Does Medicare Cover Adult Diapers?

• by Christian Worstell
• July 23, 2023
• Reviewed by John Krahnert

Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) typically does not cover adult diapers or incontinence pads for use outside of nursing homes. With Original Medicare coverage, you will typically pay the full price of adult diapers and incontinence supplies out of pocket.

Some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may give an allowance for certain over-the-counter (OTC) items, which may include adult diapers in some cases.

Does Medicare cover incontinence supplies?

Unless you reside in a nursing home, Original Medicare does not typically cover adult diapers and incontinence supplies.

Adult diapers can be used for many different medical reasons, including many types of urinary incontinence.

Because incontinence pads and adult diapers are not designed to withstand repeated use, however, they don’t meet the definition of what qualifies as durable medical equipment (DME) that Medicare will cover.

In some cases, a urinary collection and retention device that a doctor orders you to use for permanent urinary incontinence may be covered by Medicare as a prosthetic device.

Talk to your doctor to learn more about your options for adult diapers and incontinence supplies.

How much do adult diapers cost with Medicare Advantage?

Since adult diapers are not typically covered by Medicare, you will likely have to pay 100 percent of the costs for most incontinence supplies out of pocket.

Medicare Advantage plans may offer allowances for over-the-counter supplies

Medicare Advantage plans are sold by private insurance companies as an alternative to Original Medicare.

Every Medicare Advantage plan must cover everything that Part A and Part B covers, and most Medicare Advantage plans cover prescription drugs.

Some Medicare Advantage plans also offer an allowance for over-the-counter supplies. Depending on your plan, you may be able to use such an allowance to help cover the costs of adult diapers. Not all plans offer over-the-counter allowances.

A licensed insurance agent can help you compare the benefits offered by Medicare Advantage plans in your area.

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.

 

 

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