Does Medicare Cover Organ Transplants?

Yes, Medicare covers organ transplants, as long as you get the transplant at a Medicare-approved facility, and Part A and Part B split the bill. If you or someone you love needs a new kidney, heart, or liver, you're probably scared and counting the cost at the same time, so here is the short version. What's worth knowing up front is how the bill splits between Part A and Part B, because that split decides a lot about what you'll actually owe.

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• What Does Medicare Cover for an Organ Transplant?
• What Does Part A Pay For?
• What Does Part B Pay For, and What Will You Owe?
• Does Medicare Cover an Organ Transplant at Any Facility?
• If You Have Medicare Only Because of Kidney Failure
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

What Does Medicare Cover for an Organ Transplant?

Start with the good news, because it's the part people worry about most: Medicare covers the different parts of the care an organ transplant takes. Medicare's coverage page says Part A generally covers services for heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, intestine, and liver transplants.1 So if a doctor has told you a transplant is the right treatment, you generally won't be paying for the transplant itself on your own.

The confusing bit isn't whether Medicare covers a transplant. It's that one transplant gets paid for by two different parts of Medicare, and they cover different things. Here's how the split works.

Knowing which part covers what matters because Part A and Part B have separate deductibles and separate cost-sharing.2 The rest of this guide walks through each side.

What Does Part A Pay For?

Part A is the hospital side of Medicare, and it does the heavy lifting. It pays for the tests, labs, and exams you need, and generally for the transplant services themselves and the cost of finding the right organ. For a kidney transplant, Medicare lists inpatient services in a Medicare-certified hospital among the costs Part A helps pay.1

For a kidney transplant, Part A also covers something a lot of families don't expect: the donor's care. Part A covers the full cost of a living donor's care before, during, and after the surgery, and the donor pays nothing for the services Medicare covers for the donation.1 So a relative or friend who steps forward to donate a kidney isn't stuck with the medical bills for donating. The 20% coinsurance below is on your care, not theirs.

Your own hospital stay has Part A cost-sharing too. In 2026 the Part A deductible is $1,736 per benefit period, you pay $0 for days 1-60 after that, and $434 a day for days 61-90.2 Ask any supplemental plan you have what it covers before the admission.

What Does Part B Pay For, and What Will You Owe?

Part B is the medical-services side. It picks up the doctors. In certain situations it also covers your anti-rejection drugs, the pills that keep your body from rejecting the new organ.1

Now the cost part, since this is where you actually owe money. For Part B services, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after you've met the annual Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026.1,2 Original Medicare puts no yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket unless you have supplemental coverage, such as a Medigap policy, Medicaid, or employer, retiree, or union coverage. A Medicare Advantage plan works differently: every plan has a yearly out-of-pocket maximum for in-network Part A and Part B services.4

That 20% also isn't your whole exposure, and one gap catches transplant families hard: Medicare does not pay for transportation to a transplant facility. If your approved center is in another city, the travel and lodging are yours to fund. Beyond that, your bill varies with a handful of things: other insurance you have, what your doctor charges, whether your doctor accepts assignment, the type of facility, and where you get the service. One protection is specific to kidney transplants: there's a limit on what your doctor can charge you even if the doctor doesn't accept assignment.1

These are Original Medicare figures. In a Medicare Advantage plan what you pay may be different, and Medicare tells anyone on a transplant waiting list, or who thinks they may need a transplant, to check before joining such a plan that their doctors, other providers, and hospitals are in the plan's network, and to check the plan's prior authorization rules.1

Does Medicare Cover an Organ Transplant at Any Facility?

No, and this is the requirement that catches people off guard, so it's worth stating plainly: you must get the transplant at a Medicare-approved facility for Medicare to cover it.1 Medicare says so directly on its organ transplant page, and for kidney transplants the rule is written into federal regulation, which pays for the surgery only when it's done at an approved transplant center.1 The same page covers heart, lung, pancreas, intestine, and liver transplants too, so this rule is not just for kidneys.

What this means for you in practice: before you schedule anything, confirm that the transplant center is Medicare-approved. Don't assume it, because it's the kind of detail you want nailed down early rather than after the fact. Ask the transplant center's financial coordinator for its Medicare approval in writing, and ask Medicare or your plan to double-check before you schedule. If the answer is no, ask your team about approved centers before you go further. And if Medicare isn't helping pay for the transplant, don't assume the Part B anti-rejection drug benefit applies to you: Medicare says it applies if Medicare helped pay for your transplant, so ask your plan and Medicare how your drugs will be covered.

If You Have Medicare Only Because of Kidney Failure

Not everyone on Medicare is 65 or older. Some people have it because of permanent kidney failure (end-stage renal disease), and for them a kidney transplant raises a question it doesn't raise for everyone else: what happens to their Medicare afterward?

Here is the answer, and it is the most important paragraph on this page for you: if ESRD is the only reason you have Medicare, your Medicare ends 36 months after a successful kidney transplant. The transplant works, and then the coverage that paid for it runs out, which is a hard thing to hear after everything you've been through.3

Do not let that land as "so I'll be buying my anti-rejection drugs on my own." There is a benefit built for exactly this cliff. The Part B Immunosuppressive Drug benefit (Part B-ID), in effect since January 2023, lets kidney transplant recipients in your situation keep Part B coverage of their immunosuppressive drugs after the rest of their Medicare ends. Two conditions apply: you had Medicare because of ESRD at the time of your kidney transplant, and you don't have or expect to get certain other coverage. CMS's examples include:

• an employer or individual health plan
• a Health Insurance Marketplace plan
• TRICARE for Life
• enrollment in the VA patient enrollment system (or other eligibility for immunosuppressive drugs from the VA)
• Medicaid or CHIP coverage that includes immunosuppressive drugs3

There is no enrollment deadline. You can sign up for this benefit at any time. It doesn't run through ordinary Part B sign-up either. Social Security handles it, and there are two ways to sign up:

• By phone: the dedicated line, 1-877-465-0355, which Medicare calls a special phone number just for this benefit.3
• By mail: send form CMS-10798 to the Social Security Administration, Office of Central Operations, PO Box 32914, Baltimore, Maryland 21298.

One duty comes with it: if you enroll and later get other health coverage, you must tell Social Security within 60 days.3

It carries its own monthly premium, lower than the $202.90 standard Part B premium. In 2026 it is $121.60 a month (higher if your income is high), plus the same $283 annual deductible that applies to all Part B beneficiaries, after which you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the drugs.3,2 Don't stop reading at that price. If your income and resources are limited, a Medicare Savings Program, meaning QMB, SLMB, or QI, may help pay for this benefit, and you apply for those through your state.3

Be clear about what Part B-ID is and isn't. It covers immunosuppressive drugs and no other items or services, so it is not a substitute for full health coverage, and you'll want a plan for the rest of your care as the 36 months run down.3 Our guide to how Medicare covers end-stage renal disease walks through the wider picture. Read it before your transplant, not after.

Learn More

Find personalized help understanding what a parent's organ transplant will cost under Medicare 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.