📋 10 Things Medicare Doesn’t Cover (AARP Article/updated)

[Winter2025VA]

FROM THE ARTICLE.

You’ll need to plan to pay for some common medical expenses.

By Tony Pugh and Dena Bunis, AARP.

➡️[*** Updated October 23, 2025. Published August 08, 2018.

Key takeaways!

[*] Not everything’s covered, but here’s how to plan.

[*] You’re out of luck on root canals, most eye care, hearing aids.

[*] Most chiropractor, cosmetic surgeon services are off-limits.

[*] No massage therapy for pain, but some acupuncture allowed.

[*] Pay more for podiatry, foreign trips, long-term care, concierge care.

Medicare covers most health care needs for older Americans, from hospital care and doctor visits to lab tests and surgery.

Though great strides were made in recent years on paying for prescriptions, whether you have a Part D plan with original Medicare or drug coverage tucked into a Medicare Advantage plan, you should be prepared to pay $2,100 in 2026 for your covered medications before the limit kicks in. The federal government will help you finance that amount over time if you sign up for the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.

USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

https://www.aarp.org/medicare/services-not-covered/

[GailL1]

Did anybody read the comments to this articles - the comments go back for years since the articles was originally written and then just updated when posted again by AARP.

So funny that many of the same comments are on the same things and they were wrong then, and wrong now.  I don’t understand why AARP does not specifically address some of these things directly to at least see if some of these folks can be straightened out.  They do no reading or research on Medicare. gov - they don’t read their explanation of coverage if they have a MAPD - Medicare Part C plan.  

It is sad that many beneficiaries do not even know that they are on Medicare AND Medicaid - at least at the minimum level of just covering Part B premiums.  

Is it that we come into Medicare thinking that it covers everything and every penny?  Is it that we don’t understand the term “medically necessary”?  Is it that we don’t understand that adding dentai, vision and hearing to the standard Medicare benefits would add more Part B cost - how much more in Part B premiums would you be willing to pay a month for some small dental, vision and hearing benefit.  Would just covering some preventive care be sufficient?

Even if more things were covered, they would be like other benefits - not covered for all the things you want covered and at the amount you think would be covered.  

I think AARP should stop just updating this old tired article and start addressing some of beneficiaries misconceptions of the standard program.

Anything that is (1) medically proven, and you (2) medically need is covered by traditional Medicare under whichever type service it is - preventive or standard.  This can be called anything you want it to be call even if you call it an annual physical.

 The “Welcome to Medicare” is a review of you and your health between you and your pick of personal care physicians.  A get to know you visit and what direction your health plan needs to move.  

The ANNUAL Wellness visit is a continuation of the above and just follows your progress in your health care plan and is updated as needed. 

Both the Medicare.gov WELCOME TO MEDICARE visit and the Medicare.gov  ANNUAL WELLNESS VISIT as define benefits described by Medicare.gov as to exactly what they are- no more / no less   NOTE:  only those Medicare.gov- PREVENTIVE test and screening coverage items that have been proven to be of high value by our government medical experts are covered at 100% by Traditional Medicare.  

If your doc wants you to endure other medically approved test or labs to determine your medical need standing - he is free to do and to order these for you but they are covered only as medically needed and at the standard traditional Medicare Part B rate - 80% of the traditional Medicare negotiated rate. 

[SereneSeagull]

It’s a cop-out, I feel republishing an old article and adding an update.  Comments go with it and it just confuses, regardless of the “update” notation.