The answer
Is Medicare Part A free?
Medicare Part A is premium-free for most people, but it is not entirely free.
If you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 40 quarters, about 10 years of work, you pay no monthly premium for Part A in 2026. If you worked 30 to 39 quarters, the Part A premium is $311 per month in 2026; with fewer than 30 quarters, it is $565 per month in 2026. Even when Part A has no premium, you still pay costs when you use it: the inpatient hospital deductible is $1,736 per benefit period in 2026, plus coinsurance, your share of costs, for longer stays. So Part A is often premium-free, but using it still has out-of-pocket costs.