Coverage
Does Medicare Cover Dermatology?
- January 12, 2024
- Reviewed by John Krahnert
Medicare Part B may cover dermatology care if it’s deemed medically necessary to evaluate, diagnose or treat a specific medical condition. Medicare does not cover routine dermatology care, however, such as the treatment of non-cancerous acne.
Medicare Advantage plans include the same benefits as Medicare Part A and Part B, so if any dermatology care is covered by Original Medicare, it will also be covered by a Medicare Advantage plan.
What dermatology services does Medicare cover?
Common dermatological care can range from simple treatments – such as mole screenings and skin disorder therapies – to more advanced surgical procedures such as skin biopsies and cellular scrapings.
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Medicare Part B (medical insurance) covers services if your doctor believes they are medically necessary. You may need a referral to see a specialist if your doctor doesn’t offer dermatology care.
If you receive medical care to treat skin cancer – for example – the care you receive will likely be covered by Medicare Part B.
How much does Medicare dermatology care cost?
If Medicare Part B covers your medically necessary dermatology treatment, you will typically be responsible for paying any Medicare out-of-pocket costs.
These costs can include the Medicare Part B deductible ($240 in 2024) and Medicare Part B coinsurance, which is 20 percent of the Medicare approved amount for the cost of your treatment (after you meet your Part B deductible).
You should check with your doctor and your dermatologist before treatment so that you can find out if your dermatology care is covered and how much you may have to pay.
Medicare Advantage plans may also cover dermatology care
Medicare Advantage plans will cover dermatology care that is covered by Original Medicare. And Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans may cover prescription drugs used for dermatology purposes.
Find Medicare Advantage plans that cover dermatology
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About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
