Part B
Part B: Medical services
Part B covers medical services such as doctor visits and outpatient care. You pay a monthly premium for Part B, plus additional medical service costs.
What's covered:
- Doctor office visits (primary care and specialists)
- Test and laboratory services
- Outpatient care
- Ambulance and emergency services
- Limited prescription drug coverage, including injections received in a doctor's office, certain oral cancer drugs, and certain drugs you get in a hospital outpatient setting
- You can see any Medicare provider, no referrals required
What's not covered:
- Routine eye exams and most eyeglasses
- Dental care and dentures (with only a few exceptions)
- Outpatient prescription drugs prescribed by your doctor
- Gym memberships or fitness classes
- Weight management programs
- Routine hearing tests
- Custodial care (help with bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, and eating) at home or in a nursing home
- Long-term care (for information about paying for long-term care, visit longtermcare.acl.gov or eldercare.acl.gov
- Acupuncture
- Most chiropractic services
What does Part B cost?
Premium: $164.90 per month (depending on income)
Your premium is deducted from your Social Security payments automatically (once you sign up for Part B). If you do not receive Social Security payments, you will get a Medicare bill every 3 months.
Deductible: $226 per year
Coinsurance: 20%
After you reach the deductible, you pay 20% (called coinsurance) of the Medicare-approved amount for each specific procedure. Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans can cover this remaining 20%.