Cataract surgery
How often is it covered?
Who's eligible?
Medicare covers many medically necessary surgical procedures, like cataract surgery.
Your costs in Original Medicare
For surgeries or procedures, it's hard to know the exact costs in advance. This is because no one knows exactly what services you'll need. If you need surgery or a procedure, you may be able to estimate how much you'll have to pay. You can:
- Ask the doctor, hospital, or facility how much you'll have to pay for the surgery and any care afterward.
- Find out if you're an inpatient or outpatient because what you pay may be different.
- Check with any other insurance you may have to see what it will pay. If you belong to a Medicare health plan, contact your plan for more information. Other insurance might include:
- Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy
- Medicaid
- Coverage from your or your spouse's employer
- Log into MyMedicare.gov, or look at your last "Medicare Summary Notice" (MSN) to see if you've met your deductibles.
- Check your Part A
Deductible [glossary] if you expect to be admitted to the hospital. - Check your Part B deductible for a doctor's visit and other outpatient care.
- You'll need to pay the deductible amounts before Medicare will start to pay. After Medicare starts to pay, you may have copayments for the care you get.
- Check your Part A
Note
Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. Ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and whether Medicare will pay for them.