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What Medicare Doesn't Cover

Medicare is a federally sponsored health-insurance program that provides coverage mainly for Americans aged 65 or older. Younger people can also use Medicare if they have specified health conditions. Medicare generally covers inpatient and outpatient hospital care, home health services and prescription drug coverage. But it does not cover custodial care in a nursing-home facility, medical expenses incurred outside the U.S., or alternative-medical treatments.

  1. Long-Term Nursing Home Care

    • None of Medicare's four parts covers long-term care in a nursing home. If a Medicare beneficiary needs to go into a skilled nursing facility for a medical reason, that may be covered only if the stay meets certain conditions. First, you must be receiving services from a Medicare-approved facility. In addition, you can only receive Medicare benefits at such a facility after a hospital stay of at least three days. State Medicaid programs do generally subsidize long-term custodial care, as does private long-term care insurance, but as of 2011, Medicare does not.

    Medical Treatment Outside the U.S.

    • Medicare will not cover any medical treatment you receive outside the United States, even emergency services or procedures that would be routinely covered at home. Medicare supplemental plans, however, do offer foreign-travel emergency benefits. Several of the standard Medicare supplements, usually called Medigap, offer coverage for medical emergencies received abroad but only after users have paid a deductible. As of 2011, Medigap plans F, G, M and N offer foreign-travel emergency insurance.

    Alternative Medicine

    • Alternative treatments such as acupuncture, experimental procedures or chiropractic care are not among the benefits included in any of Medicare's four parts. There is one exception to this: In cases of subluxation of the spine, when one or spinal bones move out of alignment, treatment from a chiropractor may be covered.

    Non-Medical Services

    • Incidental costs that occur because of medical treatments will not be covered by Medicare. These costs include telephone or television connections during a hospital stay. Private rooms, copies of X-rays or medical records and non-emergency transportation will likewise not be paid for.

    Hearing, Vision and Dental

    • Original Medicare (Parts A and B) offer no benefits for hearing, vision or dental exams, nor will it cover eyeglasses, dentures or hearing aids. Part C Medicare, however, may include some or all of these. Medicare Advantage (MA) is sold only by private insurance companies that set their own premiums and regulations. MA plans must include all the benefits of original Medicare (except for hospice), but extra benefits, if any, depend on the insurance company.

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