Does Medicare Cover Cancer Treatment?

Here's the short version. Medicare covers cancer treatment, but three different parts pay for it. Part A covers chemotherapy and radiation when you're a hospital inpatient. Part B covers chemotherapy and radiation you get as an outpatient, in a doctor's office, or at a freestanding clinic, and you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. Part B also covers most injected and infused drugs, plus some cancer pills and anti-nausea pills. Part D covers the other drugs you take at home. In 2026, your out-of-pocket Part D costs stop once you reach $2,100 for the year. The rest of this page sorts out which part pays for what.

Part A: cancer care in the hospital

Medicare Part A covers chemotherapy if you're a hospital inpatient. It also covers radiation therapy for hospital inpatients. As an inpatient, you pay the Part A deductible and any coinsurance that applies to a long stay. Surgery to remove a tumor during a hospital stay falls under Part A too.

Being in a hospital bed does not always mean you're an inpatient. If the hospital keeps you under "observation," you're an outpatient and Part B rules apply. Our how-do-I guide explains that billing trap.

Part B: chemo and radiation as an outpatient

Most cancer treatment happens outside a hospital bed. Part B covers chemotherapy if you're a hospital outpatient or get it in a doctor's office or freestanding clinic. It covers radiation therapy for outpatients and at freestanding clinics.

After you meet the Part B deductible, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for chemotherapy in a doctor's office, freestanding clinic, or hospital outpatient setting. Radiation works the same way: 20% after the deductible. One protection helps with hospital outpatient chemo. Your copayment for it won't be more than the Part A inpatient deductible amount.

There is no yearly cap on what you pay under Original Medicare Part B. That is why many people pair it with a Medigap policy, which can pay some or all of the 20%. Our costs guide walks through how the pieces add up.

Which cancer drugs Part B covers

Part B usually covers drugs you wouldn't give yourself, like those you get at a doctor's office or in a hospital outpatient setting. For cancer, that includes:

• Injected and infused drugs. Medicare covers most injectable and infused drugs when a licensed medical provider gives them. That is most IV chemotherapy and many immunotherapy drugs.
• Some cancer pills. Medicare covers some cancer drugs you take by mouth if the same drug is also available in an injectable form, or if it's a "prodrug" of the injectable drug. A prodrug is an oral form that breaks down into the same active ingredient after you take it.
• Anti-nausea pills. Medicare covers anti-nausea drugs you take by mouth before, during, or within 48 hours of chemotherapy, or when they fully replace an IV anti-nausea drug.
• Drugs through covered equipment. Medicare covers certain medically necessary drugs infused through Part B-covered equipment, like an infusion pump.

Doctors, other providers, and pharmacies must accept assignment for Part B-covered drugs. They should never ask you to pay more than the coinsurance or copayment for the drug itself. In most cases, after the Part B deductible, you pay up to 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for Part B drugs. Your coinsurance can sometimes be lower for certain drugs whose prices rose faster than inflation. That list changes every quarter.

One warning. If you get a drug that isn't Part B-covered in a hospital outpatient setting, you pay all costs for it unless you have other drug coverage. What you pay then depends on whether your Part D plan covers the drug and whether the hospital is in your plan's network.

Part D: cancer pills you take at home

Most other cancer drugs you take by mouth fall under Part D. That includes many targeted therapies and hormone drugs. Part D covers many drugs that Part B doesn't. If you have Original Medicare, you join a Medicare drug plan to get it. Check the plan's drug list, called a formulary, to see whether your drug is on it.

Part D costs move through three stages each year:

1. Deductible stage. You pay the full cost until you meet your plan's deductible. No plan may have a deductible above $615 in 2026, and some have none.
2. Initial coverage stage. You pay 25% of the cost for generic and brand-name drugs until your out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs reaches $2,100 in 2026. Certain payments made on your behalf, like Extra Help, count toward that total.
3. Catastrophic coverage stage. You pay nothing out of pocket for covered Part D drugs for the rest of the calendar year.

For expensive cancer pills, that cap can arrive within the first month or two. If a lump sum at the pharmacy is a problem, the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan spreads your costs across the year. It doesn't lower what you owe. If your income and resources are limited, Extra Help lowers your Part D costs, and you get it automatically if you have Medicaid, a Medicare Savings Program, or SSI.

If your plan won't cover the drug your oncologist prescribes, you can ask for a formulary exception. See My Part D plan won't cover my drug.

If treatment stops working: hospice

Hospice is end-of-life care for people with illnesses that can't be cured. Part A covers it if you're eligible. To qualify, your hospice doctor and your regular doctor certify that you're terminally ill, with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. You accept comfort care instead of care to cure your illness, and you sign a statement choosing hospice.

This is the trade-off families need to understand. Once your hospice benefit starts, Medicare won't cover treatment intended to cure your terminal illness, or prescription drugs meant to cure it rather than control symptoms. Talk with your doctor if you're thinking about treatment to cure your illness. You pay nothing for hospice care from a Medicare-approved hospice provider, and Original Medicare still pays for health problems unrelated to your terminal illness. Full guide: Medicare hospice and home health care.

If you have Medicare Advantage

A Medicare Advantage plan must cover the same cancer services Original Medicare covers, but it sets its own copays, provider network, and approval rules. Two things matter most. First, check that your cancer center and oncologist are in the plan's network. Second, many plans require prior authorization for chemotherapy, imaging, or hospital stays. Ask your care team to start those requests early. Medicare Advantage plans do have a yearly out-of-pocket limit for medical costs, which Original Medicare does not.

Common questions

Related pages

• Medicare Part B — outpatient care, assignment, and the 20% rule.
• Medicare Part D — formularies, tiers, and the yearly cap.
• Medicare Hospice and Home Health — comfort care and care at home.
• Understanding Your Costs — deductibles, coinsurance, and how bills stack up.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan — spreading drug costs over the year.

Official sources: Medicare.gov: Chemotherapy, Medicare.gov: Radiation therapy, Medicare.gov: Prescription drugs (outpatient), Medicare.gov: How much does Medicare drug coverage cost?, and Medicare.gov: Hospice care.