As you may know, Medicare does not cover vision care. But what about cataract surgery? The short answer is yes, Medicare does cover cataract surgery, but it's important to distinguish between the different methods of cataract surgery because not all options are covered.
Medicare covers cataract surgery if it’s done using traditional surgical techniques or using lasers. With regard to Medicare coverage, the two most important questions for your cataract surgeon are confirming: (1) that your doctor accepts Medicare and (2) that that it will be a traditional cataract surgery.
Original Medicare will cover 80% of your cataract surgery expense. If you have a supplement plan, such as Plan G, the entirety of the cataract surgery will be covered after meeting the annual deductible.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you'll need to check your specific plan's summary of benefits to confirm the cataract coverage. You'll also want to confirm your doctor is in-network with your Advantage plan.