Definition. The unit Medicare Part A uses for inpatient hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) coverage. It begins on the day of an inpatient admission and ends when you've gone 60 consecutive days without inpatient hospital or SNF care.
What it means
Part A costs reset with each benefit period, not each calendar year. In each benefit period under Original Medicare in 2026:
- You pay the Part A deductible of $1,736, which covers days 1 to 60 in the hospital.
- Days 61 to 90 cost $434 a day.
- In a skilled nursing facility, days 1 to 20 cost nothing after a qualifying hospital stay, and days 21 to 100 cost $217 a day.
There's no limit on the number of benefit periods, so a person with two separate hospital stays more than 60 days apart can pay the deductible twice in one year. Beyond day 90 in a benefit period, you can draw on 60 lifetime reserve days. Medicare Advantage plans don't use benefit periods the same way; they set their own hospital cost sharing.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
If I'm readmitted to the hospital after 30 days, do I pay the deductible again?
No. If fewer than 60 days in a row have passed without inpatient or skilled nursing care, you're still in the same benefit period. After 60 days in a row, a new benefit period and a new deductible begin.
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