Hospitals usually charge for blood processing and handling for each unit of blood you get, whether the blood is donated or purchased.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
covers this service if you’re an inpatient.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
covers this service if you’re an outpatient.
Your costs in Original Medicare
After you meet the Part A deductible, there’s no copayment for blood you get as an inpatient. After you meet the Part B
deductible
, you pay a
copayment
for the blood processing and handling services for every unit of blood you get as a hospital outpatient.
Frequency of services
Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. Ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and if, or how much, Medicare will pay for them.
Find out cost
To find out how much your test, item, or service will cost, talk to your doctor or health care provider. The specific amount you’ll owe may depend on several things, like:
- Other insurance you may have
- How much your doctor charges
- If your doctor accepts assignment
- The type of facility
- Where you get your test, item, or service
