Medicare in Wyoming Series: Part A Lesser known Services Covered
- jobehorsley
- Mar 6
- 3 min read
Additional Services Covered by Medicare Part A in Wyoming
Our last article in our Medicare in Wyoming series was about the major coverages Part A helps with. The two main coverages were inpatient hospital care and skilled nursing facilities. If you missed that article you can check it out HERE.
In this article we will go over some other coverages that Medicare Part A will cover that are not talked about as much. These coverages include blood, home health care and hospice services.
Blood
Medicare Part A will cover blood you receive at the hospital as an inpatient. If the hospital has to pay for the blood, you will need to cover the costs for the first 3 units you receive in a calendar year. However, if the hospital receives the blood from a blood bank for free or the blood is donated, you won't have to pay for it.
Home Health Care
Home health care encompasses a variety of health and social services that can be provided at home if needed. Medicare will cover medically necessary part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech-language pathology services, or ongoing occupational therapy.
Both Part A and Part B will cover home health care, but we will focus on what Medicare Part A will cover. Part A will cover up to 100 visits by a home health agency if you meet these two conditions. First, you were at the hospital as an inpatient for three days in a row. Second, you receive your home health care within 14 days of being released from a hospital or skilled nursing facility. After 100 Part A covered visits, your Part B will cover any extra qualifying home care visits.
To get Medicare to cover your home health visits, you will need to meet the following qualifications.
You must be considered homebound.
You will need skilled care.
Your doctor signs a home health certification that says you are homebound and need intermittent skilled nursing care or therapy. This certification must also say that you have a plan of care with regular doctor reviews.
Finally, the care you receive needs to be from A Medicare-certified home health agency.
Hospice
Hospice is a program to help support and care for someone who is terminally ill. Part A does cover hospice care as long as a hospice doctor and your doctor certify you are terminally ill, which means that you have a life expectancy of 6 months or less. When someone agrees to hospice care, they are agreeing to comfort care instead of care to cure the illness. Unlike home health care, you do not need to be homebound for hospice.
The hospice benefit is always covered under Original Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan and choose hospice, Original Medicare will automatically pay for your hospice. The Medicare Advantage plan will still cover care that is not for the terminal condition.
Most of the time, you will not need to pay anything when you are under hospice care. You will need to pay $5 per prescription for outpatient medication for pain and symptom management. If you do choose to use respite care, which is care you get in a Medicare-approved facility so your caregiver (family member or friend) can rest, you will pay 5% coinsurance. The coinsurance cannot exceed $1,676 for the calendar year 2025.
Our Medicare in Wyoming Series on Part A is Complete
If you have missed any of our other articles on Part A in this series, I will list the links below. Stay informed and keep following us at Golden Meadowlark Insurance here in Wyoming as we will go over Medicare Part B next.
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