Q&A: Calculating patient responsibility for Medicare inpatient LRD

Q: For calendar year 2021, what is the inpatient deductible for Medicare beneficiaries' hospital inpatient lifetime reserve days (LRD)?

A: All beneficiaries eligible for Part A also have 60 inpatient hospital lifetime reserve days (LRD) which they may draw upon once their regular inpatient hospital covered days are exhausted. For each LRD used, the patient will be subject to a daily coinsurance equal to 50% of the then-current inpatient deductible ($742 in CY 2021). The hospital is required to provide notice to beneficiaries when they are about to exhaust their regular benefit days and to permit beneficiaries to elect not to use their LRDs, with an understanding of the financial consequences if they choose not to use them.

For more information, see "Note from the instructor: CY 2021 updates to Medicare beneficiary cost sharing," by Judith Kares, JD.