Dental, Vision, & Hearing
If you are a Medicare beneficiary, you may be wondering if you have dental, vision, and hearing coverage. Unfortunately, Medicare’s benefits in this department are very limited. If you need the coverage, you can always enroll in a stand-alone plan.
Dental, Vision, Hearing, and Medicare
So, what’s the deal with Medicare and dental, vision, and hearing coverage? Medicare is a government-run insurance program. This means that any major coverage decisions must be made on a federal level, not by individual insurance companies.
What Original Medicare Does and Doesn’t Cover
What, then, does Original Medicare (including both Part A and Part B) cover? Part A provides emergency hospital or skilled nursing facility coverage. Unless you go to the emergency room for a tooth, eye, or ear-related issue, it won’t cover dental, vision, and hearing.
And, more than likely, those were not the benefits you were concerned about. You are more likely interested in maintenance and preventative care.
Medicare Part B covers general medical needs, including preventative care. What exactly does this include? If a Medicare-approved doctor determines that something is “medically necessary” to your care and included in Medicare’s list of necessary benefits, it will more than likely be at least partially covered.
Medicare, however, does not classify dental, vision, or hearing care as medically necessary unless it is needed to better your overall health or is needed for a medically necessary procedure.
Medicare Advantage
You may be able to get certain limited dental, vision, and hearing benefits through Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage, or Part C, combines all of Original Medicare into a lower-cost, coordinated-network plan, but may also include additional benefits. Some of these additional benefits can include dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
Give Us a Call Today!
We understand how confusing it can be to navigate all of your coverage options, but we make it simple. Call Affordacare Insurance today to learn more about your dental, vision, and hearing options.