Dental_-_Tooth_-_Dentist_-_Dentistry_12-512

Dental Vision and Hearing Care Coverage

Medicare pays for a range of health care benefits for older adults and persons living with disabilities. But routine teeth cleaning, vision and hearing tests, eyeglass and hearing aid fittings, and similar procedures are not covered.

For seniors and adults with disabilities who have trouble paying for these services, several programs may be able to help.

What dental, vision, and hearing benefits does Medicare cover ?

Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers the following services:

  • Dental insurance: Medicare will pay for dental services that are medically necessary prior to another Medicare-covered procedure. For example, Medicare may cover tooth extraction for a person with oral cancer prior to radiation treatment.
  • Vision insurance: Part B covers an annual glaucoma test for at-risk individuals, an annual exam to test for diabetic retinopathy among diabetics, certain diagnostic tests and screenings for macular degeneration, and cataract surgery plus one pair of post-surgery eyeglasses.
  • Hearing insurance: Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if a provider orders these tests to see if a person requires medical treatment for a condition other than hearing loss.

Does Medicare Advantage/Medicaid pay for dental, vision, and hearing services?

If you are enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan, or you also have Medicaid, you should check with your plan to see what it covers. Medicare Advantage plans and Medicaid sometimes pay for services that are not covered under Original Medicare.