The 2026 Part A costs
Part A covers your room, meals, nursing and hospital supplies as an inpatient. In 2026 you pay the $1,736 deductible, and Medicare pays the rest of days 1 to 60.
From day 61 to day 90 you pay $434 a day. After that you can draw on 60 lifetime reserve days at $868 a day. They can be used once in your lifetime. Past that, you pay all costs.
| Days in the hospital | What you pay in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Days 1–60 | $1,736 deductible, then $0 a day |
| Days 61–90 | $434 a day |
| Days 91 and on (lifetime reserve, 60 days total) | $868 a day |
| After lifetime reserve days are used | All costs |
Why you can pay the deductible twice
The deductible is per benefit period, not per year. A benefit period starts the day you are admitted and ends when you have had no inpatient hospital care, or skilled care in a nursing facility, for 60 days in a row.
If you go back in after that, a new benefit period starts and you owe another $1,736 in 2026. There is no limit on how many benefit periods you can have in a year. Original Medicare has no yearly out-of-pocket cap.
Ways to cover the gap
A Medigap policy can pay some or all of the Part A deductible and coinsurance, depending on the plan. Medicare Advantage plans set their own hospital copays but have a yearly out-of-pocket maximum. Hospital indemnity insurance pays a fixed cash amount; see what hospital indemnity insurance is.
Our Medigap cost comparison calculator puts these side by side. To talk it through, see our Medicare Supplement service.