Does Medicare Cover Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccines?

Which part of Medicare pays for each vaccine

This is the single most confusing thing about these two vaccines: they are not covered the same way. The hepatitis B vaccine and the hepatitis A vaccine fall under different parts of Medicare, and that affects who is eligible and how you get it.

The hepatitis B vaccine is covered under Part B (Medical Insurance) — but only for people who are at medium or high risk for hepatitis B. If you are not at increased risk, the hepatitis B vaccine is instead covered under Part D, your prescription drug coverage.

The hepatitis A vaccine is always covered under Part D, not Part B. It is one of the adult vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is the group that decides which shots Part D plans must cover.

• Hepatitis B vaccine, medium/high risk: covered by Part B
• Hepatitis B vaccine, not at increased risk: covered by Part D
• Hepatitis A vaccine: covered by Part D
• Combined hepatitis A and B vaccine (such as Twinrix): generally covered by Part D as an ACIP-recommended adult vaccine; confirm with your drug plan

Hepatitis B vaccine under Part B: who qualifies and what it costs

Part B pays for the hepatitis B vaccine and the shot to give it (the administration) if you are at medium or high risk for hepatitis B. Your doctor or other provider decides whether you meet the risk criteria.

You may qualify as medium or high risk if you have a health condition or situation that raises your risk. You may also qualify if you have never had a complete vaccine series, or you don't know whether you were vaccinated.

When the hepatitis B vaccine is covered under Part B, you pay nothing for it as long as your provider accepts assignment, and the Part B deductible does not apply. For 2026, the Part B deductible is $283, but it is waived for this vaccine — so an eligible person pays $0.

• Examples of medium or high risk: diabetes, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), hemophilia, or living with someone who has hepatitis B
• Also qualifying: never having gotten a complete series, or not knowing your vaccination history
• Your cost: $0 when your provider accepts assignment (no deductible applies)
• Yes — diabetes or ESRD can make you eligible for the hepatitis B vaccine at no cost under Part B

Hepatitis A (and low-risk hepatitis B) under Part D: $0 since 2023

The hepatitis A vaccine is covered under Part D. The Inflation Reduction Act eliminated cost-sharing for all adult vaccines that ACIP recommends and that are covered under Part D, effective January 1, 2023. That means no copay and no deductible — you pay $0 out of pocket.

The same $0 rule applies to the hepatitis B vaccine when it is covered under Part D — that is, when you are not at the increased risk that would put it under Part B. Either way, an ACIP-recommended vaccine on the Part D side costs you nothing.

To use this benefit you do need Part D drug coverage — either a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage. If you only have Original Medicare with no drug plan, there is no Part D coverage to pay for the hepatitis A vaccine. This change has had a real effect: more than 10 million people with Part D got a free ACIP-recommended vaccine in 2023, up from 3.4 million in 2021.

• Hepatitis A vaccine: $0 copay and $0 deductible under Part D
• Low-risk hepatitis B vaccine: also $0 under Part D
• You must have a Part D plan (stand-alone or built into a Medicare Advantage plan) to get the hepatitis A vaccine for free
• These vaccines do not count as a charge against the 2026 Part D out-of-pocket cap of $2,100

Where to get vaccinated and the assignment rule

You can typically get these vaccines at a pharmacy or at a doctor's office, but where you go can matter because of which part of Medicare is paying.

Part D vaccines (hepatitis A, and low-risk hepatitis B) are usually easiest to get at a pharmacy that bills your Part D plan directly, so you walk out paying nothing. Part B vaccines (high-risk hepatitis B) are commonly given in a doctor's office or clinic that bills Part B.

The phrase 'accepts assignment' matters for the Part B hepatitis B vaccine. A provider who accepts assignment agrees to Medicare's approved amount as full payment. If your provider accepts assignment, you pay nothing for the covered vaccine. It is worth asking before your appointment.

• Pharmacy: best for Part D vaccines (hepatitis A; low-risk hepatitis B) so the plan is billed directly
• Doctor's office or clinic: common for the Part B high-risk hepatitis B vaccine
• Always ask whether the provider accepts assignment for a Part B vaccine to make sure you pay $0

Hepatitis B screening and Medicare Advantage

Beyond vaccines, Part B also covers hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection screening when your doctor orders it because you are at high risk or pregnant. For people who remain at continued high risk and do not get the hepatitis B vaccine, Medicare covers this screening once a year. You pay nothing if your provider accepts assignment.

If you have a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan, it must cover at least the same vaccines as Original Medicare. That means the Part B-covered hepatitis B vaccine and the ACIP-recommended Part D vaccines (including hepatitis A) are available to you at $0 cost-sharing through your plan. Networks and pharmacy rules can vary by plan, so check your plan's directory or call the number on your card to find an in-network place to get the shot.

• HBV screening: covered by Part B; once a year for those at continued high risk who don't get the vaccine; $0 with assignment
• Medicare Advantage: covers the same hepatitis A and B vaccines as Original Medicare and Part D, at $0 cost-sharing
• Plan networks vary — confirm an in-network pharmacy or provider before you go