Medicare does not cover all health care services. Services excluded from Medicare coverage include but are not limited to:
- Alternative medicine, including experimental procedures and treatments, acupuncture, and chiropractic services, except when manipulation of the spine is medically necessary to fix a subluxation of the spine (when one or more of the bones of the spine move out of position)
- Most care received outside of the United States
- Cosmetic surgery, unless needed to improve the function of a malformed part of the body
- Most dental care
- Hearing aids, including examinations for prescribing or fitting hearing aids—though in some cases implants to treat severe hearing loss are covered
- Personal care, including help with bathing, dressing, and eating, when it is the only care you need
- Custodial care (homemaker services), including light housekeeping, laundry, and meal preparation, when it is the only care you need
- Nursing home care (long-term care), including medical care, therapy, 24-hour care, and personal care, except during a Medicare-covered skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay
- Non-medical services, including a private hospital room, hospital television and telephone, canceled or missed appointments, and copies of x-rays
- Most non-emergency transportation, including ambulette services
- Certain preventive services, including routine foot care
- Most vision care, including eyeglasses (except following cataract surgery) and examinations for prescribing or fitting eyeglasses
You are responsible for the full cost of care if you receive a service that Medicare does not cover. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, your plan may cover some of these services. Ask your plan if it covers any additional services.