Does medicare cover prostate cancer screenings?

Yes, Medicare covers a few screenings and tests, including the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, which measures the PSA level in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by a prostate

gland’s cells. Even though the cells can produce normal and malignant proteins, elevated PSA levels don’t necessarily mean cancer is present. Prostate cancer is the second most common

cancer among men in the United States after skin cancer. One in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. Most prostate

cancers grow so slowly that the men who have them die from causes other than prostate cancer, numerous studies have found. The percentage of men who are alive five years after they were

diagnosed with or began treatment for prostate cancer is 97.9 percent compared with the survival rates of other men the same age, the National Cancer Institute estimates. But some prostate

cancers, such as the malignancy discovered in former President Joe Biden, grow faster and can spread to other areas of the body. In 2025, nearly 36,000 men are expected to die of prostate

cancer. DOES MEDICARE COVER PSA TESTS? Medicare Part B covers a prostate PSA blood test every 12 months for men older than 50, starting the day after your birthday. The majority of Medicare

beneficiaries are 65 or older; about 1 in 8 are younger and qualify because of a disability. The PSA test is a free preventive service that isn’t subject to deductibles or coinsurance as

long as your doctor or other provider accepts assignment. While PSA levels can be higher in men who have prostate cancer, an infection, enlarged prostate, certain medications or some medical

procedures can also cause elevated PSA levels. WHAT OTHER PROSTATE SCREENINGS DOES MEDICARE COVER? Medicare also covers additional screening and tests, so prostate cancer can be detected as

early as possible, including: DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM. With a digital rectal exam, a health care provider inserts a gloved finger into the rectum to feel the prostate for abnormal lumps.

Medicare Part B covers one digital rectal exam every 12 months starting the day after age 50. This test is subject to a Part B deductible and 20 percent coinsurance.