Your Medicare Coverage
Is your test, item, or service covered?
Mental health care (inpatient)
How often is it covered?
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers inpatient mental health care in hospitals, including specialized psychiatric units and hospitals.
Medicare doesn't cover:
- The cost of private duty nursing
- A phone or television in your room
- Personal items, like toothpaste, socks, or razors
- A private room, unless medically necessary
Who's eligible?
All people with Medicare are covered.
Your costs in Original Medicare
You pay:
- Days 1–60: $1,156 deductible for each benefit period.
- Days 61–90: $289 coinsurance per day of each benefit period.
- Days 91 and beyond: $578 coinsurance per each "lifetime reserve day" after day 90 for each benefit period (up to 60 days over your lifetime).
- Beyond lifetime reserve days: all costs.
Note
There's no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have when you get mental health care in a general hospital. You can also have multiple benefit periods when you get care in a psychiatric hospital. Remember, there's a lifetime limit of 190 days.
- 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for mental health services you get from doctors and other providers while you're a hospital inpatient.
Related resources
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- National Institute of Mental Health
- Find hospitals
If you need immediate help for yourself or someone in a crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-273-8255). TTY users should call 1-800-799-4TTY (1-800-799-4889).