Mental health care (inpatient)

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.

Call 911 if you're in immediate medical crisis.

Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers mental health care services you get when you're admitted as a hospital patient. Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers the services you get from a doctor or other health care provider while you’re in the hospital.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay this for each benefit period: 

  • Days 1–60: $1,632 ($1,676 in 2025) deductible. 
  • Days 61–90: $408 ($419 in 2025) each day.
  • Days 91 and beyond: $816 ($838 in 2025) each day while using your 60 " lifetime reserve days.
  • Each day after you use all of your lifetime reserve days: All costs.
  • 20% of the  Medicare-approved amount  for mental health services you get from doctors and other health care providers while you're a hospital inpatient.

What it is

Mental health care services help diagnose and treat people with mental health disorders, like depression and anxiety.

Things to know

  • You can get these services either in a general hospital or a psychiatric hospital (a facility that only cares for people with mental health disorders). 
  • There’s no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have, whether you’re getting mental health care in a general or psychiatric hospital. However, if you're in a psychiatric hospital (instead of a general hospital), Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient psychiatric hospital services during your lifetime.

Medicare doesn't cover:

  • Private duty nursing
  • A phone or television in your room (if there's a separate charge for these items)
  • Personal items, like toothpaste, socks, or razors
  • A private room, unless medically necessary 

 

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