Does Medicare cover it?
Does Medicare cover dialysis?
Yes, for end-stage renal disease: Part B pays outpatient and home dialysis, Part A dialysis during a hospital stay. The estimator counts a month of treatments at the 2026 national base rate.
What this service costs you
You pay
$959
| Medicare-approved amount | $3,662 |
| Part B deductible used | $283 |
| Your 20% or copayment | $676 |
| Medicare pays | $2,703 |
| Deductible left after this | $0 |
Part B: you pay the yearly deductible ($283 in 2026), then 20% of the approved amount.
How this is calculatedMedicare covers dialysis for people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), permanent kidney failure that needs dialysis or a transplant. To get the full ESRD benefit with Original Medicare you need both parts: Part B pays outpatient treatments in a Medicare-certified dialysis facility or at home, home dialysis training, equipment and supplies, and the drugs used for dialysis; Part A pays dialysis while you are an inpatient. Medicare usually covers 3 hemodialysis treatments a week, or the equivalent peritoneal dialysis. CMS pays facilities a base rate of $281.71 per treatment in 2026, before adjustments for each patient and facility, so your 20% is about $56 a treatment once the Part B deductible is met. Thirteen treatments, roughly a month at three a week, come to $3,662 approved and $732 for you, with no yearly cap. A Medigap Plan G brings that to $0. You keep paying the monthly Part B premium, and the Part D premium if you have a drug plan.
Dialysis by the month
Your 20% a month
$732
| Treatments a month | 13 |
| Approved a month | $3,662 |
| Your 20% over 12 months | $8,789 |
Base rate $282 per treatment before case-mix adjustments.
Costs computed by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the costs are calculated
Who qualifies and which part pays
The dialysis benefit is for people with ESRD. Part B covers outpatient dialysis and doctors' services in a Medicare-certified facility or at home, including dialysis for acute kidney injury. Part A covers dialysis when you are admitted to a hospital: then the Part A deductible of $1,736 per benefit period applies, so a 4-day stay costs you $1,736, whatever the number of treatments during it. Your dialysis facility must provide the covered items and services itself or through an arrangement with another provider.
What 20% means over a year
Dialysis is one of the few Part B services you use several times a week for years, which makes the absence of a yearly cap on the 20% weigh heavily. The table counts treatments at the national base rate of $281.71; your facility's rate is adjusted by CMS for its area and for each patient, so your own approved amount can differ.
| Treatments | Approved | Original Medicare only | Medigap K | Medigap G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $282 | $56 | $28 | $0 |
| 4 | $1,127 | $225 | $113 | $0 |
| 13 | $3,662 | $732 | $366 | $0 |
| 156 | $43,947 | $8,789 | $4,395 | $0 |
Medigap Plan K pays half of your 20% until its yearly out-of-pocket limit of $8,000 in 2026, after which it pays everything for the rest of the year; the table shows the half without the cap. Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, M and N pay the whole 20% for these treatments. With a Medicare Advantage plan, the plan's own copay and yearly limit apply: read your plan materials.
Drugs used for dialysis
Part B covers drugs for outpatient and home dialysis: heparin, the antidote for heparin when medically necessary, topical anesthetics and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents such as epoetin alfa or darbepoetin alfa to treat anemia related to ESRD. It also covers phosphate binders and other treatments that lower phosphorus in people with ESRD. Lab tests that are part of the dialysis services, heart monitoring and oxygen during treatment at a facility, and monitoring of your access site are covered too. Talk with your care team about any drug, including over-the-counter products.
Dental care before a transplant or during dialysis
Original Medicare does not cover most dental care, but dialysis for ESRD is one of the cases where it may pay for dental services closely related to the covered treatment. The dental page explains the exceptions.
Where the figures come from
The base rate is the 2026 figure of the CMS final rule for the ESRD prospective payment system. The coverage rules come from the medicare.gov dialysis services page. The 2027 base rate and the 2027 Part B deductible are not published yet.