Dental, Vision, and Hearing
Original Medicare coverage
Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B only cover dental, vision, and hearing for inpatient and outpatient medical needs. It, however, does not cover regular checkups or other dental, vision, and hearing procedures. The good news is that you can use Medical Advantage plans to cover these costs.
Medicare Dental Insurance
While Original Medicare’s dental coverage is limited to protecting your dental health, it does not cover essential dental services out of inpatient or outpatient care. Medicare Advantage, however, is flexible and it offers more benefits such as:
- Routine dental checkups
- Teeth cleaning
- Fillings
- Dentures
- Most tooth extractions
You can get dental coverage as part of a Medicare Advantage plan or standalone dental insurance.
Medicare Hearing Insurance
Although Medicare Part B pays a portion of a few hearing tests when they are recommended by your primary physician, Original Medicare is not flexible when it comes to Hearing insurance.
Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or routine ear checkups. You can only get these benefits and more when you register for a standalone dental, vision, and hearing insurance or enroll in a Medical Advantage plan that covers them.
Medicare Vision Insurance
While Original Medicare does not typically include routine eye checks, glasses, or contact lenses, it does cover a couple of vision medical procedures under Medicare Part B.
These include:
- Intraocular lens implant cataract surgery.
Medicare part B covers corrective lens costs and a set of contact lenses or eyeglasses provided by an ophthalmologist. This is only covered once per lifetime and you will be responsible for the cost of your next eyeglasses, contacts, or upgraded frames.
- Glaucoma screening once every year.
This is covered for high-risk patients with diabetes, glaucoma family history, African Americans who are 50 or older, and Hispanic Americans who are 65 and older.
- Eye prosthesis
They are covered for patients with absence or shrinkage of an eye due to birth defects, surgical removal, or trauma. It also covers eye replacements every five years.
- Diagnostics and treatment
Certain diagnostic tests and eye condition treatments are covered by Medicare Part D.
An alternative to Original Medicare is enrolling in standalone vision plans to get routine eye exams, upgraded or multiple eyeglasses frames, or multiple pairs of contact lenses. You can also get these benefits under Medical Advantage plans.
You need to review Medicare Advantage insurance plans thoroughly before enrolling to see if they cater to your needs. Our certified Medical Insurance agent will help you compare Medicare plans and find the best one that suits your needs.