Does Medicare Cover Incontinence Supplies?
Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans can offer benefits that Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B) doesn’t cover. This means that some Medicare Advantage plans might cover incontinence supplies for qualified plan beneficiaries.
Original Medicare does not cover incontinence supplies such as adult diapers and pads, however. This means that with Original Medicare, you must pay 100 percent of the costs for your incontinence supplies.
Some Medicare Advantage plans may cover incontinence supplies
Medicare Advantage plans are alternatives to Original Medicare that are managed by private insurance companies rather than the federal government.
By law, every Medicare Advantage plan must provide the same hospital and medical benefits as Original Medicare. In addition to the standard benefits of Original Medicare, many Medicare Advantage plans provide additional benefits that Original Medicare doesn’t cover.
These extra benefits can include things like:
- Prescription drug coverage
- Routine vision care and eyeglasses
- Routine dental care and teeth cleaning
- Routine hearing care, hearing exams and hearing aids
- Fitness and wellness benefits
Medicare Advantage plan availability and benefits can vary based on your location. More than 20 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2019. That’s equal to 34 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries!1
Dual Eligibility and Medicare Special Needs Plans (SNP)
In some states, Medicaid may cover incontinence supplies.
If you qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, you may be eligible for a Medicare Special Needs Plan (SNP) that helps cover incontinence supplies.
Medicare SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan that limits membership to people with specific conditions or circumstances (such as being dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid).
Medicare SNPs cover the same Medicare services that all Medicare Advantage plans must cover, and many plans also cover extra services tailored to the groups they serve.
Finding a Medicare Advantage plan that covers incontinence supplies may take some shopping around. SNP plans usually aren’t as widely available as regular Medicare Advantage plans. What’s available in your area can vary significantly from other areas. But don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone!
Our licensed insurance agents can help you compare Medicare Advantage plans in your area to see what’s available and what you may be eligible for.
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1 Kaiser Family Foundation. An Overview of Medicare. (Feb. 13, 2019). Retrieved from www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/an-overview-of-medicare.
