Original medicare does not cover the cost of the shingles vaccine.
Why does medicare not cover shingles vaccine.
Part a which deals with hospital costs doesn t cover shingles shots either.
That s because the federal program that insures most seniors in the u s.
Read on to learn.
Contact your medicare drug plan for more information about coverage.
Medicare coverage for shingrix and zostavax the two commercially available.
En espaƱol unlike some common vaccines like those for the flu hepatitis b and pneumonia shingles shots are not covered under medicare part b the component of original medicare that includes doctor visits and outpatient services.
If you re covered by medicare you may feel the pain of a shingles shot more in your wallet than in your arm.
You may have a copay to get the vaccine and an additional fee if you haven t yet met your deductible.
Surprisingly original medicare parts a and b doesn t cover the shingles vaccine even though it covers other vaccines like the flu vaccine and pneumonia shot.
Each plan may cover the vaccine differently.
Medicare part a hospital insurance or medicare part b medical insurance doesn t cover the shingles shot.
Medicare part b covers a small handful of vaccines for the flu hepatitis b and the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine.
On the other hand medicare part d or a medicare advantage plan that includes part d coverage typically does cover the vaccine.
The devil is in the details.
Here s the quick answer.
Generally medicare prescription drug plans part d cover all commercially available vaccines like the shingles shot needed to prevent illness.