What Is Medicare Part A and B? How the Pair Works

What is Medicare Part A and B, together?

In short: Parts A and B are Original Medicare. Part A is hospital insurance. Part B covers doctors, outpatient care and equipment. In 2026 Part B costs $202.90 a month and Part A is usually $0.

Your mother comes home from the hospital with a stack of papers. One bill says Part A. Another says Part B. Same stay, same week, two letters. Nobody told you they were two halves of one thing.

If your parent was discharged and nobody has booked the follow-up, a navigator can make those calls and track them. Navigate Care explains how that works and what it may cost on its what you will pay page.

Medicare.gov puts it in one line: "Original Medicare includes Part A and Part B." Add a drug plan (Part D) or a Medigap policy if you want. Or swap the pair for a private Medicare Advantage plan. But A and B are the base.

Part A and Part B side by side

The simplest test: was your parent in a hospital bed, or not? In a bed as an inpatient, it's Part A. Anywhere else, it's usually Part B.

Original Medicare's two parts in 2026

Source: Medicare.gov, Medicare costs and parts of Medicare

Notice the two deductibles count differently. Part B's resets each year. Part A's belongs to a benefit period, which AARP says begins when you are admitted as an inpatient and ends after 60 days in a row out of the hospital or a skilled nursing facility. So your parent can pay it twice in one year, or once across a New Year.

For the detail on each, we have a page apiece: Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.

One hospital stay, traced through both parts

Here is how the two halves meet. Round numbers, an illustration and not a real bill.

Your father is admitted as an inpatient. The room, meals and nursing fall under Part A, after the $1,736 deductible. Care from his doctors and other providers falls under Part B. That is why one stay can produce two sets of paper.

Then he moves to a skilled nursing facility for 25 days. Medicare.gov says that needs an inpatient hospital stay of at least 3 days in a row first, and that time under observation or in the emergency room doesn't count. In 2026 days 1 to 20 are $0 a day, and days 21 to 100 are $217 a day. So the last 5 of his 25 days cost $217 each.

Back home, the follow-up with his doctor and a walker are Part B. If a covered service has an approved amount of $1,000 and he has met the deductible, he pays 20%, which is $200.

That's the part nobody explains: one episode, two parts, and the hand-off between them is where families get lost. Ask early whether he is admitted or in observation. It decides the nursing facility bill.

What the pair does not cover

A and B together are broad but not complete. NCOA says Original Medicare does not cover most outpatient prescription drugs, generally not routine dental, vision or hearing care, and not most long-term care such as custodial care. Medicare doesn't pay for the help with bathing or dressing that many families need most.

Three ways people fill those gaps: a Part D plan for drugs, a Medigap policy for the 20% and the deductibles, or Medicare Advantage in place of the pair. Our guide to Medicare insurance plans compared lays out the choice, and Medicare Part D and Medicare Part C take each in turn. SHIP, the free State Health Insurance Assistance Program, can talk it through without selling anything.

Who gets Parts A and B, and when

NCOA says people who get Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits are enrolled automatically at 65. Everyone else has an Initial Enrollment Period: three months before the month of the 65th birthday, through three months after. If your parent hasn't got a card, our guide on how to apply for Medicare has the steps, and who qualifies for Medicare explains the tests.

Part A's $0 premium depends on work history. AARP says 30 to 39 quarters of work means $311 a month in 2026, and fewer means $565. A spouse's record may count. Social Security can check.

Where a navigator comes in

A navigator doesn't treat, diagnose or choose your parent's coverage. The follow-through is the job: the referral, the equipment, the call after discharge. Medicare doesn't automatically cover navigation. It depends on a qualifying condition or need and a provider visit. For patients with supplemental coverage the cost is usually $0, and we confirm your cost before you start.

To talk to the Trynavigate team about an appointment or any other question, call 628 234 2273 (NAV-234-CARE). If you would rather write, the contact page has a short form. Add your name, date of birth, ZIP code, phone number and whether you have Part B, and the team says it will call you within one business day.