Original Medicare

Routine dental care such as cleanings and fillings — Original Medicare excludes a set of common services, including routine dental care (cleanings, fillings, extractions), routine eye exams and eyeglasses, hearing aids, and most long-term custodial care. These gaps are why beneficiaries often buy supplemental coverage. Inpatient hospital care is the core Part A benefit, physician services for covered illness are the core Part B benefit, and physician-ordered outpatient diagnostic tests are covered under Part B — all three are standard covered services. Some limited exceptions exist, such as dental services that are integral to a covered procedure like jaw surgery, but routine preventive and restorative dentistry is simply not a Medicare benefit.

National insurance concept

To Medicare Part B, because Part A does not cover physician fees — Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital services, but it does not cover the professional fees of physicians, surgeons, and other providers who treat the patient during the stay. Those professional services are billed under Medicare Part B, which is the medical insurance component covering physician and outpatient services. The hospital bill under Part A covers room, nursing, equipment, and hospital services, while the surgeon's fee follows the Part B path with its own deductible and coinsurance. This split between facility services and physician services is a classic and frequently tested Medicare point.

National insurance concept