Does Medicare Cover Mental Health Care?

Coverage · Preventive & Wellness

This covers Medicare and mental health care — therapy, counseling, and psychiatric care.

Does Medicare cover mental health care?

Yes — Medicare covers both outpatient and inpatient mental health care. Part B covers a yearly depression screening, individual and group therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management. As of 2024, licensed marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors can bill Medicare, widening the list of providers you can see.

Which part of Medicare covers it?

Part B covers outpatient mental health; Part A covers inpatient care in a hospital or psychiatric hospital.

What you pay

For outpatient care you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. The yearly depression screening is $0. Inpatient care follows the Part A hospital deductible and coinsurance.

Exact dollar amounts change every year — see Medicare costs for 2026 for the current deductibles and coinsurance, or a Medigap plan can cover most of this cost-sharing for you.

The limits people get wrong

A psychiatric hospital has a 190-day lifetime limit for inpatient care (this limit does not apply to a psychiatric unit inside a general hospital). Prescriptions you fill at a pharmacy are covered under Part D, not Part B.

Related services

• Does Medicare cover preventive services?
• Does Medicare cover telehealth?

Related Medicare guides

• All service coverage · drug coverage · dental, vision & hearing.
• Medicare costs · Glossary · Medicare Help Center.

Get a Real Answer for Your Situation — Free

Whether mental health care is covered — and what you’ll owe — depends on the details of your care and your plan. Call us free at 435-219-5120 (TTY: 711) and we’ll tell you what Medicare covers in your case, and whether a different plan would cover it better. No cost, no pressure.