Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers certain COVID-19 vaccines.
Description
A COVID-19 vaccine helps lower your chances of becoming sick from COVID-19 by working with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity (protection) against the virus. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Get details about the vaccine.
Coverage details
Medicare covers the updated (2024–2025 formula) Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who has Medicare. (If you recently had COVID-19, the CDC recommends you wait at least 3 months before you get the updated COVID-19 vaccine.)
Be sure to bring your red, white, and blue Medicare card with you when you get the vaccine so your health care provider or pharmacy can bill Medicare.
Can I get the COVID-19 vaccine at home?
Medicare also covers:
- Lab tests for COVID-19. Part B covers COVID-19 diagnostic tests without cost sharing when ordered by a health care provider and done by a laboratory. Some Medicare Advantage Plans might require you to pay part of the cost.
- Oral antivirals. If you test positive for COVID-19 and have mild to moderate symptoms, but are at high risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, you may be eligible for oral antiviral treatment. Medicare Part D covers oral antiviral treatment. Your plan's deductible, copayment, and coinsurance rules apply.
- FDA-authorized COVID-19 antibody (or “serology”) tests if you were diagnosed with a known current or known prior COVID-19 infection or suspected current or suspected past COVID-19 infection.
- Monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19.
- All medically necessary hospitalizations. This includes if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 and might otherwise have been discharged from the hospital after an inpatient stay, but instead you need to stay in the hospital under quarantine. You’ll still pay for any hospital deductibles, copays, or coinsurance that apply.
- If you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you might have access to these same benefits. Check with your plan about your coverage and costs.
Who's eligible
The updated 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine is available for people 5 and older. The updated Novavax vaccine is available for people 12 and older. (If you have never gotten any COVID-19 vaccine and you choose to get Novavax, you need 2 doses of 2024–2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date.)
If you’re 65 or older and/or immunocompromised (like people who have had an organ transplant and are at risk for infections and other diseases), you can get a 3-dose series of updated (2024–2025 formula) Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, or 2-dose series of updated (2024—2025) Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. If you had doses of a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the past, you can get 2 or 3 doses of the updated formula, depending on how many doses you had in the past. Check CDC.gov to find your vaccination schedule.
Costs
- You pay nothing for the COVID-19 vaccine if your doctor or other health care provider accepts assignment for giving you the shot.
- If you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must use the card from your plan to get your Medicare-covered services. Like other covered services, your plan may require that you get the vaccine from an in-network provider. You pay nothing when you get the vaccine from an in-network provider.
What if my provider charged me to get a COVID-19 vaccine?