The answer
How long does Medicare Part A cover a hospital stay?
Medicare Part A covers a hospital stay in stages tied to the benefit period, not a single yearly limit.
After you pay the inpatient deductible of $1,736 per benefit period in 2026, Part A covers your covered hospital costs in full for the first 60 days of an inpatient stay. For days beyond that, you begin paying daily coinsurance, meaning a set share of the cost per day, with the amount increasing for longer stays. A benefit period starts when you are admitted and ends after 60 days out of the hospital or skilled nursing facility. There is also a lifetime reserve of extra days you can use once. The exact daily amounts vary, so the key idea is that longer stays bring added costs.