Does Medicare cover it?
Does Medicare cover a COVID-19 test?
Yes, a diagnostic lab test ordered by your doctor or other provider, under Part B. The estimator shows the test and lets you add the visits around it.
What this service costs you
You pay
$0
A lab test your provider orders usually costs nothing at a provider that takes Medicare.
How this is calculatedMedicare Part B covers COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory tests authorized by the FDA, the tests that check whether you have COVID-19. You usually pay nothing for the test when your doctor or other health care provider orders it and you get it from a laboratory, which can be at a pharmacy, a clinic or a doctor's office, or from a hospital that takes Medicare. The test is only one line of the bill, though. The visit where the provider examines you and orders it is a separate Part B service: a follow-up office visit approved at $95 nationally leaves you $19 once the deductible is met, or the whole approved amount if your $283 deductible is still open. Going to an emergency room instead brings a hospital copayment, $109 for a moderately severe visit at national rates. The medicare.gov coverage page describes lab tests ordered by a provider; a test you buy yourself at a store is not described there, so its price is yours. In a Medicare Advantage plan, check with the plan for any cost.
COVID-19 tests in a season
You pay
$0
| Lab tests (Part B) | $0 |
| Home tests | $0 |
Part B covers lab tests ordered by a provider; home tests you buy are counted at the price you type.
Costs computed by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the costs are calculated
What the coverage includes
The medicare.gov page on COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory tests states three things: Part B covers FDA-authorized COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory tests; you usually pay nothing when your doctor or other provider orders the test; and the test can be done by a laboratory, including one at a pharmacy, clinic or doctor's office, or by a hospital that takes Medicare. Medicare also covers other COVID-19 services, each on its own medicare.gov page: antibody tests, the vaccine, and monoclonal antibody treatments.
The bill around the test
A test rarely comes alone. Here is what each step can cost with Original Medicare at national rates of October 2026, with doctors and hospitals that accept assignment.
| Step | You pay, deductible met | You pay, first bill of the year |
|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 lab test ordered by a doctor | $0 | $0 |
| Doctor office visit, established patient (typical 20-30 minutes) | $19 | $95 |
| Emergency room visit, moderately severe problem | $109 | $335 |
| Inpatient hospital stay, 5 days (Part A) | $1,736 | $1,736 |
The emergency room visit is the expensive door: a hospital copayment for the visit and for each hospital service, plus 20% of the doctor's fee. A Medigap Plan N turns that into a copayment of up to $50 when you are not admitted ($50 here), and no copayment is charged if you are admitted to the same hospital for a related condition within 3 days. A hospital admission costs the Part A deductible, $1,736 per benefit period in 2026.
COVID-19 tests in a season
You pay
$0
| Lab tests (Part B) | $0 |
| Home tests | $0 |
Part B covers lab tests ordered by a provider; home tests you buy are counted at the price you type.
Medigap and the visits
Since the lab test itself usually costs nothing, a Medigap policy matters for the visits around it. Plan G pays the 20% of the office visit once the deductible is met, leaving $0; Plan N pays it except a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits, $19 in our example. Plans C and F also pay the Part B deductible, but only people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 can buy them.
Tests you buy yourself
The coverage page describes laboratory tests ordered by a provider. A test kit bought at a store or online without an order is not described on it, so count its price as yours unless your plan says otherwise. The calculator above adds both kinds: lab tests at the Part B cost and home tests at the price you type.
Before the test
Ask the provider how much the test, the visit and any other service will cost, and confirm that the laboratory or hospital takes Medicare. What you owe depends on any other insurance, on how much the doctor charges, on whether the doctor accepts assignment, on the type of facility and on where you get the service. Doctors may recommend services Medicare does not cover, or more often than it covers them; ask why a service is recommended and what Medicare will actually pay.
The estimator uses the 2026 Part B deductible. The 2027 amount is not published yet; CMS announces it in mid-November 2026.