Does Medicare Cover Knee Braces?

• by Christian Worstell
• July 31, 2023
• Reviewed by John Krahnert

Medicare Part B may cover your knee brace or other durable medical equipment if it is considered medically necessary by a doctor.

Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may also cover knee braces that are deemed medically necessary.

Does Medicare pay for knee support?

Medicare Part B covers a wide range of durable medical equipment (DME), including braces for the arms, legs, back and neck.

DME consists of items which:

• Are ordered or prescribed by a physician
• Are primarily used to serve a medical purpose
• Are reusable
• Are appropriate for use in the home
• Are not useful to a person in the absence of illness or injury

How much do knee braces cost with Medicare?

Even if your knee brace is covered by Medicare, you may face some out-of-pocket costs, including:

• Medicare Part B deductible
  $226 per year in 2023
  
  
• Medicare Part B coinsurance
  You typically pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for most doctor’s services after you meet your Part B deductible

Medicare Advantage plans can cover braces

Medicare Advantage plans must provide the same hospital and medical benefits as Original Medicare (Medicare Part A and Part B).

This means that if your knee brace would be covered by Original Medicare, it will also be covered by a Medicare Advantage plan.

Medicare Advantage plans are sold by private insurance companies as an alternative to your Part A and Part B benefits.

In addition to the standard hospital and medical benefits provided by Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans may also cover benefits not found in Original Medicare. 

Find Medicare Advantage plans available near you

A licensed insurance agent can help you find Medicare Advantage plans in your area that may cover your medically necessary knee braces.

Or call 1-800-557-6059 1-800-557-6059 TTY Users: 711 24/7 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

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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