09/03/2022
(COVID-19) diagnostic tests
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers FDA-authorized COVID-19 diagnostic tests (coverage could change when the public health emergency ends).
Your costs in Original Medicare Under Part B?
You pay nothing for a diagnostic test during the COVID-19 public health emergency when you get it from a laboratory, pharmacy, doctor, or hospital, and when Medicare covers this test in your local area.
Medicare now covers up to 8 over-the-counter COVID-19 tests each calendar month, at no cost to you under Medicare Part B.
This coverage continues until the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) will cover these tests if you have Part B. (Medicare won’t cover over-the-counter COVID-19 tests if you only have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage, but you may be able to get free tests through other programs or insurance coverage you may have.)
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you won’t get this benefit through your plan, but will get it like you would if you weren’t enrolled in the plan.
You might need to show your red, white, and blue Medicare card to get your free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests (even if you have another card for a Medicare Advantage Plan or Medicare Part D plan).
