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Original Medicare only covers dental, vision, and hearing on an extremely limited, medically necessary basis but excludes normal preventative care & services.

DENTAL COVERAGE

Medicare has very limited dental coverage that is only meant to protect your general health in order for another Medicare-covered health service to go smoothly such as a surgery or as the result of an accident. Medicare does not cover routine checkups, cleanings, fillings, dentures (full or partial), or most tooth extractions.

Many Medicare Supplements also don't offer coverage for these additional benefits. On the other hand, certain Medicare Advantage plans may include additional dental benefits as part of their network based plan.

VISION COVERAGE

In most cases, Original Medicare does not include coverage for routine eye exams, eyeglasses, or contact lenses.

Normally Medicare will only pay if following cataract surgery that implants an intraocular lens. Following that specific surgery, Medicare Part B will help pay for corrective lenses, one pair of eyeglasses or one set of contact lenses provided by an ophthalmologist.

However, the drawback is it will only offer this benefit once per lifetime and they only pay for a standard pair of eyeglasses. You would be responsible for the cost of upgraded frames.

Part B also covers glaucoma screenings every 12 months but only for people at high risk. This includes those with diabetes, people with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans who are 50 or older, and Hispanic Americans who are 65 or older.

Eye prostheses are covered for patients with absence or shrinkage of an eye due to birth defects, trauma or surgical removal. It also covers replacement, typically every five years.

Part B will cover certain diagnostic tests and treatment of diseases and some other eye related conditions.

Obviously if you're prescribed glasses or contact lenses you will have to get at least annual eye exams & keep in mind your prescription may change over time. If routine eye exams are important to you and you're also concerned about the future costs for eyeglasses and/or contact lenses (or better than the standard frames), then owning a stand-alone plan or a Medicare Advantage plan where vision benefits are included is surly something to consider.

HEARING BENEFITS

Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids. However Part B does cover some hearing tests, such as diagnostic hearing and balance exams. You will have to go through your primary care provider for your initial screenings. Once they recommend that you need additional treatment, your Part B coverage will pay for a portion of those costs.

Ultimately what we have found works best is for our clients to enroll in a stand alone plan that combines the dental, vision and hearing benefits. The monthly premiums are low and it allows you to have a more robust health care coverage than what you would normally be provided otherwise with just Original Medicare alone.