Medicare Part B is part of Medicare,🅺 the government health insurance program for people 65 and older or those with certain disabilities. It helps cover medical services like doctor vis♏its, outpatient care, lab tests, and preventive services like vaccines. 

Unlike Part A, which covers hospital stays, Part B focuses on medical services you get outside of the hospital. You pay a monthly premium for part B, and it usually covers 80% of the cost of approved services after you meet your deductible.

What Does Medicare Part B Cover?

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Medicare Part B primarily covers physicians’ services—eve𝔉n in a hospital—along with some home health services. It also coverꦿs medical equipment in an outpatient (non-hospital) setting.  

If you go to the emergency room but aren’t admitted for inpatient care, Medicare Part B also helps cover services provided in a hospital if the doctor doesn’t admit you for hospital inp🐼atie🌺nt care. This could include: 

• Doctor visits
• Emergency department services
• Observation services
• Outpatient surgery
• Lab tests
• Intravenous medicines
• X-rays
  

Medically Necessary Outpatient Care 

T🌠hese are s🐲ervices or supplies used to diagnose or treat your medical condition when you’re not admitted as a patient in a hospital. These may include: 

• Ambulance services
• Emergency room services and other outpatient hospital services
• Home health agency services
• Lab services in doctor’s offices or independent labs
• Free-standing dialysis or surgical facilities
• Outpatient rehabilitation facility services
• Rural health clinic services 
• Durable medical equipment, including insulin pumps 
• Physician-administered outpatient drugs
  

Preventive Services

Preventive services are health care services designed to either prevent illness or disease or to ꦗdetect its onset so you can get 🦹it treated early.  Preventive services covered by Part B include: 

• Screenings
• Lab tests
• Exams 
• Vaccines 
• Programs for health monitoring
• Counseling and education 

Examples include colorectal cancer screenings, mammograms, diabetes self-management training, HIV screenings, and the yearly Medicare wellness visit.

What Does Medicare Part B Not Cover?

Medicare Part B doesn’t cover medical costs covered by other parts of Medicare. This includes Part A  (hospital care) and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Medicare Part D (most prescription drugs). Importantly, it only covers a percentage of your costs for any visit 𝓡or service. 

Other services and supplies Part B doesn’t cover include:

• Cosmetic surgery 
• Dental exams or treatment
• Long-term care
• Massage therapy 
• Hearing exams and aids
• International emergency services

How Much Does Medicare Part B Cost?

The costs associated with Part B aren’t limited to the monthly premiums. You must also pay a deductible and coinsurance for any Part B-covered care. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Coinsurance can make up the bulk of your out-of-pocket expenses.

Buying a Medicare supplement (Medigap) 🍷plan can help pay for some remaining Part B service costs. The dollar amount depends on which Mꦇedigap policy you buy. But you must have Part B and pay your Part B premium to retain your Medigap plan.

Medicare Part B Premiums

Premiums have increase🍰d from $144.60 in 2020 to $185.00 in 202🌟5. Higher-income earners pay more (whether through wages or retirement account distributions). Around 8% of the Medicare population pays an extra “Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount,” or IRMAA. 

IRMAA is calculated using your tax returns from two years prior. (For example, for 2025, the tax year 2023’s returns are used). The exact amount you’ll pay ranges between $70 and $419. The fee is based on income, marital status, filing status, and whether you take immunosuppressive drugs.

Medicare Part B Deductible 

The deductible is the annual amount you pay out of pocket before Medicare starts paying bills. In 2025, the yearly deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $257. That’s how much you must pay before Medicare starts covering its share. This amount also generally increases over the years.

Medicare Part B Cost-Sharing 

After paying your deductible you’ll typically pay 20% of m🌟ost Medicare-approved services or items other than 🅰preventive care. 

For example, after the deductible, you’ll pay 20% of the cost of a doctor’s visit, equipment, and Part B-r✨elated medications. 

If a physician’s bill is $1,000 after surgery after you’ve met your deductible, you pay $200, and Medicare pays $800. However, there is no limit on the out-of-pocket amount. In a year with $100,000 in health care costs, you’ll pay $20,000 out of pocket.

Medicare Advantage Costs and Part B 

If you have a澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, it will include Part B, along꧂ with Part A and typically Part D. The costs for Part B premiums, ded🦄uctibles, and cost-sharing vary by plan. 

Around 12% of MA plans pay your Part B premium in full or partially, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

Medicare Advantage plans also offer out-of-pocket limits on Part B costs. In 2025, you don’t pay more than $9,350 for in-network copays or coinsurance, and $14,000 for combined in-network and out-of-network costs. This differs from original Medicare, where there is no cap on your out-of-pocket payments.

Paying for Medicare Part B 

If you need 🐬help paying Medicare Part B costs, you can explore the following: 

• Medigap: You can pay another premium for a Medigap plan to help cover out-of-pocket costs for Part B drugs and services. For example, most Medigap programs pay in part or in full for Part B copays and the 20% coinsurance. Two types of Medigap plans (C and F) cover the Part B deductible but are no longer available if you’re new to Medicare. 
• Health Savings Accounts: If you’ve contributed to a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:health savings account (HSA), you can use HSA funds to pay some Medicare Part B costs, such as your Part B premium. Remember, after you enroll in Medicare, you can no longer contribute to an HSA. Doing so could lead to penalties. 
• Medicaid: Although programs and qualifications vary by state, Medicaid can help you pay Part B premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance. 
• Medicare Savings Programs: Three Medicare Savings Programs can help you pay for Part B premiums. Those in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program can use it to help pay for Part B deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. All three programs have higher income limits in Alaska and Hawaii and offer Extra Help for Part D medications.
  

Who Is Eligible for Medicare Part B?

If you live in the United States and receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits at least four months before age 65, you’re eligible and enrolled in Part B and Part A. 💙Citizens of Puerto Rico may be enrolled in Part A automatically but still need to actively enroll in Part B. You can opt out of Par⭕t B if you wish. 

If you’ve worked enough, yo🃏u probably won’t have to pay a Part A premium, and you’re eligible for Part B. If you pay a premium for Part A, you must be age 65 or older, a U.S. resident, and a U.S. citizen (or have been lawfully admitt🌞ed for permanent residence and living in the U.S. for five straight years) to enroll in Part B. 

You can also qualify for Medicare regardless of age if you have a disability and have been approved for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Social Security Disability 🍨Insurance (S൲SDI) coverage. Usually, you h꧑ave a 24-month waiting period after receiving SSDI benefits before Medicare coverage begins. After that period, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare. 

Some other rules may affect your eligibility for coverage, depending on your medical and personal circumstances. If you’re confused about your eligibility or have enrollment questions, contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

How to Enroll in Medicare Part B

Depending on your situation, enrolling in Medicare Part B can be simple or complicated.

Steps for Enrollment 

To be eligible for Medicare Part B, you must be enrolled in Medi🎃care Part A. There are three ways 🌜to do this. 

• Automatic enrollment: If you're already receiving Social Security benefits, you’re automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B on the first day of the month you turn 65. You’ll have premiums deducted from your Social Security check. 
• Manual enrollment during the initial enrollment period: If you are not yet receiving Social Security payments at age 65, you can enroll online, by phone, or in person. You’ll be billed every three months for Part B. 
• Manual enrollment outside the initial enrollment period: Read the information below on enrollment periods outside the initial enrollment period. If you are applying under a Special Enrollment Period (SEP), you’ll also need to fill out a special form and provide proof to back up your reason for the SEP. 

You could risk future penalties if you don’t enroll in Medicare Part B when first eligible. However, you can defer enrollment in Medicare B if you receive another type of coverage, like fro✤m an employer.

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)

Your IEP occurs when you’re fi⛄rst eligible for Medicare—the seven-month window for enrollment due to age or disability. You may pay a penalty if you m😼iss this enrollment window without qualifying for an SEP.

The penalty is 10% of the premium for each year you didn’t enroll. The percentages “stack,” so two years equals 20%, and three years of late enrollment equals 30%, for example.𒁏 

The Part B penalty is charged 💖and addeꦫd to your monthly premium for as long as you have Part B coverage.

Special Enrollment Period (SEP)

Special enrollment periods allow you to sign up for Medicare Part B outside the initial enrollment period. More common exemptions include losing your group health pla🃏n through your employer or volunteering internationally and having health insurance through a tax-exempt organization.🉐 Other SEP reasons for qualification could include: 

• Experiencing a natural disaster
• Termination of Medicaid eligibility
• Former incarceration
• Other exceptional conditions

To qualify, you’ll need to submit documentation. For example, an employer must complete the “Request for Employment Information” form to submit with your application.

General Enrollment Period (GEP) 

Buying a Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan can help pay for some remaining Part B service costs. The dollar amount depends on which Medigap policy you buy. But you must have Part B and pay your Part B ▨premium to retain your Medigap plan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Bottom Line

Medicare Part B is an integral part of your Medicare coverage. It helps cover most health care costs you’ll experience in retirement. You can get it through original Medicare, along with Parts A and D. Or you can get Part B delivered within a Medicare Advantage plan. Make sure to enroll on time, and consider the out-of-pocket costs in addition to the premium.