If the approved charge for respite care is $200 per day, what would be the family's co-payment under Medicare Part A?

Under Medicare Part A, which covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health services, the cost-sharing structure involves a specific co-payment for skilled nursing facility services. Once the Medicare patient has met their deductible (which is applicable for the first 60 days of a hospital stay), they are typically responsible for a co-payment.

In the case of respite care provided in a skilled nursing facility, after the initial benefits are exhausted, Medicare requires a co-payment per day. For respite care, which temporarily relieves family caregivers, the co-payment is often calculated based on a daily rate, and typically is a set percentage of the approved charge.

Given that the approved charge for respite care is $200 per day, a co-payment of $10 is consistent with Medicare's cost-sharing requirements. This is reflective of Part A's standard approach to setting daily co-payment obligations for skilled nursing services.

This understanding also aligns with the overall insurance structure under Medicare, which places emphasis on shared costs between the program and the beneficiaries during their utilization of skilled nursing care.