Medicare Glossary

Beneficiary

A person who is enrolled in and covered by Medicare. This includes people aged 65 and older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease or ALS.

Also known as: Medicare recipient, enrollee

Benefit Period

The way Medicare measures your use of hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) services under Part A. A benefit period begins the day you are admitted as an inpatient and ends when you have been out of the hospital or SNF for 60 consecutive days. There is no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have.

Brand-name drug

A prescription drug sold under its trademarked name. Brand-name drugs are typically more expensive than generic alternatives and may be in a higher formulary tier, requiring a higher copay or coinsurance under Part D.