Medicare Glossary

Acute Care

Short-term medical treatment for a severe injury, illness, or recovery from surgery. Typically provided in a hospital setting. Medicare Part A covers inpatient acute care stays when medically necessary.

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.

Home Health Care

A range of health care services that can be given in your home for an illness or injury, including skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and medical social services. Medicare Part A and/or Part B cover home health care if you meet certain conditions.

Hospice Care

End-of-life care for people who are terminally ill and have stopped curative treatment. Medicare Part A covers hospice care, including pain relief, symptom management, and emotional support for patients and families. A doctor must certify that the patient has 6 months or less to live if the illness runs its normal course.

Inpatient Care

Care you receive when you are formally admitted to a hospital. Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital care after you meet your deductible. Being in a hospital as an inpatient is different from outpatient observation status, which is covered under Part B.

Lifetime Reserve Days

Under Medicare Part A, you have 60 additional inpatient hospital days you can use over your lifetime after you use up the regular covered days in a benefit period. Once used, these days cannot be renewed. You pay a daily coinsurance for each lifetime reserve day.

Medicare Part A

Hospital insurance. Covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and some home health care. Most people don't pay a monthly premium for Part A if they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.

Also known as: Hospital Insurance

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)

A facility that provides short-term skilled care and therapy after a qualifying 3-day inpatient hospital stay. Medicare Part A covers SNF care for up to 100 days per benefit period, with no copay for days 1–20 and a daily coinsurance for days 21–100.

Also known as: SNF, Nursing home (short-term)