Does Medicare cover hearing tests?

It depends

Yes when the test is diagnostic: Medicare Part B covers hearing and balance exams your doctor orders to find out whether you need medical treatment, and since 2023 one audiologist visit every 12 months without an order for age-related hearing loss. It does not cover routine hearing screenings or the exams done to fit or sell hearing aids.

Covered when Your doctor or other provider orders the hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment — Part B covers it at 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the deductible, with a facility copay in a hospital outpatient setting.
Covered when You book an audiologist directly, once every 12 months, for gradual age-related hearing loss or for diagnostics related to a surgically implanted hearing device — covered under the 2023 direct-access rule, no order needed.
Not when The exam is a routine hearing screening with no medical reason, or its purpose is to fit, adjust, or sell hearing aids — excluded under Original Medicare even with a doctor's referral.

Verified 2026-10-10Reviewed by Tom Kazarian, former VP at eHealth5 primary sourcesHow verdicts are made

What flips the answer

Covered when
Your doctor or other provider orders the hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment — Part B covers it at 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the deductible, with a facility copay in a hospital outpatient setting.
Covered when
You book an audiologist directly, once every 12 months, for gradual age-related hearing loss or for diagnostics related to a surgically implanted hearing device — covered under the 2023 direct-access rule, no order needed.
Covered when
You're in a Medicare Advantage plan with a routine hearing benefit — the plan covers a routine exam (and often a hearing-aid allowance) on its own terms, usually in-network.
Not covered when
The exam is a routine hearing screening with no medical reason, or its purpose is to fit, adjust, or sell hearing aids — excluded under Original Medicare even with a doctor's referral.
Not covered when
You use the direct-access audiologist visit more than once in 12 months, or for an acute problem (sudden loss, pain, dizziness) without a doctor's order — the extra or acute visit isn't covered under that rule.

Key facts

Verdict: It depends
Applies to: hearing tests · Medicare
Covered when: Your doctor or other provider orders the hearing or balance exam to find out whether you need medical treatment — Part B covers it at 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the deductible, with a facility copay in a hospital outpatient setting.
Not covered when: The exam is a routine hearing screening with no medical reason, or its purpose is to fit, adjust, or sell hearing aids — excluded under Original Medicare even with a doctor's referral.
Verified: 2026-10-10 · 5 primary sources

Medicare draws the line by purpose, not by who performs the test. Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance (fall-risk) exams when your doctor or other health care provider orders them to find out if you need medical treatment — sudden or asymmetric hearing loss, dizziness or vertigo, ringing in the ears, a suspected ear infection or injury, or a check after a medication known to affect hearing. The same audiogram performed to decide which hearing aid to sell you is excluded, because the Social Security Act excludes 'hearing aids or examinations therefor.' One audiologist, one booth, two different purposes — and the purpose determines who pays.

A rule change in 2023 opened a second door. You can now see an audiologist once every 12 months without a doctor's order, but only for two things: non-acute hearing conditions, meaning hearing loss that has developed gradually over many years, and diagnostic services related to hearing loss treated with surgically implanted devices such as cochlear implants. Anything acute — a sudden change, pain, drainage, dizziness — still goes through your doctor, who can order the exam and, if needed, refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

The cost is standard Part B cost-sharing. After you meet the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the exam, and if it's done in a hospital outpatient department you also pay the hospital a copayment. Under Original Medicare there is no network: any audiologist or physician who accepts Medicare can perform the exam, and you don't need a referral to see a specialist — just a documented medical reason, or the once-a-year direct-access visit.

What happens after the test is where Medicare's payment usually stops. If the exam finds a treatable medical cause — wax impaction, infection, a medication effect, an acoustic neuroma — the treatment is covered like any other Part B or Part A care. If it finds sensorineural hearing loss and the recommendation is hearing aids, Original Medicare pays nothing toward the devices or the fitting; if the loss is severe-to-profound and a cochlear implant or bone-anchored device is appropriate, those are covered as prosthetics with their own clinical criteria. Medicare Advantage plans must cover the same diagnostic exams and may add a routine hearing exam plus a hearing-aid allowance as a supplemental benefit — check the plan's Evidence of Coverage, since networks and copays differ by plan.

What people typically pay

With coverage

For a covered diagnostic hearing or balance exam, you pay 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 plan the diagnostic exam is covered with the plan's specialist copay, and a routine exam, if the plan offers one, is usually a small copay or free in-network.

Without coverage

A routine hearing screening or a hearing-aid fitting exam under Original Medicare is entirely out of pocket. Prices vary by provider and region, and hearing-aid retailers often fold the exam into the price of the devices.

The purpose of the exam — diagnostic versus routine or fitting — decides whether Medicare pays, not the type of provider or the equipment used.

How to actually get it covered

Write down the medical reason: when the hearing change started, whether it's one ear or both, and any dizziness, ringing, pain, or recent medications. A documented reason is what makes the exam diagnostic rather than routine.
Ask your doctor to order a hearing and balance evaluation, or — if the loss is gradual and age-related — book one audiologist visit directly within the once-every-12-months direct-access rule.
Confirm before the appointment that the audiologist or clinic accepts Medicare assignment and will bill the visit as a diagnostic exam, not as a hearing-aid evaluation or fitting.
Expect to pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the $283 Part B deductible (2026), plus a copayment if the exam is in a hospital outpatient department. Ask the office for an estimate; it depends on the local approved rate.
If you have Medicare Advantage, call the plan first: confirm the audiologist is in network, whether a referral is required, and whether a routine hearing exam or hearing-aid allowance is part of your supplemental benefits.
If the claim is denied as routine, request the itemized bill and the diagnosis code used, and appeal using the instructions on your Medicare Summary Notice if a medical reason applies. SHIP counselors (shiphelp.org) help with appeals at no charge.

Common questions

How often does Medicare cover a hearing test?

There's no annual cap on diagnostic exams your doctor orders for a medical reason — each one is covered when it's medically necessary. The direct-access audiologist visit, with no doctor's order, is limited to once every 12 months and only for non-acute, age-related hearing loss or implant-related diagnostics. Routine screenings with no medical reason are never covered under Original Medicare, however often you'd like one.

Do I need a referral for a hearing test under Medicare?

Under Original Medicare, no referral is required to see a specialist, but a diagnostic exam needs either a doctor's order documenting the medical reason or the once-a-year direct-access rule for gradual hearing loss. Medicare Advantage plans, especially HMOs, may require a referral from your primary care doctor and an in-network audiologist — check your plan's rules before booking.

Does Medicare cover a hearing test done by an ENT instead of an audiologist?

Yes. An ear, nose, and throat physician's exam to evaluate hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, or ear disease is a covered Part B doctor's service, and audiometry ordered as part of that workup is covered too. What matters is that the visit is diagnostic. The same ENT practice's hearing-aid dispensing side is excluded.

Does Medicare cover routine hearing exams for seniors?

Not under Original Medicare — routine screenings and hearing-aid fitting exams are excluded by statute. Many Medicare Advantage plans add a routine hearing exam as a supplemental benefit, often paired with a hearing-aid allowance, through the plan's provider network. The Evidence of Coverage lists the frequency and any copay.

Is a tinnitus evaluation or a balance (fall-risk) test covered?

Yes, as diagnostic exams. Part B covers hearing and balance exams ordered to diagnose or manage a condition, and tinnitus and dizziness are exactly the kind of symptoms that justify an order. Treatment that follows is covered on its own merits — but tinnitus maskers and hearing aids recommended for tinnitus relief are excluded like all hearing aids under Original Medicare.

Why did Medicare deny my hearing test?

The most common reason is that the visit was coded as routine or as a hearing-aid evaluation, which Original Medicare doesn't cover. Other reasons: no documented medical reason or order for a diagnostic exam, a second direct-access visit inside 12 months, or a provider who doesn't accept Medicare. Ask the office how the visit was coded; if a medical reason applies, it can often be resubmitted correctly or appealed.

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

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Sources

Go deeper

What does Medicare Part B cover?
The outpatient benefit that pays for diagnostic hearing and balance exams.
What adult Medicaid covers, state by state — hearing aids
If the test leads to hearing aids and you also have Medicaid, your state decides whether the devices are covered.