Medicare covers health care services and items that are medically necessary and reasonable as follows:

• Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, inpatient skilled nursing facility stays, home health care and hospice care.
• Medicare Part B covers outpatient medical services such as doctor visits, diagnostic lab tests and preventive care.
• Medicare Part D covers most prescription drugs. For more information, see Medicare Basics.

Note: Medicare Part C refers to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. An MA plan is an alternative to Original fee-for-service Medicare. MA plans are sponsored by Medicare, which pays private insurance companies to provide health services to beneficiaries who enroll in these plans. For more information, see Medicare Advantage.