Which scenario best illustrates Medicare Part A coverage?

• A. Patient hospitalized after acute stroke, then discharged to inpatient rehab or SNF for continued skilled care
• B. Patient receiving routine dental care
• C. Patient undergoing elective cosmetic surgery
• D. Patient using ambulance services for non-emergency transport

Answer: (A)

Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital care and skilled nursing facility care that follows a qualifying hospital stay. In this scenario, a patient is hospitalized for an acute stroke and then needs continued, medically necessary skilled care in an inpatient rehab setting or a skilled nursing facility. That sequence—inpatient hospitalization plus subsequent skilled care in an inpatient setting—fits Part A coverage precisely.

Routine dental care, elective cosmetic surgery, and non-emergency ambulance transport are not the inpatient, skilled-care services Part A provides. Dental care and cosmetic procedures are generally not covered, and non-emergency ambulance transport falls outside the inpatient benefits of Part A.