What is covered?
Medicare covers services (like lab tests, surgeries, and doctor visits) and supplies (like wheelchairs and walkers) considered medically necessary to treat a disease or condition.
If you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare plan, you may have different rules, but your plan must give you at least the same coverage as Original Medicare. Some services may only be covered in certain settings or for patients with certain conditions.
In general, Part A covers:
- Hospital care
- Skilled nursing facility care
- Nursing home care (as long as custodial care isn't the only care you need)
- Hospice
- Home health services
2 ways to find out if Medicare covers what you need
- Talk to your doctor or other health care provider about why you need certain services or supplies, and ask if Medicare will cover them. If you need something that's usually covered and your provider thinks that Medicare won't cover it in your situation, you'll have to read and sign a notice saying that you may have to pay for the item, service, or supply.
- Find out if Medicare covers your item, service, or supply.
Medicare coverage is based on 3 main factors
- Federal and state laws.
- National coverage decisions made by Medicare about whether something is covered.
- Local coverage decisions made by companies in each state that process claims for Medicare. These companies decide whether something is medically necessary and should be covered in their area.