Yes, Medicare covers hepatitis C screening at $0, but not for every adult. The free test is tied to two doors. You either have a specific risk history, or you were born between 1945 and 1965. Fit through one of them and the screening costs you nothing. Miss both, and the $0 benefit doesn't apply to you.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- Who Qualifies for a Free Hepatitis C Screening
- How Often Medicare Covers Hepatitis C Screening
- Does Medicare Cover Hepatitis C Screening for Free?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Learn More
Who Qualifies for a Free Hepatitis C Screening
Medicare covers the hepatitis C screening test as a $0 preventive service, but the coverage is tied to risk and birth year, not offered to every adult.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings There are two ways to qualify, and you only need one.
The first door is risk history. Medicare counts you as high risk if you use or have used illicit injection drugs, or if you had a blood transfusion before 1992.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings That 1992 cutoff isn't random: it's when the blood supply started being screened for hepatitis C, so transfusions before then carried a real risk of exposure.
The second door is your birth year. If you were born between 1945 and 1965 and aren't otherwise considered high risk, you still qualify for a covered screening.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings This is the big one, because that "baby boomer" birth cohort is the single largest group Medicare covers this test for, and a lot of people in it have never been screened. You don't need any symptoms and you don't need a risk history. Being born in those years is enough.
One condition applies either way: a provider has to order the test.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings So this isn't something you request at a lab on your own. It comes out of a conversation with your doctor.
How Often Medicare Covers Hepatitis C Screening
For most people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit. If you qualify because of a past history of injection drug use, a pre-1992 transfusion, or the 1945 to 1965 birth cohort, Medicare covers a single screening test.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings
There's one exception, and it's a yearly one. If you're at high risk because you've continued using illicit injection drugs since your last negative hepatitis C screening, Medicare covers the test once a year.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings The logic is straightforward: ongoing exposure means a single lifetime test wouldn't catch a new infection, so the coverage repeats.
So the short version is: one covered screening for most people, and an annual one for people with continued injection drug use.
Does Medicare Cover Hepatitis C Screening for Free?
For the screening itself, yes. You pay $0 for the hepatitis C screening test when a provider orders it and accepts assignment, which means they agree to Medicare's approved amount as full payment. No Part B deductible, no 20% coinsurance.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings That's what makes it a preventive service rather than a regular billed test.
The $0 covers the screening itself: checking whether you might have hepatitis C.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — Hepatitis C virus infection screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hepatitis-c-virus-infection-screenings It doesn't cover what happens after a positive result.
If your screening comes back positive, the next steps to confirm and stage the infection, like a follow-up blood test to measure the virus or a visit with a specialist, are diagnostic care, not the preventive screening. Diagnostic services under Part B are billed the normal way: you pay the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) if you haven't met it, then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Jul 23, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles That's not a reason to skip the screening. It just helps to know the $0 stops at the first test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medicare cover hepatitis C screening for everyone?
No. Medicare covers the screening at $0 only if you're at high risk (current or past injection drug use, or a blood transfusion before 1992) or you were born between 1945 and 1965. A provider also has to order the test. If neither door fits you, the free screening benefit doesn't apply.
Is the hepatitis C test really free under Medicare?
For the screening, yes. You pay $0, with no Part B deductible and no coinsurance, when your provider orders it and accepts assignment. It has to be the preventive screening, and you have to qualify. Follow-up testing after a positive result is billed as diagnostic care.
I was born between 1945 and 1965. Do I qualify?
Yes. Being born in that range is one of the two ways to qualify, even with no symptoms and no risk history. Medicare covers a one-time screening for the 1945 to 1965 birth cohort. Ask your doctor to order it.
How often can I get a covered hepatitis C screening?
Once in your lifetime for most people. If you're at high risk because you've continued using illicit injection drugs since your last negative screening, Medicare covers it once a year instead.
What if my hepatitis C screening is positive?
The screening tells you that you may have hepatitis C. Confirming it and figuring out treatment is diagnostic care, billed the standard way: the Part B deductible if you haven't met it, then 20% coinsurance. Your doctor will walk you through the next tests from there.
Learn More
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