Does Medicare cover dental, vision, or hearing?

Original Medicare won't pay for this. Routine dental — cleanings, fillings, crowns, dentures, extractions not tied to a covered medical procedure — is excluded by 42 USC 1395y(a)(7). It doesn't matter how necessary it feels. The statute is the statute.

What actually exists for routine dental: standalone private dental insurance, an ACA Marketplace dental plan, FEHB dental for federal retirees, a community health center on a sliding scale, a dental school clinic, or supplemental dental coverage that some Medicare Advantage plans include (benefits and availability vary by plan and area). SHIP at 1-877-839-2675 and the Chapter advisor at the top of this page can both walk you through what's available where you live.

This is the one big vision benefit Original Medicare gives you. After cataract surgery with an intraocular lens implant, Part B helps pay for one pair of corrective lenses (eyeglasses or contact lenses) from a Medicare-enrolled supplier. You pay the standard 20 percent Part B coinsurance after the deductible.

It's one pair, post-cataract — not annual eyewear, not progressive lenses for everyday refractive error. If you replace the lenses or upgrade frames, the upgrade portion is on you. Make sure the supplier is enrolled in Medicare before you walk out.

Original Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids or the routine exams to fit them. The exclusion is in 42 USC 1395y(a)(7) and it's been there since the program started. What Medicare does cover: a diagnostic hearing exam ordered by your doctor to evaluate a medical problem (sudden hearing loss, dizziness, balance issues). That's Part B at 20 percent coinsurance after the deductible.

Options for the aids themselves: some Medicare Advantage plans include a hearing aid benefit (benefits and availability vary by plan and service area), VA pathways for service-connected veterans, state-specific assistive-device programs, over-the-counter hearing aids (FDA approved a category in 2022 for adults with mild-to-moderate loss), and direct private purchase. SHIP at 1-877-839-2675 can help you find what's available locally.

Some Medicare Advantage plans include supplemental coverage for dental, vision, or hearing aids. Benefits, networks, annual maximums, and plan availability vary by plan and service area. "Supplemental" means it's added on top of Part A and Part B — it isn't a separate insurance product you buy, it comes attached to the plan you enroll in.

Things to ask before you assume a benefit will cover what you need: what's the annual dollar maximum for dental, what's covered (preventive only, or also restorative work), is there a waiting period, is your dentist in the network, and how does the plan handle out-of-network providers. Don't take the marketing summary as the rulebook — read the Evidence of Coverage. SHIP at 1-877-839-2675 or a licensed advisor (Chapter at the top of this page) can read it with you.

No. This is the most common confusion I run into. Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) fills cost-sharing gaps in Original Medicare — the Part A deductible, Part B coinsurance, foreign travel emergency in some lettered plans. It does not add coverage Original Medicare doesn't already have.

If Original Medicare doesn't cover routine dental, vision, or hearing aids, Medigap doesn't either. To fill those gaps, you'd need a separate stand-alone dental, vision, or hearing product, supplemental MA-plan coverage if you switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or one of the alternative pathways (Medicaid for full duals, VA for service-connected, FEHB carryover, community health centers, dental schools).

If you're a full Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible, your state's Medicaid program may cover routine dental, vision, and hearing services that Medicare won't. Adult dental coverage in Medicaid is a state option, so what's covered varies a lot from state to state — some states cover comprehensive adult dental, some only emergency extractions, some don't cover adult dental at all.

To find out what your state covers, contact your state Medicaid agency or call SHIP at 1-877-839-2675. If you aren't enrolled in Medicaid yet but think you might qualify, ask SHIP about Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI) too — those are a separate Medicaid pathway that helps pay Medicare premiums and cost-sharing.

Most of the calls I take on this topic come from adult children, not from the beneficiary themselves. A daughter notices her mom's hearing has gotten worse but mom won't admit it. A son finds a stack of dental bills his dad's been hiding. Helping makes sense — the rules are confusing and the alternatives are scattered across different programs.

What to gather before the conversation: the parent's current Medicare coverage (Original Medicare with or without Medigap, or a Medicare Advantage plan), their state of residence (Medicaid rules vary), VA service history, and which gap actually matters (cleaning vs. extraction vs. glasses vs. hearing aids). Then call SHIP at 1-877-839-2675 together, or use the free Chapter advisor at the top of this page. The decision stays with your parent. You're doing the legwork.

Some less common scenarios have their own rules: dental work tied to an organ transplant, head/neck cancer treatment, or certain cardiac surgeries can be covered when it's medically inseparable from the covered procedure. VA dental coverage for service-connected veterans follows separate VA rules. Federal retirees may have FEHB dental and vision (FEDVIP) coverage that carries into retirement. Children of working-age beneficiaries with disabilities have their own dental pathways through Medicaid CHIP.

The fastest way to sort out an unusual scenario is to call SHIP at 1-877-839-2675 — their counselors handle every possible Medicare question and won't sell you anything. The Chapter advisor at the top of this page is also free and works with licensed Medicare advisors who can walk through whatever your situation is.

If your situation isn't listed, start with SHIP or a licensed advisor. → Talk to SHIP