If you're on Medicare and wondering whether it covers STI screening, the answer is yes, and for people at increased risk it costs you nothing.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling Sexually transmitted infections are rising fastest among older adults, and this benefit is easy to miss because Medicare buries it. This guide lays out plainly what's covered, whether "at increased risk" includes you, and what, if anything, you'll pay.
In This Guide
- What Medicare Covers for STIs
- Is "At Increased Risk" You?
- What It Costs
- HIV Screening and PrEP
- How to Get It
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Learn More
What Medicare Covers for STIs
Medicare Part B covers screening for four sexually transmitted infections, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis B, once every 12 months (or at certain points during a pregnancy) for beneficiaries who are pregnant or at increased risk, when a primary-care provider orders the test.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling These are the standard blood and lab tests your doctor's office already knows how to order; nothing about being on Medicare makes them harder to get.
Separately, Medicare covers a prevention benefit most people have never heard of: up to two individual behavioral counseling sessions a year, each 20 to 30 minutes, face-to-face with a provider, for adults at increased risk.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling It's a plain conversation about lowering your risk, referred by your primary-care provider and done in a primary-care setting.
Is "At Increased Risk" You?
This is where a lot of older adults quietly count themselves out, and they shouldn't. Whether you're "at increased risk" is a clinical judgment your primary-care provider makes with you, not something you're expected to decide about yourself in advance.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling Being older doesn't remove you from the category, and the screening exists precisely because these infections are common and often silent.
The practical takeaway: don't rule yourself out. If you're sexually active, or you're simply not sure where you stand, that's a normal thing to raise with your doctor, and it's their job to determine whether the covered screening applies to you.
What It Costs
For the screening itself, and for the counseling, you pay $0, as long as your provider accepts assignment. Medicare waives the Part B deductible and the coinsurance for these preventive services.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling
There's one distinction worth understanding, because it's where a surprise bill can come from. A screening is a check when you have no symptoms, and that's the free benefit. If instead you have symptoms and your provider orders a test to diagnose what's wrong, or a screening comes back positive and you need treatment, that care is regular Part B care, not the free preventive benefit. Regular Part B care carries the standard cost-sharing: the annual deductible ($283 in 2026) and then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Jun 22, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles The screening is still free; it's the diagnosis and treatment that follow normal rules.
HIV Screening and PrEP
The same "it's covered and it's free" logic extends to HIV. Medicare Part B covers HIV screening at $0, once a year for eligible beneficiaries and up to three times during a pregnancy.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — HIV screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hiv-screenings
There's also a newer piece worth knowing. Since a 2024 rule, Medicare covers PrEP, the medication that prevents HIV, at $0 under Part B, including the oral and injectable forms, giving the medication, and related counseling and screenings.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — HIV screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hiv-screenings PrEP used to run through Part D drug plans; it now sits under Part B with no deductible, copay, or coinsurance for people at increased risk of HIV.
How to Get It
There's no special enrollment and no separate form. The step is to ask your primary-care provider that you'd like STI screening, or the counseling, or HIV screening or PrEP, and let them order it. If it helps to have a reason to raise it, "I read that Medicare covers this for free and I want to make sure I'm up to date" is plenty. Neither the request nor the visit is anything to feel awkward about; it's ordinary preventive care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medicare cover STI or STD testing?
Yes. Medicare Part B covers screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and hepatitis B once every 12 months for beneficiaries who are pregnant or at increased risk, when a primary-care provider orders it.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling
Is STI screening really free?
Yes, for the screening. You pay $0 for the covered screening and for the up-to-two counseling sessions a year when your provider accepts assignment.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling If you have symptoms and need a diagnostic test or treatment instead, that follows regular Part B cost-sharing (the $283 deductible and 20% in 2026).Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Jun 22, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
How do I know if I'm "at increased risk"?
You don't have to decide that yourself. Your primary-care provider determines whether the covered screening applies to you, so the right move is simply to ask rather than assuming it doesn't include you.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screenings & counseling - Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jun 25, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/sexually-transmitted-infection-screenings-counseling
Does Medicare cover HIV testing and PrEP?
Yes, both at $0. HIV screening is covered once a year (up to three times in a pregnancy), and since a 2024 rule PrEP is covered under Part B with no cost-sharing, including oral and injectable forms.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Medicare.gov — HIV screenings. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hiv-screenings
How do I get screened?
Ask your primary-care provider to order STI or HIV screening, or the counseling. There's no special enrollment window and no separate application.
Learn More
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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.