Lifetime Reserve Days
What Does Lifetime Reserve Days Mean?
Lifetime reserve days refer to the number of days of hospital treatment that a health insurance policy covers over the policyholder’s lifetime after they have exhausted the allotted amount per benefit period. Typically, a policy might allow for 90 days of hospital treatment per coverage period, in addition to 30 days of lifetime reserve days.
Insuranceopedia Explains Lifetime Reserve Days
Lifetime reserve days are typically a feature of Medicare policies. Once the insured is admitted to a medical facility, the benefit period begins and lasts until they are discharged. If they need to stay longer than the time allotted per benefit period, they can use lifetime reserve days to remain covered for the duration of their stay. For example, if a patient is allowed only 90 days per coverage period, they can use 10 lifetime reserve days to extend their stay to 100 days in a facility.
A Medicare policy requires different co-pays based on the length of the patient’s stay. The first 60 days generally have no co-pay, while days 61 to 90 incur a higher co-pay, and an even higher co-pay applies for each lifetime reserve day after 90 days. Patients and their families can reduce the overall cost of an extended stay through careful planning, as it may be more financially advantageous to pay out of pocket, use a separate policy, or utilize lifetime reserve days.
