Does Medicare Cover Podiatry?

Written by:

Kristy Snyder

Reviewed by:

Amy Albert

6 min read

Key Takeaways

Medicare Part B covers foot care for medically necessary treatments, such as diabetes-related nerve damage, injuries, or foot diseases.
Annual podiatry exams are covered for those with diabetes, but routine care without a medical need is not covered.
Orthopedic devices are generally covered if medically necessary and purchased from a Medicare-approved supplier.
Regular podiatry examinations can prevent health issues from escalating, especially in those with diabetes.

Medicare covers foot care in specific instances, like if you have diabetes‑related lower leg nerve damage or need medically necessary treatment for foot injuries or diseases. People with these conditions need foot care to prevent further damage and maintain mobility.

Both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage offer foot care benefits in these scenarios. Learn more about your potential Medicare foot care coverage and see what you might pay for a podiatrist visit.

What Is Foot Care — And Why Do You Need It?

Foot care is a set of steps to keep your feet healthy. These steps include:

Washing your feet every day
Keeping your toenails trimmed and cleaned
Putting on new socks every day
Inspecting your feet for any wounds, swelling, dryness, or signs of infection

Foot care is especially important for people with diabetes. Diabetes can damage the nerves in your feet and reduce circulation. These changes mean that a simple cut on the foot can eventually lead to serious health concerns, including amputation, if not addressed in time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80% of lower-limb amputations (such as removing a toe, foot, or leg) in the United States were a result of diabetes complications.

What Does a Podiatrist Do?

Visiting a podiatrist can help keep your feet in optimal health. A podiatrist is a doctor who specializes in foot and ankle care. In addition to helping people with diabetes, they can also treat the following:

Arthritis
Bunions
Ingrown toenails
Skin conditions
Swelling
Tendonitis
Toe deformities
Plantar warts
Ulcers and wounds

When you visit a podiatrist, they’ll assess your feet for these conditions by performing a thorough examination. They may also touch different parts of your feet to check for numbness and ask you to stand and walk around. If they see anything questionable, like an ulcer or blister, they’ll document the problem and take a sample for further diagnosis.

If you have Medicare, take advantage of podiatry coverage to avoid being one of the 160,000 people with diabetes who must have an amputation each year. A 2024 meta-analysis found that people with diabetic foot ulcers who received multidisciplinary care — including care from podiatrists — had a 55% lower risk of major amputation.

How Medicare Covers Foot Care

Medicare covers foot care under Medicare Part B. Part B is your medical insurance covering doctor visits, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services. To qualify for foot care coverage under Medicare, you need to have at least one of the following issues:

Diabetes-related nerve damage
Hammer toe
Bunion deformities
Heel spurs
Other foot injuries or diseases that require medically necessary treatment

Medicare doesn’t cover foot care if you don’t have any qualifying conditions. For example, if you want a doctor to treat ingrown toenails or remove calluses but do not have a medical need, Medicare would not cover the service.

Annual Foot Exam

Medicare covers an annual foot exam for people with diabetes. However, if you see a podiatrist for another reason during the year, Medicare does not cover that appointment.

Medicare covers all medically necessary services offered at the annual foot exam, including:

Laboratory tests
Physical therapy
Toenail management
Treatment for foot ulcers, calluses, corns, and warts
X-rays

Orthopedic Devices

Medicare offers some coverage for orthopedic devices under Part B. Orthopedic devices include custom-made shoes or inserts that provide additional cushioning and anatomical support to make walking easier.

People with diabetes or severe diabetes-related foot disease can receive the following orthopedic devices each year:

One pair of custom-molded shoes and inserts
One pair of extra-depth shoes
Two pairs of inserts each year for custom-molded shoes
Three pairs of inserts each year for extra-depth shoes
Shoe modifications instead of inserts

Medicare also covers orthopedic devices for people missing a limb, either through amputation or congenital disabilities.

A podiatrist must certify your medical need for the shoes or inserts for coverage. In addition, you must get the device from a supplier that participates in Medicare, such as an orthotist, pedorthist, podiatrist, or prosthetist. These suppliers must also accept assignment, meaning they’ll charge you the coinsurance and Part B deductible for the item.

Ready for a new Medicare Advantage plan?

How Medicare Advantage Covers Podiatrists

Medicare Advantage (Part C) differs from Original Medicare (Parts A and B) because private insurance companies manage these plans. Every Medicare Advantage plan must offer the same benefits as Original Medicare, but many add more coverage, such as vision, hearing, and dental benefits. Most Medicare Advantage plans also include Part D coverage for prescription drugs.

In the case of foot care and podiatry, Medicare Advantage plans may offer additional coverage or feature relaxed criteria. For example, a Medicare Advantage plan may not require you to have diabetes or another foot condition to cover a podiatrist appointment, or a plan may cover more than one podiatrist visit each year.

Medicare Advantage plans vary depending on where you live and the carriers available. Before making a switch, check the details of any Medicare Advantage plan you’re considering to see how it covers foot care and podiatry.

Foot Care with Medicare Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans

Including diabetes mellitus, 15 conditions qualify for a Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan (C-SNP). A C-SNP is a type of Medicare Advantage plan offered to people with specific chronic conditions. Because people living with chronic conditions often have unique healthcare needs, these plans provide additional benefits, provider choices, and covered drugs particular to that condition.

If you have diabetes and are looking for podiatry services, joining a C-SNP may give you greater access to care. The benefits vary from plan to plan, but it’s worth looking into if you want to prioritize your foot health.

How Much Foot Care Costs With Medicare

The costs of foot care vary depending on whether you have Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage. If you have Original Medicare, your Part B coverage foots the bill for podiatrist services, which includes the following costs:

Premium: This is the monthly amount you pay to keep your Part B coverage active. It is $185 in 2025.
Deductible: This is the amount you must pay in covered health expenses before your Part B benefits kick in. It is $257 in 2025.
Coinsurance: This is the percentage you pay for the total cost of care. Medicare Part B covers 80% of the cost of your podiatry services, leaving you to cover the remaining 20% out of pocket.

If you have Medicare Advantage, your costs may vary, but it should not be more than what you would pay with Original Medicare. However, Medicare Advantage plans may have their own premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance rates.

These plans also feature an annual out-of-pocket maximum, unique to Medicare Advantage plans. This is the cap on how much you would spend on covered health services each year before your plan covers 100% of all remaining costs.

The costs of a diabetic foot exam vary depending on the provider and where you live, but most people can expect to pay somewhere between $170 to $300 for this service out of pocket. However, your costs could be higher if you need additional services during your examination, like ulcer management.

See It In Action

To see this in action, imagine you go to the podiatrist and the bill is $300.

If this is your first medical appointment of the year, you’ll have to pay the $257 deductible plus 20% of the remaining $43. Your total bill would be $265.60.

If you’ve already paid your annual deductible, then you would only pay 20% of $300. Your total would be $60 for this visit.

If you don’t have Medicare or Medicare Advantage, you’d pay the entire $300 out of pocket.

Putting It All Together

If you have a condition that puts your feet at risk, regularly visiting the podiatrist is necessary. If you have a Medicare plan and a qualifying condition, you can see the podiatrist once a year, and you’ll pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the visit.

However, switching to a Medicare Advantage Plan may allow you to save money on your podiatrist visits and schedule additional covered appointments. To learn more about your options, consider working with a licensed insurance agent or broker.