People With Medicare

Alzheimer's Medicare Coverage

What does Medicare cover?

If you have Alzheimer’s, Medicare will help pay for your care for medical and mental health conditions. This may include:

• Ongoing medical care to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s. This includes hospital care, doctor visits, and needed medical items

• Mental health services

• Home health care

• Rehabilitative care

• Skilled nursing care services

• Short-term nursing home care

• Prescription drugs

• Hospice care, or end-of-life care

What does Medicare NOT cover?

Medicare does not cover these types of care for Alzheimer’s:

• Long-term care: This includes long-term nursing home stays beyond 100 days, the costs of assisted living facilities, and adult day care.

• Personal care, also called custodial care: This includes paying another person to help you bathe, dress, fix meals, and do other daily activities. People with Alzheimer’s often need more and more custodial services as times goes on.

Note: Medicare will cover custodial care, both at home and during a brief stay in a skilled nursing facility, but only when you also need and get skilled care.

People with Alzheimer’s often need a lot of these types of care that Medicare does not cover. Alzheimer’s patients and their families often must pay for these services, if they do not qualify for Medicaid or long-term care insurance.

Learn more from the Alzheimer’s Association about Medicaid and ways to help cover these costs.

How does Medicare cover Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment?

Medicare covers doctor visits to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s.

• Diagnosis: Medicare will help pay for the doctor visit, physical exam, and several tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s. Medicare will only cover the costs of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans in certain cases for Alzheimer’s. PET scanning is a medical test that can diagnose Alzheimer’s in its early stages.

• Treatment: Medicare also helps pay when you see your doctor to treat and manage your Alzheimer’s. It will pay if your doctor asks another doctor to see you. Medicare also will pay if your doctor oversees your home health or hospice care.

NEXT: Myths and Facts about Medicare and Alzheimer's