Yes, Medicare covers a colonoscopy, and for routine colorectal cancer screening you pay nothing when your provider accepts assignment. Coverage isn't the hard part. The details are: which test you get, the age you become eligible, how often Medicare will pay for it, and what happens to the price if your doctor removes a polyp while you're under. Those rules aren't the same for every screening.

In This Guide

Does Medicare Cover a Colonoscopy?

Short answer: yes. Medicare Part B treats colorectal cancer screening as a preventive service, and the screening colonoscopy is the centerpiece of that benefit. When your provider accepts assignment and the exam turns up nothing that needs removing, a screening colonoscopy costs you $0, with no deductible and no coinsurance. If your doctor does find and remove a polyp while you're in there, you pick up a share, and the cost section below has the numbers.

"Accepts assignment" just means the provider agrees to the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. Most do, but it's a fair question to ask when you schedule, because that agreement is what keeps the screening free.

Unlike some other screenings, a screening colonoscopy has no minimum age under Medicare. If you're on Medicare and your doctor recommends one, the age rule isn't what stands in the way.

Which Tests Medicare Covers: Colonoscopy, Stool Test, and Sigmoidoscopy

Medicare doesn't cover just one colorectal test. It covers a few, and the rules for age and timing aren't identical, so it helps to see them side by side. The stool-based screening and the flexible sigmoidoscopy both start at age 45. The screening colonoscopy has no age floor, and how often it's covered depends on whether you're at high risk.

Screening test Age you become eligible How often Medicare covers it
Stool-based screening (fecal-occult blood test) 45 and up Once every 12 months
Flexible sigmoidoscopy 45 and up Once every 48 months, or once every 120 months if you've already had a screening colonoscopy and aren't at high risk
Screening colonoscopy No minimum age Once every 24, 48, or 120 months, depending on your risk

For the screening colonoscopy, the interval is the piece people ask about most. If you're at high risk for colorectal cancer, Medicare covers one more often. If you're not at high risk, the covered interval is longer. Your doctor determines your risk level, and that's what sets your schedule.

So the practical takeaway is to match the test to your situation. Many people start with the once-a-year stool test at 45 and move to a colonoscopy if something needs a closer look, while others go straight to a colonoscopy on their doctor's advice. Either way, the screening itself is a covered benefit.

What Medicare Colorectal Cancer Screening Actually Costs

For a screening colonoscopy where nothing needs to come out, when your provider accepts assignment, you pay $0. No deductible, no coinsurance, no bill in the mail three weeks later. That much is exactly as good as it sounds, and it's the whole point of the preventive benefit.

What the $0 leaves out is what happens if your doctor finds something. If they find and remove a polyp or other tissue during the colonoscopy, you pay 15% of the Medicare-approved amount for their services, and in a hospital outpatient department or an ambulatory surgical center you pay the facility another 15%. The Part B deductible doesn't apply. So the same appointment can end at $0 or end with a bill, and which one you get is decided while you're asleep.

That's a different situation from the other way a colonoscopy stops being free. A colonoscopy your doctor orders to investigate symptoms, rather than as routine screening, isn't the preventive test at all. Those services fall under standard Part B cost-sharing, which means you'd pay the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) and then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Same procedure, different reason, different price.

None of this is a reason to put the screening off. A polyp found and taken out during a screening is the procedure doing the job you booked it to do, and the alternative is not a cheaper colonoscopy, it's not knowing. What's worth doing is calling the office beforehand and asking two things: how the visit is being coded, and what your share would be if they do remove something. Then a bill, if one comes, is a number you already saw coming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Medicare cover a colonoscopy?

Yes. Medicare Part B covers a screening colonoscopy as a preventive service, and you pay $0 when your provider accepts assignment and nothing is removed during the procedure. There's no minimum age for a screening colonoscopy under Medicare.

How often does Medicare cover a colonoscopy?

For a screening colonoscopy, coverage comes once every 24, 48, or 120 months, depending on your risk. People at high risk for colorectal cancer are covered more often; people not at high risk have a longer interval. Your doctor sets your risk level.

At what age does Medicare cover colorectal cancer screening?

It depends on the test. The stool-based screening and flexible sigmoidoscopy are covered starting at age 45. A screening colonoscopy has no minimum age.

Is a stool test for colon cancer covered by Medicare?

Yes. The screening fecal-occult blood test is covered once every 12 months for people 45 and older.

Do I still pay $0 if they remove a polyp?

No. If your health care provider finds and removes a polyp or other tissue during the screening colonoscopy, you pay 15% of the Medicare-approved amount for their services, plus another 15% to the facility if the procedure is done in a hospital outpatient department or an ambulatory surgical center. The Part B deductible doesn't apply. The screening is still covered, and the removal is still the outcome you want.

Why did I get a bill for my colonoscopy?

Usually one of two reasons. The first is that something was removed: a polyp or other tissue taken out during the screening brings 15% coinsurance on the provider's services, and another 15% to the facility in a hospital outpatient department or surgery center, with no Part B deductible. The second is coding: if your colonoscopy was ordered to look into symptoms, it's diagnostic care rather than the free preventive screening, so standard Part B cost-sharing applies, meaning the deductible and then 20% coinsurance. Ask the provider which one your bill reflects.

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Find personalized help understanding what a colorectal cancer screening will actually cost at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.