Final answer:
Medicare basic coverage (Part A) covers hospital expenses, including surgeries. It does not typically include outpatient hospital care or physical therapy, which are under the optional Part B coverage.
Step-by-step explanation:
Medicare basic coverage, also known as Part A, is designed to cover hospital expenses, which includes services like inpatient hospital stays and surgeries. It is a part of the public healthcare system established in 1965 to help citizens who are 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities, meet their medical care needs. Medicare Part A is essentially funded by payroll deductions with contributions from both employee and employer.
Part A is known for covering inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and home health care. However, it does not typically cover outpatient hospital care or physical therapy; those are generally covered under Medicare Part B, which is the optional insurance that handles health care costs outside of hospital stays, including physician services, medical tests, and outpatient visits.
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is A) hospital expenses, including surgeries.