Original Medicare does not cover annual hearing tests done as routine check-ups. It will pay for a diagnostic hearing exam when a doctor orders one to investigate a medical problem, and since 2023 it will also pay for a visit to an audiologist once every 12 months without a doctor’s order for certain non-acute hearing conditions. If you want a true yearly routine hearing screening covered, that generally comes through a Medicare Advantage plan rather than Original Medicare.
When Medicare Pays for a Hearing Test
Medicare Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor or another provider orders them to determine whether you need medical treatment.1Medicare.gov. Hearing and Balance Exams The trigger is a medical reason: sudden hearing loss, persistent ringing, dizziness, balance trouble, or something similar. A test you book on your own just to see how your hearing is holding up isn’t covered.
For a covered diagnostic test, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after meeting the annual Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026.2Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles If the exam happens in a hospital outpatient department, expect a hospital copayment on top of that.
Seeing an Audiologist Once a Year Without a Referral
Since January 1, 2023, you can see an audiologist once every 12 months without a physician’s order for diagnostic tests related to non-acute hearing conditions, such as gradual age-related hearing loss.3Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Audiology Services This is the closest thing Original Medicare offers to a yearly hearing check, and for many older adults it’s the practical answer.
Two limits apply. The direct-access visit doesn’t cover tests for dizziness or balance disorders, and it applies only to diagnostic tests the audiologist personally performs.3Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Audiology Services The usual Part B cost-sharing still applies: 20% coinsurance after the deductible.
What Original Medicare Won’t Cover
Federal law bars Medicare from paying for hearing aids or for exams whose purpose is prescribing, fitting, or adjusting hearing aids.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 1395y – Exclusions From Coverage and Medicare as Secondary Payer That exclusion has been in place since Medicare began in 1965. You pay the full cost yourself for hearing aids and for any exam tied to getting them.5Medicare.gov. Hearing Aids
Routine screenings fall outside coverage for the same reason: they aren’t diagnostic. If your doctor hasn’t identified a symptom or condition to investigate, and you’re outside the once-a-year direct-access audiology visit, Original Medicare treats the test as preventive hearing care and won’t pay.
Routine Annual Hearing Exams Through Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run alternative to Original Medicare, are where most beneficiaries actually get a routine annual hearing exam covered. About 98% of Medicare Advantage plans available in 2026 include some form of hearing benefit.6Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight – A First Look at Plan Premiums and Benefits These plans have to cover everything Original Medicare covers, and they can add extras like routine hearing exams and an allowance toward hearing aids.7HHS.gov. What Is Medicare Part C
What “hearing benefit” actually delivers varies plan by plan. Some cover a free routine exam every year plus several hundred dollars toward hearing aids. Others cap the hearing aid allowance so low it barely dents the price of a quality pair, or they narrow the brands and providers you can use. If a covered annual hearing test matters to you, compare the Evidence of Coverage documents from a few plans during open enrollment. Check the exam frequency, the dollar cap on devices, how often you can get new ones, and whether an audiologist near you is in the network.
A Note on Medigap
Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plans follow Original Medicare’s coverage rules, so they won’t turn a routine hearing screening into a covered service. Where a Medigap plan can help is with the 20% coinsurance on diagnostic hearing tests that Part B does cover, depending on which lettered plan you have.
Other Places to Get a Hearing Test Covered
If Medicare won’t pay and a Medicare Advantage plan isn’t the right fit, two other programs can cover the exam outright.
Medicaid
Medicaid covers audiology services in every state, though what’s covered for adults beyond the exam itself, particularly hearing aids, varies widely.8Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicaid Benefits – Hearing Aids and Other Hearing Devices If you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, Medicaid may pick up costs Medicare won’t. Your state Medicaid office can tell you what’s available where you live.
VA Hearing Benefits
Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can get hearing tests and hearing aids at no cost through the VA, and a service-connected hearing disability isn’t required. Any veteran eligible for VA healthcare qualifies for hearing aids.9VA.gov. VA Hearing Aids – Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services You can contact your local VA Audiology Clinic directly to schedule an appointment, even if you aren’t currently enrolled in VA primary care.