Can You Buy Medicare Part A? 
For most individuals , Medicare Part A will be premium-free . This happens if you 're turning 65 and you 've hit your 40 credits -LRB- earned through working life/paying FICA taxes -RRB- . If you do n't hit this , the premium will be up to $ 426 per month . You can also qualify for Medicare Part A under other means -LRB- e.g. you 're under 65 and receiving social security disability benefits for 24 continuous months or you have end-stage renal disease -RRB- . Medicare Part A , in short , is your hospital insurance - Part B is your physician insurance . Part A provides benefits for your inpatient hospital stay , skilled nursing facility care , nursing home care , hospice care , and certain home health services . The benefit that is the most common claim is for hospital stays . During a hospital stay , your Part A will cover certain hospital services and supplies including semi-private rooms , meals , general nursing , and medications given during your stay . Acceptable hospital stays can include critical access hospitals , inpatient rehab facilities , LTC hospitals , acute care hospitals , and mental health care - you may want to confirm with Medicare whether a certain inpatient stay would be covered by a facility that is not a traditional hospital . You 're generally responsible for about 20 % of the healthcare expenses that are incurred during these visits - Medicare only covers approximately 80 % of the costs . You may want to consider buying a Medicare supplement plan -LRB- a.k.a. Medigap plan -RRB- to cover the other 20 % . 