The Medicare Part A hospital deductible is $1,736 in 2026, and based on projections in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, it is expected to rise to approximately $1,788 in 2027, an increase of roughly $52. The official number will not be confirmed until the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes it, typically in mid to late November 2026, but the trend of the last several years and the Trustees' own cost projections point to that range. This article walks through how the deductible is calculated, what drove past increases, what the coinsurance amounts that flow from it will likely look like, and what it means for your 2027 healthcare budget.
What Is the Medicare Part A Deductible
Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health services. Unlike Part B, which has a standard yearly deductible, Part A works on a "benefit period" system. A benefit period starts the day you're admitted as an inpatient and ends after you have been out of the hospital and any skilled nursing facility for 60 consecutive days.
That structure matters because the Part A deductible is not an annual cap. You pay the deductible once per benefit period, not once per year. If you're hospitalized in January and again in September with a gap longer than 60 days between stays, you could owe the deductible twice in the same calendar year.
2026 Part A Costs (Confirmed)
CMS confirmed these figures for calendar year 2026:
| Cost item | 2026 amount |
|---|
| Inpatient hospital deductible (per benefit period) | $1,736 |
| Daily coinsurance, hospital days 61 to 90 | $434 |
| Daily coinsurance, lifetime reserve days (61 total, used once) | $868 |
| Daily coinsurance, skilled nursing facility days 21 to 100 | $217 |
The 2026 deductible rose $60 from the 2025 figure of $1,676.
How the 2027 Projection Was Calculated
The Part A deductible isn't a political decision made each year. It is set by a formula tied to the projected average cost of a hospital stay under Medicare, using the same inputs the Medicare Trustees use to project the program's finances a decade out. The Trustees publish these projections each spring, and CMS locks in the actual number in the fall based on updated data.
The 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, released in mid-2026, projects the Part A hospital deductible will increase to approximately $1,788 in calendar year 2027. That is an increase of about $52, or roughly 3.0 percent, consistent with recent years of hospital cost growth.
Because the daily coinsurance amounts for hospital days 61-90, lifetime reserve days, and skilled nursing facility days are set as fixed fractions of the deductible, projecting the deductible lets us estimate the rest of the Part A cost-sharing structure too.
| Cost item | 2026 confirmed | 2027 projected |
|---|
| Inpatient hospital deductible | $1,736 | approximately $1,788 |
| Daily coinsurance, days 61-90 (1/4 of deductible) | $434 | approximately $447 |
| Daily coinsurance, lifetime reserve days (1/2 of deductible) | $868 | approximately $894 |
| Daily coinsurance, SNF days 21-100 (1/8 of deductible) | $217 | approximately $224 |
These are projections, not official figures. CMS will not confirm the actual 2027 numbers until its annual fact sheet, expected around November 2026. Treat the $1,788 figure as a planning estimate, not a locked-in cost.
Five-Year History: How the Deductible Has Grown
Looking at the recent trend helps explain why a roughly $50 increase for 2027 is a reasonable expectation rather than a guess.
| Year | Part A deductible | Change from prior year |
|---|
| 2023 | $1,600 | +$44 |
| 2024 | $1,632 | +$32 |
| 2025 | $1,676 | +$44 |
| 2026 | $1,736 | +$60 |
| 2027 (projected) | approximately $1,788 | approximately +$52 |
The deductible has increased every year in this window, with annual jumps ranging from about 2 percent to nearly 3.6 percent. The 2026 increase was the largest single-year jump in this stretch, driven by higher projected hospital utilization and payment rates. The 2027 projection assumes growth returns closer to the recent average rather than repeating the sharper 2026 jump, but that assumption could shift once CMS finalizes the number.
Why the Deductible Keeps Rising
A few factors consistently push the Part A deductible upward each year:
Hospital cost growth. The deductible is designed to track the estimated average cost Medicare pays for an inpatient hospital stay. As hospital payment rates rise under Medicare's prospective payment system, the deductible rises with them.
Utilization patterns. Higher rates of hospitalization, longer average stays, or shifts in the mix of services affect the underlying cost estimate used in the formula.
Trust fund pressure. The 2026 Trustees Report projects the Hospital Insurance (Part A) Trust Fund will be depleted in 2033, a quarter earlier than the prior year's projection. This funding pressure does not directly set the deductible formula, but it underscores why cost-sharing amounts are expected to keep climbing rather than level off in the near term.
Long-term care service growth. Trustees project skilled nursing facility, home health, and hospice spending will grow faster than inpatient hospital spending over the next decade, which factors into the broader Part A cost trajectory even though the deductible itself is hospital-stay specific.
What This Means for Your 2027 Budget
If the projection holds, a single hospital admission in 2027 will cost roughly $52 more out of pocket in deductible alone than the same stay would have cost in 2026. For someone hospitalized more than once in a year with a gap longer than 60 days between stays, that cost compounds each time the deductible resets.
A few practical takeaways while you wait for the official number:
- Medigap coverage. If you have a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy, check which plan letter you hold. Plans C and F (only available if you were Medicare-eligible before January 1, 2020) cover the Part A deductible in full. Plans that cover Part A coinsurance for hospital and skilled nursing days typically follow the same increase automatically.
- Medicare Advantage. If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, your hospital cost-sharing structure is set by your plan, not the Original Medicare deductible directly, though many plans use the Part A figures as a benchmark. Review your plan's Evidence of Coverage each fall during Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7) to see how your specific hospital cost-sharing changes for the coming year.
- Emergency savings. Because the deductible can apply more than once per year under the benefit period rules, budgeting for at least one full deductible payment as a contingency, rather than assuming a single annual cap like Part B, is the more accurate way to plan.
- Extra Help and Medicaid. If your income is limited, you may qualify for programs that cover some or all of your Medicare cost-sharing, including Medicare Savings Programs that pay Part A and Part B premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance for qualifying beneficiaries.
When Will the Official 2027 Number Be Announced
CMS typically releases the official Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles for the following calendar year in a fact sheet published in mid to late November. For 2026, the announcement came on November 14, 2025. Expect the 2027 announcement around the same window in November 2026, roughly a month and a half before the new figures take effect on January 1, 2027.
Until that announcement, any 2027 dollar figure, including the estimates in this article, should be treated as a planning projection based on the Medicare Trustees Report rather than a confirmed cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Medicare Part A deductible for 2026?
The confirmed 2026 Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible is $1,736 per benefit period, an increase of $60 from the 2025 amount of $1,676.
What is the projected Medicare Part A deductible for 2027?
Based on the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, the Part A deductible is projected to rise to approximately $1,788 in 2027, an increase of roughly $52. This figure is a projection, not an official CMS number, until CMS confirms it in November 2026.
Is the Part A deductible paid once a year or per hospital stay?
It is paid per benefit period, not per calendar year. A benefit period ends after you have been out of the hospital and any skilled nursing facility for 60 consecutive days in a row. If you are readmitted after that 60-day gap, you owe the deductible again, even if it is the same calendar year.
Does Medigap cover the Part A deductible?
Some Medigap plans cover the Part A deductible in full, including Plans C, D, F, G, and N (coverage details vary by plan letter). Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020. Check your specific plan's benefits chart to confirm what it covers.
How is the Part A deductible different from the Part B deductible?
The Part B deductible is a single amount you pay once per calendar year for outpatient and doctor services before Medicare starts sharing costs. The Part A deductible applies per benefit period for inpatient hospital and skilled nursing facility stays, and can be charged more than once in a year if you have separate hospitalizations spaced more than 60 days apart.
Why does the Part A deductible increase every year?
The deductible is calculated using a formula tied to the estimated average cost of an inpatient hospital stay under Medicare. As hospital payment rates and utilization rise, the deductible rises with them. It has increased every year for over a decade, though the size of the increase varies annually.
Will the actual 2027 amount match the trustees' projection exactly?
Not necessarily. Trustees Report projections are based on economic and healthcare cost assumptions made in the spring. CMS calculates the final, official figure later in the year using more current data, so the actual November 2026 announcement could land somewhat above or below the projection in this article.
