Medicare - Medically-necessary services & Preventive services

Services Part B Covers


There are two kinds of Part B-covered services:


Medically-necessary services — Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.


Preventive services — Health care to prevent illness or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best (for examples see Medicare & You Handbook ).


What You Pay for Part B Services

Costs for Part B services depend on whether you have Original Medicare or are in a Medicare health plan. For some services, there are no costs, but you may have to pay for the doctor’s visit. If the Part B deductible applies, you must pay all costs until you meet the yearly Part B deductible before Medicare begins to pay its share. Then, after your deductible is met, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount of the service. You can save money if you choose doctors or providers who accept assignment.