "Part A costs" at medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) (TTY: 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week, for details.
Medicare Part B: Like most people, you may pay a monthly premium for Part B.
You may pay more or less for your premium based on your income. For Original Medicare, you may also pay:
- A deductible, a set amount you pay every year before Medicare coverage begins
- The entire cost of services not covered by Medicare
- Co-insurance, or a portion of what the Medicare-approved service costs. In most cases, you will pay 20%