Medical Coverage
What is Medicare Part B?
Medicare Part B is the other half of Original Medicare. This plan will help you pay for medical services and a variety of mental health services. It may also help you cover the cost of some limited prescription drug medications.
How Much Does Part B Cost?
Part B premiums
You pay a premium each month for Part B. Your Part B premium will be automatically deducted from your benefit payment if you get benefits from one of these:
- Social Security
- Railroad Retirement Board
- Office of Personnel Management
If you don’t get these benefit payments, you’ll get a bill.
Most people will pay the standard premium amount. If your modified adjusted gross income is above a certain amount, you may pay an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). Medicare uses the modified adjusted gross income reported on your IRS tax return from 2 years ago. This is the most recent tax return information provided to Social Security by the IRS.
2022
The standard Part B premium amount in 2022 is $170.10. Most people pay the standard Part B premium amount. If your modified adjusted gross income as reported on your IRS tax return from 2 years ago is above a certain amount, you’ll pay the standard premium amount and an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). IRMAA is an extra charge added to your premium.
Part B Deductible & Co-insurance
In 2022, you pay $233 for your Part B deductible. After you meet your deductible for the year, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for these:
- Most doctor services (including most doctor services while you’re a hospital inpatient)
- Outpatient therapy
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
What does Medicare Part B cover?
Medicare Part B covers two types of services:
1. Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.
2. Preventive services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.
You pay nothing for most preventive services if you get the services from a health care provider who accepts assignment.
Medicare Part B covers medically necessary services and preventive services that include, but are not limited to:
- Clinical research
- Ambulance services
- Durable medical equipment (DME)
- Inpatient and outpatient care
- Partial hospitalization
- Limited outpatient prescription drugs and vaccinations
- Depression screenings
- Cardiovascular disease screenings
Medical Coverage
What Preventive Services are covered in Medicare Part B?
Remember, you pay nothing for most preventive services if you get the services from a health care provider who accepts assignment.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
Alcohol misuse screenings & counseling
Bone mass measurements (bone density)
Cardiovascular disease screenings
Cardiovascular disease (behavioral therapy)
Cervical & vaginal cancer screening
Colorectal cancer screenings
Multi-target stool DNA tests
Screening barium enemas
Screening colonoscopies
Screening fecal occult blood tests
Screening flexible sigmoidoscopies
Depression screenings
Diabetes screenings
Diabetes self-management training
Flu shots
Glaucoma tests
Hepatitis B shots
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection screening
Hepatitis C screening test
HIV screening
Lung cancer screening
Mammograms (screening)
Nutrition therapy services
Obesity screenings & counseling
One-time “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit
Pneumococcal shots
Prostate cancer screenings