Original Medicare (Parts A & B): Long-Term Care Hospital Services

What it is

Long-term care hospitals (also called long-term acute care hospital are LTAC) typically provide care to patients with more than one serious medical condition. Patients may improve with time and care, and eventually return home. Long-term care hospitals may offer services like: 

• Respiratory therapy

• Head trauma treatment

• Pain management

Things to know

After being discharged from the long-term care hospital, many people go on to receive care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or custodial care in a long-term care facility. Custodial care refers to services ordinarily provided by personnel like certified nursing aides (CNAs).

Costs

For each benefit period*, the member is responsible to pay:

• $1,600 deductible for Days 1 - 60*

• $400 copayment each day for Days 61-90

• $800 copayment per each "lifetime reserve day" after Day 90 (up to 60 days in a lifetime)

• All costs for each day after the 60 lifetime reserve days

*A deductible is not required for care in the long-term care hospital if the deductible was already charged for care received in a prior hospitalization within the same benefit period. This is because the benefit period starts on Day 1 of the prior hospital stay, and that stay counts towards the deductible. For example, the member won’t have to pay a deductible for long-term care hospital care if:

• They're transferred there directly from an acute care hospital

• They're admitted to a long-term care hospital within 60 days of being discharged from a hospital

Note that lifetime reserve days do not reset; once they are spent, they are deducted from the 60 days total until gone.