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Benefit
Period
A benefit period
is the way in which Medicare measures a person's use of
hospital and SNF services. A benefit period begins the day the person
with Medicare is admitted to a hospital or SNF and ends when he or she
has not received hospital or SNF services for 60 days in a row. If the
person is readmitted to the hospital after one benefit
period has ended, a new benefit period begins. He or she must pay the
inpatient hospital deductible for each benefit period. There is no limit
to the number of benefit periods a person can use.
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Payment
For each benefit
period in 2005, Joleen and Todd's parents will pay:
- A total of $912
for a hospital stay of 1 to 60 days.
- $228 per day
for days 61 to 90 of a hospital stay.
- $456 per day
for days 91 to 150 of a hospital stay.
- All costs for
each day beyond 150 days.
Lifetime Reserve
Days are 60 days that Medicare will pay for when you are in a hospital
for more than 90 days in a benefit period. These 60 days can be used
only
once during a lifetime, but do not need to be used at
one time. For each lifetime, reserve day, Medicare pays
all covered costs except for a daily coinsurance amount ($456 in 2005).
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