When your kidneys stop functioning normally, your body enters End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Dialysis is a treatment designed to help your body function by washing your blood when your kidneys stop working on their own.
In addition to helping your body maintain a proper fluid balance and control blood pressure, dialysis helps remove harmful waste products, fluids, and salts that accumulate in your body.
While dialysis treatments can help you live longer and feel better, they are not a cure for permanent kidney failure.
Continue reading to learn more about Medicare coverage for dialysis and its treatment, including eligibility requirements and costs.
Medicare Eligibility
Medicare eligibility requirements differ if your eligibility is based on End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
If You Do Not Enrol Immediately
If you are eligible for Medicare due to ESRD but did not enrol during your Initial Enrollment Period, you may be eligible to receive retroactive coverage of up to 12 months once you do enrol.
If You Are Receiving Dialysis
If you are registering in Medicare due to ESRD and are currently receiving dialysis, your Medicare attention usually starts on the first day of the fourth calendar month of your dialysis treatment. Coverage may begin in the first month if:
- You participate in home dialysis exercise at a Medicare-certified ability during the first 3 months of dialysis;
- Your doctor has indicated that you must complete such training to perform your own dialysis treatments.
If You Are Receiving a Kidney Transplant
If you are admitted to a Medicare-certified hospital for a kidney transplant and the transplant is performed that same month or within the following 2 months, Medicare coverage could begin that month.
Medicare coverage could begin 2 months before your transplant if the transplant is delayed by more than 2 months after your hospital admission.
When Medicare Coverage Ends
If you are eligible for Medicare solely due to permanent kidney disappointment, your coverage will end:
- 12 months afterward the month in which you stop receiving dialysis treatments.
- 36 months after the month in which you receive a kidney transplant.
Medicare coverage will continue if:
- within 12 months after the month in which you stopped dialysis, you restart dialysis or receive a kidney transplant;
- within 36 months after the month in which you received a kidney transplant, you receive a new kidney transplant or start dialysis.
Dialysis Facilities and Supplies Covered by Medicare
Original Medicare comprises Part A (Hospital Coverage) and Part B (Medical Insurance). It covers many of the provisions and services necessary for dialysis. Part A protections inpatient dialysis treatments, while Part B covers the following services:
- inpatient dialysis treatments
- inpatient medical services
- home dialysis training
- home dialysis equipment and supplies
- some home support services
- Most medications for dialysis are available in specialised centres and at home
- other services and provisions, such as laboratory tests
Medicare should cover ambulance facilities to and from your home and the nearest dialysis centre, provided that your doctor provides written orders certifying that it is a medical necessity.
Services and supplies not endangered by Medicare include:
- payments to dialysis assistants
- lost wages during the time spent on home dialysis
- lodging during treatment
- blood or crowded red blood cells for home dialysis (unless included in the physician’s services)
Medication Coverage
- Part B: covers injectable and intravenous medications, as well as biological products and their oral forms, when furnished by a dialysis facility.
- Part B: fixes not cover medications that are accessible only in oral form.
- Part D: which is purchased through a private insurance company approved by Medicare—offers prescription drug coverage that, depending on your policy, typically covers these types of medications.
How much will I pay for dialysis?
If you receive dialysis after being admit to a hospital as an inpatient, Part A covers the costs. Outpatient medical services are covered by Part B.
You are responsible for various costs, including premiums, annual deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments:
- In 2026, the monthly Part A premium for most people will be $0. If you do not qualify for premium-free Part A, you will pay $285 or $518 per month.
- In 2026, the annual Part A deductible (when admitted to the hospital) is $1,676. Once you have met your deductible, Part A will cover all costs for the first 60 days of inpatient hospital care during a benefit period.
- In 2026, the monthly Part B premium is $185, and the annual Part B deductible is $257.
Regarding training services for home dialysis, Medicare generally pays a fixed fee to your dialysis facility for providing such training.
Once the annual Part B deductible has been met, Medicare will pay 80% of the bill, and you will be responsible for the residual 20%.
In Summary
Medicare covers most treatments—including dialysis—for End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or kidney failure.
Your healthcare team can review the details regarding coverage for treatments, services, and supplies, as well as your share of the costs. While receiving dialysis, you may work with:
- doctors
- nurses
- social workers
- dialysis technicians
For more information, visit Medicare.gov or call 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227).