Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

7 Healthcare Services that Medicare Does Not Cover

Posted by Janice Wood, September 21, 2021

While we all expect that Medicare will cover a significant portion of our healthcare needs after age 65, the program actually does not offer coverage for everything you might need. The following seven services are not covered by Medicare Parts A or B, so in the event that you need them, you must make a plan to pay for them yourself.

Certain types of eye care. Medicare does cover ophthalmic care such as cataract surgery. But Original Medicare does not pay for routine vision exams, glasses, or contact lenses. Some Medicare Advantage plans do cover these items, or you can seek a supplemental vision plan.

Hearing aids. Original Medicare will usually cover care for health-related conditions that affect the ears but does not pay for routine hearing exams or hearing aids. Some Advantage plans do provide this service. Congress recently approved legislation that allows certain types of hearing aids to be sold over-the-counter.

Dental care. Original Medicare does not cover dental exams and procedures such as filing cavities or root canals. Dentures are also not covered. However, some Advantage plans do offer dental care. Supplemental dental plans are an option for those on Original Medicare.

Podiatry. Certain types of podiatry, like removal of calluses, are not covered by Medicare. However, Medicare does cover foot injuries, conditions like hammer toe and bunions, and treatment related to diabetes.

Cosmetic surgery. Elective cosmetic surgery is not covered by Medicare, but the program will usually pay for the cost of reconstructive surgery related to an accidental injury.

Overseas medical care. Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans generally lack coverage for medical care outside of the United States. If you travel frequently, consider a Medigap policy.

Long-term nursing care. Medicare offers coverage for limited stays in rehabilitation facilities. But if you need to move to a nursing home or assisted living facility in the long term, you must find some other way to cover that expense.

Understanding the limitations of your Medicare plan is just as important as learning about the benefits. Plan for these uncovered expenses within the context of your overall retirement income plan, so that you won’t be caught off-guard with surprise expenses.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close