Does Medicare Cover Dental and Vision Care?

Once you turn 65 and enroll in Medicare, you might expect that a significant portion of your retirement planning has been completed. Now you have a plan to cover all of your medical needs for the rest of your life, right? Well… Not exactly.

While Medicare does provide relatively comprehensive healthcare coverage for routine screenings, in-office visits, hospitilizations, and more, the system doesn’t exactly provide for every medical need. Depending upon the situation, you might still pay out of pocket for a number of services, such as dental and vision care.

Original Medicare does not offer coverage for dental and vision, except in certain emergency situations. Those who enroll in Original Medicare will have to pay for these services on their own.

On the other hand, some Medicare Advantage plans do include coverage for dental and vision care. These healthcare plans are put together by private health insurance companies who contract through Medicare, and each plan is structured a bit differently. So, in order to identify a Medicare Advantage plan that provides the services that matter to you, it is best to conduct some comparison shopping with the help of a professional.

If your Medicare Advantage plan does offer vision care, it will usually cover preventive screenings, vision exams, and corrective lenses. Dental care can vary, but might include some or all of the following benefits:

• Routine dental exams
• X-rays
• Routine cleanings
• Fillings
• Extractions
• Root canals
• Gum disease treatment
• Dentures
• Dental implants
• Bridges
• Crowns

A Medicare Advantage plan might appeal to you, because you can receive most of your healthcare services through one plan while paying one premium. For many retirees, this is the easiest way to manage their healthcare expenses. But we definitely recommend that you carefully compare your options under the guidance of one of our insurance professionals, so that we can help you identify an Advantage plan that suits your needs.