Part A hospital costs in 2026: deductibles, benefit periods and long stays
How the 2026 Part A deductible and daily coinsurance add up during a hospital stay, how benefit periods reset, and what happens after day 150.
Part A pays for inpatient hospital care, but not all of it. You pay a deductible each benefit period, and daily coinsurance if a stay runs long.
The schedule for 2026
- Days 1–60: $1,736 deductible, then $0.
- Days 61–90: $434 a day.
- Days 91–150: $868 a day, using your 60 lifetime reserve days.
- After day 150: you pay all costs.
A 100-day stay would cost $23,436 out of pocket; a 150-day stay $66,836.
Benefit periods are not calendar years
A benefit period starts the day you are admitted and ends once you have been out of a hospital or skilled nursing facility for 60 days in a row. If you go back in after that, a new period starts and you owe a new deductible. Someone hospitalized three times in a year with gaps of more than 60 days pays $5,208 in deductibles alone. This is explained in more detail in our benefit period guide.
What Medigap does here
Every Medigap plan covers the hospital coinsurance and adds 365 extra lifetime hospital days. Plans B, C, D, F, G and N cover the deductible in full; K, L and M cover part of it.
Observation status
If the hospital classifies you as an outpatient "under observation", Part B applies instead, with 20% coinsurance on services and no Part A deductible, and the days do not count toward a skilled nursing stay. Observation versus inpatient covers how to tell and what to ask.
Questions people ask
Is the Part A deductible yearly?
No, it applies per benefit period, which can occur several times a year.
What are lifetime reserve days?
60 extra days after day 90 that you can use once in your lifetime, at $868 a day in 2026.
Does Medigap cover hospital stays?
All Medigap plans cover hospital coinsurance and add 365 extra days; most cover the deductible.
What happens after 150 days?
Original Medicare stops paying; Medigap's extra 365 days can continue coverage.
Independent educational site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government, the federal Medicare program, or any insurance company. Figures are 2026 amounts published by CMS unless noted; check Medicare.gov for your situation.