Does Medicare Cover Naturopathic Medicine?

Some Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans may cover naturopathic medicine and certain alternative treatments, though coverage will vary from plan to plan.

Naturopathic medicine is not typically covered by Original Medicare (Part A and Part B).

Does Medicare cover alternative treatments?

Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) helps cover inpatient hospital care and skilled nursing facility care.

Medicare Part B (medical insurance) helps cover medically necessary services and preventative services.

Neither Medicare Part A or Part B typically cover alternative medicine or naturopathic treatments, such as acupuncture.

Some services that are covered by Medicare, however, include:

• Medical nutrition therapy for people who have diabetes, kidney disease or who have had a kidney transplant in the past 36 months
• Depression screenings
• Alcohol misuse therapy
• Physical therapy

Be sure to check with your doctor to see if a particular service or treatment is covered by Medicare or if there is an alternative option you can consider.

Original Medicare also doesn't typically cover prescription drugs. If you want Medicare prescription drug coverage, you typically have two options:

• Enroll in a Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plan that includes prescription drug coverage.
  
  
• Enroll in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan

You can learn more about Part D plans available where you live and enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan online in as little as 10 minutes when you visit MyRxPlans.com.¹

Medicare Advantage May Offer Additional Benefits

Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) plans must provide the same benefits as Original Medicare, and most Medicare Advantage plans provide benefits beyond those offered by Medicare Part A and Part B.

For example, most Medicare Advantage plans cover prescription drugs and some offer vision, dental and wellness benefits.

Specific plan benefits will vary depending on the Medicare Advantage plan you enroll in. Always review plan benefits details to see which services may or may not be covered.  

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 licensed insurance agent and a Senior Staff Writer for MedicareAdvantage.com. He is passionate about helping people navigate the complexities of Medicare and understand their coverage options.

His work has been featured in outlets such as Vox, MSN, and The Washington Post, and he is a frequent contributor to health care and finance blogs.

Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He currently lives in Raleigh, NC.

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