Medicare Glossary

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.

Custodial Care

Non-skilled help with everyday activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, and mobility. Medicare generally does not cover custodial care on its own unless it is part of a covered skilled nursing or hospice stay.

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.

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)