Does Medicare Cover Liver Transplants?

Yes, Medicare covers liver transplants and other organ transplants that are considered medically necessary. 

A Medicare Supplement Insurance plan could help cover your Medicare out-of-pocket costs if you get a liver transplant.

How Much Will My Liver Transplant Cost?

Transplants that are performed at Medicare-certified facilities are covered under Medicare Part A, and doctors services related to transplants are covered under Medicare Part B.

If you have Original Medicare alone, you must pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor's services associated with the transplant.

• If you have not yet met your full deductible for Medicare Part A ($1,632 per benefit period in 2024), you must pay that amount before Medicare will cover your hospital charges.
  

• The Medicare Part B deductible ($240 in 2023) also applies, so you will also be responsible for paying that before Medicare will begin paying benefits for doctor services.

Along with the charges listed above, you will likely have to pay various amounts for transplant facility charges. Medicare covers all Medicare-certified laboratory tests.

Some Medicare Part D prescription drug plans may help cover the costs for liver transplant drugs (immunosuppressive drugs).

You can compare Part D plans available where you live and enroll in a Medicare prescription drug plan online in as little as 10 minutes when you visit MyRxPlans.com.¹

Medigap Plans Can Help Cover Out-of-Pocket Transplant Costs

If you need a liver transplant or think you may need one in the future, you could end up saving money on health care costs by getting a Medigap plan, also known as a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan.

Medigap plans can fill in some of the gaps that Medicare doesn't cover for transplants, and Medigap plans can help you pay less out-of-pocket for the costs associated with a liver transplant.

Certain Medigap plans could cover most or all of your transplant costs, including copayments, coinsurance and the Part A and Part B deductibles.

In most states, the there are 10 standardized Medigap plan types. They cover most or all of the coinsurance and copayments associated with Medicare Part A and Part B.

Additionally, every plan except Medigap Plan A covers the Medicare Part A deductible, and Medigap Plans C and F also cover the Medicare Part B deductible.

What Other Kinds of Transplants Does Medicare Cover?

In addition to liver transplants, Medicare covers the following types of organ transplants:

• Heart

• Lung

• Kidney

• Pancreas

• Intestine

Original Medicare also covers pre- and post-operative services, including any tests, labs and drugs required before surgery, as well as the procurement of organs and follow-up care.

Learn more about Medicare coverage of common procedures

¹ 10-minute claim is based solely on the time to complete the e-application if you have your Medicare card and other pertinent information available when you apply. The time to shop for plans, compare rates, and estimate drug costs is not factored into the claim. Application time could be longer. Actual time to enroll will depend on the consumer and their plan comparison needs.

Christian Worstell is a health care and policy writer for MedicareSupplement.com. He has written hundreds of articles helping people better understand their Medicare coverage options.