Medicare

What Speech, Language, and Hearing Services Does Medicare Cover?

Medicare helps pay for many services related to speech, language, hearing, swallowing, and balance, including:

• Evaluations and treatment for communication or swallowing disorders.
• Most hearing exams (when ordered by a doctor for medical reasons).

Medicare does not cover:

• Hearing aids
• Hearing tests that are only for getting hearing aids.

What Do Medicare Parts A and B and C cover?

Medicare Part A – Insurance for Inpatient Services

• Part A is funded through federal taxes and helps cover:
  • Hospital stays
  • Short-term care in a skilled nursing facility (when daily skilled care is needed)
  • Home health care
  • Hospice care
• If you need help with speech, language, hearing, swallowing, or balance, many of these services are covered under Part A when they're part of your care in these settings.
• Medicare covers these types of rehabilitation services when you are likely to make progress—or when skilled care is needed to help maintain your current abilities.

Medicare Part B – Supplementary Medical Insurance

• Part B covers medically necessary doctor visits, outpatient care, lab tests, preventive services, medical supplies, therapy services (like speech therapy), and audiology services (hearing and balance exams when ordered by a physician).
• You pay a monthly premium, and Medicare usually pays about 80% of approved costs, while you cover the rest.
• Think of it as the part of Medicare that helps with your day-to-day health needs outside the hospital.

Medicare Part C – Medicare Advantage

• Part C plans are an “all-in-one” alternative to original Medicare (Parts A & B).
• These plans are offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare.
• The plans usually include everything Part A and Part B cover, and many plans also include Part D (prescription drugs) plus extra coverage for vision, dental, or hearing aids.
• You still pay your Part B premium (and sometimes an extra plan premium), but you receive care through the plan’s network of providers and hospitals.