Does Medicare cover hearing aids?
Original Medicare does not pay for hearing aids or the exams to fit them, though it does cover diagnostic hearing tests ordered by a doctor, and some Medicare Advantage plans add hearing aid benefits.
What flips the answer
- Covered when
Your Medicare Advantage plan includes a hearing aid benefit — confirm the allowance amount and whether you're limited to specific device brands or suppliers.
- Covered when
Your doctor orders a diagnostic hearing or balance exam to evaluate a medical condition — that exam itself is covered under Part B, even though the hearing aids that might follow are not.
- Not covered when
You have Original Medicare only and are seeking a routine hearing aid fitting rather than a doctor-ordered diagnostic exam.
Original Medicare (Parts A and B) excludes hearing aids and hearing aid fitting exams entirely. If you have Original Medicare only, you pay the full retail cost of the devices and the fitting process yourself.
There's an important distinction between a routine hearing aid fitting and a diagnostic hearing exam. Medicare Part B does cover a diagnostic hearing and balance exam when your doctor orders it to figure out whether you need medical treatment — that's a covered medical service, separate from getting fitted for hearing aids.
Medicare Advantage plans are where hearing aid coverage typically shows up. A large share of Advantage plans include some hearing benefit — often an allowance toward a specific set of devices from a network supplier — but the amount and device selection vary by plan and should be checked in the plan's Evidence of Coverage.
That's the general answer. Yours is written in your actual policy.
Drop in your policy or benefits document and get the answer for your exact coverage — with the clause it comes from. Nothing is stored.
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