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One of Medicare’s four main parts, Part B covers doctors’ services, diagnostic screenings, lab tests, preventive services and outpatient care, plus some medical equipment and transportation.
The other types of coverage fall under:
Part A, which helps pay for inpatient stays in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, some home care and end-of-life hospice care. Together, Part A and Part B are known as original Medicare.
Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, which is a private health insurance alternative to federally run original Medicare. You still need to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B if you choose to get coverage from a Medicare Advantage plan.
Part D, which is prescription drug coverage. You can get Part D through a stand-alone policy or from a Medicare Advantage plan.
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What services does Medicare Part B cover?
Part B covers the bulk of your medical needs beyond hospitalization and prescription drugs, including:
- Doctor visits or appointments with other health care providers, including some doctor services when hospitalized.
- Diabetes care, including education, certain equipment, prevention programs and screenings.
- Diagnostic tests, including CT scans, electrocardiograms, MRIs and X-rays.
- Durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and walkers, that your doctor prescribes for use in your home.
- Emergency department and outpatient surgery center services, as well as other outpatient hospital services.
- Some health programs, such as cardiac rehabilitation, obesity counseling and smoking cessation.
- Laboratory services, such as blood and urine tests.
- A limited number of prescription drugs that you usually don’t administer yourself, such as insulin from an external insulin pump that’s not disposable. Insulin you administer yourself is covered under Medicare Part D instead.
- Outpatient mental health services.
- Outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology services.
- Preventive care, such as flu shots and mammograms, to help avert illness or detect it at an early stage. Many preventive services are covered without deductibles or copayments; however, some vaccinations, such as the shingles vaccine, are covered under Part D instead.
- A Welcome to Medicare checkup and the annual wellness visit, which are covered in full without deductibles or copayments, unless additional tests are ordered.
Even though Part B covers many doctor services, it doesn’t cover everything. Part B generally doesn’t cover routine dental, hearing and vision care.
What’s more, care not considered medically necessary, such as elective cosmetic surgery, isn’t covered, either. Chiropractor and acupuncture visits are paid for only if you meet very specific criteria, and Part B doesn’t cover medical services outside the United States, except in rare circumstances.
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