Individuals can automatically get Part A if they are age 65 or older and receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits younger than age 65 but with certain disabilities and receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board disability benefits or younger than age 65 with a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A deductible applies to some services, including a $1,068 deductible for inpatient hospital care. (A benefit period is defined as beginning the day a patient enters a hospital or skilled nursing facility and ends when the patient has gone 60 days without requiring any inpatient care.) Additionally, each type of care may carry out-of-pocket cost to the beneficiary, such as either a flat rate or copayment for services. For skilled nursing or rehabilitative care, the beneficiary must first complete a 3-day or longer inpatient hospital stay for a related illness or injury, after which Medicare will cover the first 100 days of skilled care in a benefit period. For home health services, beneficiaries must be homebound, in which case Medicare will cover the first 100 home visits after a hospital stay. For hospice care, for instance, beneficiaries must be diagnosed with a terminal illness and certified by a physician to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Individuals must meet certain criteria for coverage for each episode of skilled nursing care, home health services, and hospice care. Hospice care: drugs for management of pain and symptoms, short-term inpatient stays such as inpatient respite care, and medical, nursing, and social services. The following are examples, but not an exhaustive listing, of covered services under Part A: Medicare Part A covers only services deemed medically necessary. For 2009, the Part A premium for those who purchase Part A coverage is $443 per month. States also offer assistance for eligible individuals who lack the income and financial resources to pay for Part A. For those who never worked or who are otherwise unable to receive premium-free Medicare Part A coverage, there is a purchase option. Employment taxes paid by both employees and their employers fund the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and therefore fund Part A. Medicare requires no monthly premium for most beneficiaries because the individual or spouse paid Medicare employment taxes while working. Part A pays only for the institutional fees, not for physician professional services. Also covered are some elements of home health care and hospice support. These include costs incurred at hospitals and critical-access hospitals, and a limited skilled nursing facilities benefit-but not long-term or custodial care. Medicare Part A is dedicated to covering beneficiaries' inpatient hospital costs.
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