Medicare Part B
Medicare Part B covers outpatient and preventative services like going to your primary care doctor. Part be covers many vital services and, for Part C or Medigap plans, it is a requirement for eligibility. Learn more about Part B below.
Covered Services
Part B covers many services. There are four main categories under which these services fall: Preventative care, outpatient services, tests, and durable medical equipment. Below are the services covered by each category.
PREVENTATIVE CARE
- Counseling And Education
- Cardiovascular Disease Behavioral Therapy
- Diabetes Nutrition Counseling
- Medical Nutrition In Patients With End Stage Renal Disease
- Obesity Nutrition Counseling
- Smoking Cessation
- Vaccines
- Screenings
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm For At-risk Beneficiaries
- Alcohol Misuse Screening
- Breast Cancer Screening
- Cardiovascular Disease Screening
- Alcohol Misuse Screening
- Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Depression Screening
- Diabetes Screening
- Glaucoma Screening
- Hepatitis b Screening
- HIV
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Obesity Screening
- Osteoporosis Screening Using Bone Density Scans
- Prostate Cancer Screening
OUTPATIENT SERVICES
- Advanced Care Planning
- Ambulance Services
- Ambulatory Surgical Centers
- Behavioral Health Integration Services
- Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
- Chemotherapy
- Chiropractic Services
- Chronic Care Management Services
- Clinical Research Studies
- Doctor And Healthcare Provider Services
- Emergency Services
- Federally Qualified Health Center Services
- Foot Exams
- Home Health Services
- Kidney Disease Education
- Mental Health Services
- Occupational And Physical Therapies
- Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Outpatient Hospitalization
- Limited Prescription Drug Coverage
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Rural Health Clinic Services
- STD Screening And Counseling
- Speech-Language Pathology Services
- Telehealth
- Transitional Care Management
- Travel Health Needs
- Urgently Needed Care
TESTS
- EKG Screening
- Hearing and Balance Tests
- Laboratory Services
- Other Diagnostic Outpatient Tests Such As X-Rays And MRIs
DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
- CPAP Devices
- Defibrillator
- Diabetes Equipment (Including shoes, continuous glucose monitors, test strips, lancets, insulin used in a pump) (Excluding needles, syringes, alcohol swabs)
- Glasses After Cataract Surgery
- Kidney Dialysis Supplies
- Prosthetics And Orthotics
- Surgical Dressings
There are a few reasons these services are split up into categories. Medicare Part B reimburses these items differently depending on which category they belong to. This means that you may have to pay for certain items or services out of pocket. For example, Medicare only pays 80% of the cost of outpatient services, tests, and equipment. The beneficiary pays the remaining 20% which can quickly become expensive. Preventative services on the other hand are usually covered in full.
Part B Costs
Part B requires beneficiaries to pay a monthly premium to receive coverage. This premium changes annually, and there are plans such as Medicare advantage plans that offer “giveback” programs to discount the cost of the part b premium. Beneficiaries are also responsible for a 20% coinsurance and an annual deductible.
Summary
Part B covers outpatient and preventative services for Medicare beneficiaries. These services come at the cost of a monthly premium and annual deductible. There is also a 20% coinsurance. To better understand your Medicare options, contact MediCompare today.
