Does Medicare cover hearing aids?

Usually not covered

No. Original Medicare does not pay for hearing aids or the exams to fit them — the exclusion is written into the Social Security Act — so you pay 100% of the device. Part B does cover diagnostic hearing and balance exams your doctor orders (and one audiologist visit a year without an order for age-related hearing loss), cochlear implants are covered as prosthetics, and many Medicare Advantage plans add a hearing-aid allowance.

Covered when Your doctor orders a diagnostic hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment, or you use the once-every-12-months direct audiologist visit for age-related hearing loss — Part B covers the exam at 20% after the deductible. The exam, not the aids.
Covered when You're a candidate for a cochlear implant or bone-anchored hearing device — Medicare covers these as prosthetic devices when medically necessary under CMS's clinical criteria.
Not when You have Original Medicare only (with or without Medigap) and are buying hearing aids or paying for a fitting exam — 100% out of pocket, regardless of how severe the loss is or what your doctor writes.

Verified 2026-10-10Reviewed by Tom Kazarian, former VP at eHealth8 primary sourcesHow verdicts are made

What flips the answer

Covered when
Your doctor orders a diagnostic hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment, or you use the once-every-12-months direct audiologist visit for age-related hearing loss — Part B covers the exam at 20% after the deductible. The exam, not the aids.
Covered when
You're a candidate for a cochlear implant or bone-anchored hearing device — Medicare covers these as prosthetic devices when medically necessary under CMS's clinical criteria.
Covered when
You're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan with a hearing benefit — the plan pays its allowance or copay through its supplier network, within its replacement-frequency limits.
Covered when
You also qualify for Medicaid and your state covers adult hearing aids, or you're a veteran enrolled in VA health care who meets VA's hearing-aid eligibility — Medicaid or VA pays, not Medicare.
Not covered when
You have Original Medicare only (with or without Medigap) and are buying hearing aids or paying for a fitting exam — 100% out of pocket, regardless of how severe the loss is or what your doctor writes.
Not covered when
The audiologist visit's purpose is a hearing-aid evaluation or fitting rather than a diagnosis — Original Medicare excludes it even if a doctor referred you.

Key facts

Verdict: Usually not covered
Applies to: hearing aids · Medicare
Covered when: Your doctor orders a diagnostic hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment, or you use the once-every-12-months direct audiologist visit for age-related hearing loss — Part B covers the exam at 20% after the deductible. The exam, not the aids.
Not covered when: You have Original Medicare only (with or without Medigap) and are buying hearing aids or paying for a fitting exam — 100% out of pocket, regardless of how severe the loss is or what your doctor writes.
Verified: 2026-10-10 · 8 primary sources

The answer comes from the statute, not from a coverage decision. Section 1862(a)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. §1395y) excludes 'hearing aids or examinations therefor' from Medicare — in the same clause that excludes eyeglasses and eye refractions. Medicare.gov states it plainly: Medicare doesn't cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids, and you pay all costs. Unlike most coverage questions, medical necessity is irrelevant here; a doctor's letter documenting severe hearing loss does not move the device into coverage. Only Congress can change this, and as of this page's verification date it has not.

What Original Medicare does cover is the diagnosis. Part B pays for diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor or other provider orders them to find out whether you need medical treatment — sudden hearing loss, dizziness or vertigo, suspected ear disease, a tinnitus workup, a fall-risk evaluation. You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), plus a facility copayment if the exam is done in a hospital outpatient department. Since 2023 you can also see an audiologist once every 12 months without a doctor's order, but only for non-acute conditions like hearing loss that has developed over many years, or for diagnostic services tied to a surgically implanted hearing device. The test that diagnoses your hearing is covered; the test whose purpose is to fit or sell you a hearing aid is not — same audiologist, different purpose, different billing.

Surgically implanted devices are the other exception, because Medicare classifies them as prosthetics rather than hearing aids. Medicare.gov lists 'some surgically implanted prosthetic devices, including cochlear implants' among the prosthetic devices Part B covers when a doctor orders them, and bone-anchored hearing devices fall in the same category. CMS's national coverage determination sets the clinical criteria — in general, bilateral moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with limited benefit from conventional amplification — and your audiologist and ENT can tell you whether your audiogram qualifies.

Medicare Advantage is where hearing-aid coverage usually lives. Advantage plans must cover everything Original Medicare covers and may add hearing benefits: a routine hearing exam and either a dollar allowance toward devices or a fixed copay per device, typically through a specific supplier network, with limits on how often you can replace them and sometimes on which brands or technology tiers qualify. The benefit belongs to the private plan, not to Medicare, and can change each plan year (the Annual Notice of Change each fall). The details are in the plan's Evidence of Coverage; for neutral help comparing plans, use medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).

Four other routes can pay for or cut the cost of the device. If you also qualify for Medicaid, your state may cover adult hearing aids — it is an optional benefit, so the 50-state matrix linked below matters. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can get hearing aids through VA audiology if they meet VA's eligibility rules. Hearing aids, their batteries, and repairs are qualified medical expenses under IRS Publication 502, so an FSA or an HSA balance you still hold can pay for them tax-free. And since the FDA's 2022 rule, adults who perceive mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy over-the-counter hearing aids with no exam, prescription, or professional fitting — the FDA is explicit that OTC devices are not intended for severe or profound loss, which is one more reason to get the covered diagnostic exam first.

What people typically pay

With coverage

A covered diagnostic hearing or balance exam costs you 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the $283 Part B deductible (2026), plus a facility copayment in a hospital outpatient setting. Under a Medicare Advantage hearing benefit you pay the device price minus the plan's allowance, or a fixed copay per device, through the plan's supplier network.

Without coverage

With Original Medicare only, the hearing aids, the fitting exam, follow-up adjustments, and batteries are all out of pocket. Prices depend on the technology level and on whether the device is a prescription hearing aid fitted by a professional or an FDA-regulated over-the-counter device for mild-to-moderate loss, which is generally the lower-cost tier.

Medicare publishes no approved amount for hearing aids because it never pays for them. 'Medicare-approved hearing aids' in an advertisement means a Medicare Advantage plan's contracted supplier, not Medicare.

How to actually get it covered

Decide which door you're using. Original Medicare pays for the diagnosis, never the device; the device is paid by a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicaid, VA, a tax-advantaged account, or you.
Get the diagnostic exam covered: ask your doctor to order a hearing and balance evaluation for a medical reason, or, for gradual age-related loss, book one audiologist visit per 12 months directly. Confirm the audiologist is enrolled in Medicare and will bill the visit as a diagnostic exam, not a hearing-aid evaluation.
Ask whether an implanted device fits your results. If the audiogram shows severe-to-profound loss with little benefit from amplification, ask an ENT about cochlear or bone-anchored implants — those are covered prosthetics with their own criteria and their own follow-up diagnostics.
In Medicare Advantage, read the hearing section of your Evidence of Coverage before you shop: the allowance or copay, the supplier network you must use, how often devices can be replaced, and whether the plan requires a referral or prior authorization.
Check the other payers before paying retail: your state Medicaid agency if you're dual-eligible (the state matrix below shows who covers adult hearing aids), VA audiology if you're an enrolled veteran, and any FSA or HSA balance — hearing aids, batteries, and repairs are qualified medical expenses.
If you're paying yourself and the diagnostic exam showed mild-to-moderate loss, FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids can be bought without a prescription or fitting. For more severe loss, a prescription device fitted by a professional is the appropriate tool — the covered exam in step 2 is what tells you which bucket you're in.

Common questions

Is Medicare going to pay for hearing aids in 2026?

No. The exclusion of hearing aids and fitting exams is in Section 1862(a)(7) of the Social Security Act, so changing it requires an act of Congress, and as of this page's verification date no such law has been enacted. Advertisements saying 'Medicare now covers hearing aids' are describing a Medicare Advantage plan's supplemental benefit, which is paid by the private plan and limited to its enrollees — not a change to Medicare itself.

Who is eligible for free hearing aids?

Nothing in Medicare provides free hearing aids. The routes that can make them free or nearly free are veterans enrolled in VA health care who meet VA's eligibility rules, adults covered by a state Medicaid program that includes hearing aids, and Medicare Advantage plans whose allowance fully covers a basic device from the plan's supplier. State vocational rehabilitation and assistive-technology programs and some nonprofits also help with devices, with their own eligibility rules. The covered diagnostic exam is the right first step for all of them, because every program wants a current audiogram.

Does Medicare cover hearing tests?

Yes, when the test is diagnostic. Part B covers hearing and balance exams your doctor orders to find out whether you need medical treatment, at 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, and since 2023 one audiologist visit every 12 months without an order for non-acute, age-related hearing loss. A routine hearing screening or an exam done to fit or sell hearing aids is not covered. The covered test often ends with a recommendation for hearing aids, and that is where Medicare's payment stops.

Does Medicare cover hearing aids for tinnitus?

The evaluation can be covered; the device is not. If your doctor orders a hearing exam to investigate tinnitus, that diagnostic exam is a Part B service. Hearing aids, sound-masking devices, and tinnitus-retraining programs are excluded from Original Medicare the same way all hearing aids are. A Medicare Advantage plan's hearing allowance may apply if the device it covers is also what your audiologist recommends for tinnitus relief.

Does Medigap cover hearing aids?

No. Medigap policies pay Original Medicare's deductibles and coinsurance on services Medicare already covers, so a benefit Medicare excludes entirely has nothing for a Medigap plan to supplement. Some insurers sell a separate dental, vision, and hearing policy alongside Medigap; that is a standalone product with its own premium and limits, not a Medigap benefit.

Can I use an HSA or FSA to pay for hearing aids?

Yes. IRS Publication 502 lists hearing aids, and the batteries, repairs, and maintenance needed to operate them, as qualified medical expenses. You can't make new HSA contributions once you're enrolled in Medicare, but money already in an HSA can be spent on hearing aids tax-free at any time, and a working spouse's FSA can also cover a dependent's or spouse's devices under the plan's rules.

How often will a Medicare Advantage plan pay for new hearing aids?

It is plan-specific. Plans typically limit the benefit to one device per ear within a set period — every year in some plans, every two or three years in others — and may cap the allowance per device or per year. Replacement, repairs, and batteries are sometimes covered and sometimes not. The Evidence of Coverage spells it out, and because benefits reset with each plan year, the limits can change at renewal.

That's the general answer. Yours is written in your plan's own document.

Upload or photograph your Annual Notice of Change or Evidence of Coverage and get what changed and what it covers — with the clause it comes from. Nothing is stored, and nobody sells you a plan.

Read my plan document →

Sources

Go deeper

What adult Medicaid covers, state by state — hearing aids
If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, your state's rule on adult hearing aids decides whether the device is covered. Every state, with its source document.
Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare
Hearing benefits are one of the extras in this trade-off; here's what's identical, what differs, and what should decide it.
What does Medicare Part B cover?
The outpatient benefit that pays for the diagnostic exam and for implanted hearing devices.