Coverage
Does Medicare Cover Flu Shots?
- January 12, 2024
- Reviewed by John Krahnert
Medicare Part B covers one flu shot per flu season, which typically runs from October to May each year. If your doctor accepts Medicare assignment, Medicare Part B covers the flu shot in full.
Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans also cover flu shots. Medicare Advantage plans may also offer other benefits that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) don’t cover.
What do Medicare Advantage plans pay for flu shots?
Medicare Advantage plans cover 100 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for an annual flu shot during the fall or winter months.
Learn More About Medicare
Join our email series to receive your free Medicare guide and the latest information about Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
By clicking "Sign me up!” you are agreeing to receive emails from MedicareAdvantage.com.
This means that you will typically not have to pay a coinsurance or copayment for your flu shot, as long as you visit a doctor who accepts Medicare and the terms of your Medicare Advantage plan.
In addition to the standard hospital and medical benefits of Medicare Part A and Part B, Medicare Advantage plans may also include coverage for other benefits not found in Original Medicare.
Check with your health care provider if you have questions about a specific immunization or vaccine that is not listed here.
Does Medicare cover other vaccines?
Flu shots aren’t the only vaccines covered by Medicare.
Medicare Part B and Medicare Advantage plans also cover preventive vaccines such as pneumonia shots (pneumococcal vaccine) and Hepatitis B shots. Medicare Part B and Medicare Advantage plans may also cover vaccines such as rabies shots if they are considered medically necessary by a doctor.
Specific costs, including monthly premiums, deductibles and coinsurance will vary depending on the Medicare Advantage plan you enroll in.
A licensed insurance agent can help you compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area and get you enrolled in a plan that works for you.
Find Medicare Advantage plans in your area
Compare PlansOr call TTY Users: 711 to speak with a licensed insurance agent. We accept calls 24/7!
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.
