Is there a limit on what I pay out of pocket?

Only if your coverage provides one. Medicare Advantage plans must have an annual out-of-pocket maximum for medical care. Original Medicare on its own does not — after the deductible you pay 20% of the approved amount for outpatient care, including infused chemotherapy, with no annual ceiling. A Medigap policy is what closes that gap. Prescription drugs are separate and are capped for everyone.

Does Medicare cover a second opinion?

Yes. Part B covers a second opinion for surgery or another major treatment that is not an emergency, and a third if the first two disagree. Under Original Medicare you can seek it from any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare. Under a Medicare Advantage plan, check whether the doctor is in network first.

Does Medicare cover clinical trials?

Medicare covers the routine care costs of a qualifying clinical trial — the appointments, scans and hospital stays you would have needed anyway — even when the trial itself is not paid for by Medicare. The investigational drug or device is normally supplied by the trial sponsor. Ask the trial coordinator to confirm what is billed to Medicare before you enroll.

Does Medicare cover a wig after chemotherapy?

Original Medicare does not cover wigs. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a supplemental benefit that does, and many cancer charities and hospital support funds provide them free. It is worth asking your cancer center's social worker.

Does Medicare cover hospice care?

Yes, under Part A, and the hospice benefit is unusually generous: it covers the care team, medicines for symptom control, equipment and supplies related to the terminal illness, with little or no cost to you. You keep it whether you have Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Does Medicare cover cancer treatment?

Yes — but not all of it. Medicare covers medically necessary cancer care of every kind. What it does not do is pay the whole bill. How much is left to you depends much less on which cancer you have than on which kind of Medicare coverage you hold, and that is a choice most people make years before they need it.

We don’t sell insurance, and we never tell you which plan to pick

Cancer Explained is a nonprofit educational resource. We are not affiliated with Medicare, CMS, or any insurance company. We are not agents or brokers. We earn no commission, accept no payment from health plans, and do not pass your information to anyone who does. We will never call a plan “best” or “recommended” — that judgement depends on your doctors, your medications, and your finances, and it belongs to you.

Anything you type here stays on your device. The worksheets in this section save to your own browser so you can come back to them. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else. Never enter your Medicare number, Social Security number, or member ID — you do not need them here, and no legitimate Medicare resource will ask for them by email or web form.

Dollar figures on these pages are the official 2026 amounts, last checked against CMS and Social Security sources on July 25, 2026. Plan benefits, drug lists, and provider networks change — sometimes mid-year. Before you enroll or change coverage, confirm everything with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), with the plan itself, and with a free SHIP counselor. This is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice.

What each part pays for

Part AHospital insurance

Inpatient hospital stays, surgery when you are admitted, a stay in a skilled nursing facility after a qualifying hospital stay, some home health care, and hospice.

What you pay: You pay $1,736 per benefit period before Part A starts paying. That is per benefit period, not per year — if you are admitted twice with more than 60 days between, you pay it twice.

Part BMedical insurance — where most cancer care sits

Oncologist appointments, chemotherapy given by infusion or injection, radiation therapy, CT, PET and MRI scans, lab work and biopsies, and durable medical equipment.

What you pay: After the $283 annual deductible, Medicare pays 80% of the approved amount and you pay 20%. Under Original Medicare alone there is no cap on that 20%.

Part DPrescription drugs

Medicines you collect from a pharmacy and take yourself: oral chemotherapy and targeted therapies, anti-sickness drugs, and pain medication.

What you pay: Deductibles and tier copays vary by plan, but there is a hard ceiling — once you have paid $2,100 out of pocket in 2026, covered drugs cost you nothing for the rest of the year.

Medicare AdvantageAlso called Part C

A private plan that replaces Parts A and B, usually bundles in drug coverage, and must cover everything Original Medicare covers.

What you pay: It caps your annual medical costs, which Original Medicare does not. In exchange you use a network of doctors, and most treatment needs the plan's approval first.

The gap that catches people out

Infused chemotherapy is billed under Part B, and Part B has no annual out-of-pocket maximum. On a regimen billed at $10,000 a session, your 20% is $2,000 a session, and nothing stops it accumulating over a year of treatment. This is the reason people pair Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, and the reason a Medicare Advantage plan’s out-of-pocket maximum matters so much more during cancer than it does in an ordinary year.

Work out your own numbers

What Medicare does not cover

Routine dental care, which matters more than you would expect before head and neck radiation.
Most hearing aids and routine eye care.
Long-term custodial care — help with washing, dressing and eating — if that is the only care you need.
Wigs, under Original Medicare.
Travel, parking, and lost income, which for many households are the costs that actually bite.

Some Medicare Advantage plans add dental, vision, hearing and transport benefits. If those matter to you, check the specifics rather than the headline — the dental allowance is often smaller than it sounds.

What to check for your own care

Which part pays for each of your drugs. Infusion or pill changes the whole cost picture. Sort your medicines out.
Whether every provider is in network — including the lab and the imaging center, not just the oncologist. Use the checklist.
What needs approval before it happens, and how long your plan takes to give it. How approvals work.
Whether you qualify for help paying. More people do than claim it. Check the limits.

Common questions

Does Medicare cover cancer treatment?: Yes. Medicare covers medically necessary cancer care: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, scans, lab work, and hospital stays. What differs is how much of the bill is left to you, which depends on whether you have Original Medicare on its own, Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy, or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Is there a limit on what I pay out of pocket?: Only if your coverage provides one. Medicare Advantage plans must have an annual out-of-pocket maximum for medical care. Original Medicare on its own does not — after the deductible you pay 20% of the approved amount for outpatient care, including infused chemotherapy, with no annual ceiling. A Medigap policy is what closes that gap. Prescription drugs are separate and are capped for everyone.
Does Medicare cover a second opinion?: Yes. Part B covers a second opinion for surgery or another major treatment that is not an emergency, and a third if the first two disagree. Under Original Medicare you can seek it from any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare. Under a Medicare Advantage plan, check whether the doctor is in network first.
Does Medicare cover clinical trials?: Medicare covers the routine care costs of a qualifying clinical trial — the appointments, scans and hospital stays you would have needed anyway — even when the trial itself is not paid for by Medicare. The investigational drug or device is normally supplied by the trial sponsor. Ask the trial coordinator to confirm what is billed to Medicare before you enroll.
Does Medicare cover a wig after chemotherapy?: Original Medicare does not cover wigs. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a supplemental benefit that does, and many cancer charities and hospital support funds provide them free. It is worth asking your cancer center's social worker.
Does Medicare cover hospice care?: Yes, under Part A, and the hospice benefit is unusually generous: it covers the care team, medicines for symptom control, equipment and supplies related to the terminal illness, with little or no cost to you. You keep it whether you have Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Free, and nobody is selling you anything

Talk it through with a Medicare counselor

Every state has a State Health Insurance Assistance Program — trained counselors who sit down with you one-on-one, go through your own medications and doctors, and help you work out what your options actually cost. It is free, it is confidential, and they earn nothing whichever plan you choose. If you only do one thing on this page, do this one.

Find your state’s counselor Or call the national line: 1-877-839-2675