Does Medicare Cover Inpatient Rehab? 

Rehabilitation is often an important step for seniors who are recovering from surgery or who have suffered a serious injury. In some cases, rehabilitation (rehab) takes place in an outpatient setting. In these scenarios, seniors visit a doctor, physical therapist or other type of medical specialist on a scheduled basis at an outpatient facility to undergo therapeutic treatment.

While outpatient rehab is beneficial for some seniors, others require a more intensive approach to rehab that involves inpatient admission. Inpatient rehab is generally reserved for people who have some type of disabling condition as a result of surgery, injury or illness and need personalized, attentive care while recovering.

What is involved in inpatient rehab?

Inpatient rehab often includes many of the same treatments as outpatient rehab but in an inpatient setting. Treatment may be provided more frequently in an inpatient setting, such as daily or even multiple times per day. Inpatient rehab will also include meals and nursing care, and specialists may be brought in from outside of a facility’s staff to offer consulting and treatment services.

How long is an admission for inpatient rehab?

The length of an inpatient rehab admission depends on the severity of the need. For some seniors in an inpatient rehab facility, the stay may only last a week or less. For others, weeks or months of inpatient rehab may be required. Following inpatient rehab, follow-up rehabilitation may be required on an outpatient basis.

Does Medicare cover inpatient rehab?

Medicare benefits cover inpatient rehab, but there are some limitations when using Medicare coverage to help pay for these services. In general, Medicare covers inpatient skilled nursing care under Medicare Part A, and most seniors pay no premium to carry Medicare Part A. If a specialist needs to be brought in from outside of an inpatient facility’s staff to administer rehab services, that specialists service are generally billed separately and fall under Medicare’s outpatient coverage of Medicare Part B.

How many days of inpatient rehab does Medicare cover?

Medicare insurance covers rehabilitation services when you are admitted to an acute care rehabilitation center, inpatient rehab facility (IRF) or rehabilitation hospital. Each benefit period, Medicare recipients receive an allotment of 60 days that can be used for inpatient care in a hospital or 20 days that can be used for inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF).

If you require inpatient care for longer than these limits allow, you can receive an additional 30 days of care in a hospital or 80 days of care in an SNF by paying a coinsurance per day. In 2024, this amount is $408 per day.

Your allotment of covered inpatient days counts toward any inpatient admission. This means that if you have been hospitalized previously in a benefit period and then require inpatient rehab later in the same period, Medicare combines the total number of days of inpatient care provided. The program does not make a distinction between inpatient admission days and inpatient rehab days.

You only need to meet your deductible once

You must also meet your Part A deductible in order to utilize your Medicare benefits for inpatient rehabilitation. In 2024, this amount is $1,632; however, your deductible only needs to be met once for the benefit period. If you are hospitalized and have met your deductible and are then transferred to an IRF or similar facility, you do not need to pay your deductible again.