Medicare covers intravenous (IV) infusion therapy when a doctor prescribes it as medically necessary.
Original Medicare Part A typically covers the costs if you have an IV infusion during an inpatient hospital stay. If you have an IV infusion on an outpatient basis, Original Medicare Part B can cover eligible expenses. Out-of-pocket costs apply in both cases.
Medicare Advantage plans must cover the same services as Original Medicare, so coverage for IV infusions is the same. However, out-of-pocket expenses may differ.
Original Medicare (parts A and B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans may all cover IV infusions if they’re medically essential.
Confirming your hospital status (inpatient or outpatient) with your healthcare team is important, as this can affect how much you pay out of pocket and which Medicare part can cover services.
Original Medicare comprises parts A and B. Part A covers inpatient care, where you experience hospital admission for care. If you receive an IV infusion during your hospital stay, you must pay the 2025 deductible of $1,676 per benefit period. A benefit period starts when you receive a hospital status confirmation as an inpatient and ends when your team discharges you and doesn’t provide inpatient care for 60 consecutive days.
Part B covers outpatient care, including overnight hospital stays, so checking your hospital status is vital.
In 2025, the Part B deductible is $257, and you must pay this amount before the plan pays its share of costs toward an IV infusion.
IV infusions can vary in cost depending on the type of drug or fluid you receive.
If a doctor prescribes a salt treatment, they may use IV sodium chloride. These saline solutions have
Saline-only IV solutions can be relatively inexpensive, but the costs can increase significantly for IV medications. For example, an initial dose of IV morphine for pain management can cost around $145. In contrast, the current list price for ocrelizumab (Ocrevus), a medication that manages multiple sclerosis (MS), is around $78,000, although people don’t usually pay this.
Home infusion therapy means getting IV or subcutaneous drugs or biologicals at home. You need the drug, equipment like a pump, and supplies, such as tubing and cannulas. Nursing services are also necessary so that you or a caregiver can learn how to administer the medications safely.
Medicare Part B covers home infusion equipment and supplies as durable medical equipment (DME), but only for a few specific medications and at certain dosages. These are:
- acyclovir (Zovirax for injection): 5 milligrams (mg)
- amphotericin (Amphocin, Fungizone) B: 50 mg
- amphotericin B lipid complex (Abelcet): 10 mg
- amphotericin B cholesteryl sulfate complex (Amphotec): 10 mg
- amphotericin B liposome (Ambisome): 10 mg
- deferoxamine mesylate (Desferal): 500 mg
- hydromorphone (Dilaudid): up to 4 mg
- dobutamine hydrochloride (Dobutrex): per 250 mg
- dopamine HCL (Intropin): 40 mg
Part B covers the pump under its durable medical equipment (DME) benefit, the medications themselves, nursing visits to help administer the drugs, caregiver training, and patient monitoring to ensure smooth operation. You must typically pay 20% of eligible expenses as coinsurance under Part B.
Generally speaking, infusion drugs fall under Part B coverage. But, in certain cases, if medically needed, Part D may cover some home infusion drugs that aren’t covered by Part B.