Figure 1

Medicare Advantage routine hearing exams by state, 2026

3≤ 37≤ 68≤ 104≤ 431

No value filedNot in this file

AlabamaAL

Plan segments: 98
Include a routine hearing exam (%): 99%
Segments whose lowest exam copay is $0 (n): 55
Segments reporting an exam copay (n): 55
Median lowest exam copay (USD): $0

Medicare Advantage routine hearing exams by state, 2026

AL	98	99	55	55	0
AR	91	98.9	70	72	0
AZ	133	99.2	73	73	0
CA	402	80.1	181	183	0
CO	107	100	74	74	0
CT	47	100	37	37	0
DC	20	80	13	13	0
DE	37	97.3	23	24	0
FL	611	99.7	431	436	0
GA	166	99.4	115	115	0
HI	44	84.1	18	22	0
IA	73	90.4	42	48	0
ID	48	100	40	40	0
IL	160	97.5	112	119	0
IN	127	100	102	104	0
KS	87	100	72	72	0
KY	114	100	97	99	0
LA	111	100	85	85	0
MA	103	86.4	39	39	0
MD	63	81	33	33	0
ME	52	84.6	44	44	0
MI	192	94.3	75	75	0
MN	84	88.1	26	31	0
MO	157	100	118	124	0
MS	93	100	68	68	0
MT	32	100	30	30	0
NC	175	99.4	109	114	0
ND	29	96.6	8	8	0
NE	54	100	29	29	0
NH	19	100	15	15	0
NJ	85	91.8	52	52	0
NM	73	97.3	49	49	0
NV	105	98.1	77	77	0
NY	218	90.8	125	139	0
OH	212	98.6	132	132	0
OK	82	98.8	59	59	0
OR	103	92.2	52	53	0
PA	332	99.1	114	163	0
PR	63	85.7		0
RI	23	91.3	15	15	0
SC	95	98.9	59	66	0
SD	27	100	8	8	0
TN	132	100	69	69	0
TX	423	98.6	285	285	0
UT	55	100	41	41	0
VA	143	94.4	116	116	0
VT	3	100	3	3	0
WA	126	100	104	105	0
WI	121	94.2	60	77	0
WV	69	98.6	41	50	0
WY	14	100	11	11	0

How to read these numbers (4)

No population or enrollment weighting; a plan's service state is not proof of where its members live.
A reported minimum zero copay is not a universal free test or free device promise.
Empty cells retain not-reported status; no imputation to zero.
Separate supplemental routine-exam minimum copay statistics from Part B diagnostic allowed fees; a zero reported minimum does not make every service free.

Source:

CMS, Plan Benefit Package files, contract year 2026

Three different checks are called a free hearing test

The word test covers three services with different prices and different purposes.

A screening

A short check that tells you whether to look further. Hearing aid brands run free online versions, and those fill the top results for this search. It is a screening, not a clinical evaluation by an audiologist.

A routine hearing exam in a Medicare Advantage plan

Many Medicare Advantage plans add a routine hearing exam as an extra benefit that Original Medicare does not have. The plan sets the copay, and in the CMS data for 2026 the lowest copay the plan reports is $0 in most segments that report one.

A diagnostic exam under Part B

Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor or other health care provider orders them to find out whether you need medical treatment. This one comes with cost sharing: 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible.

How many Medicare Advantage plans report a $0 routine exam

We counted the 2026 CMS plan benefit files at the level of the contract-plan segment, leaving out employer-only plans, PACE and optional supplemental packages.

3,501 segments report a minimum copay for a routine hearing exam.
3,370 of them report that minimum as $0.

Read those two numbers with three limits in mind:

A minimum is the lowest copay in the plan's filing. A $0 minimum can sit next to a higher copay for another provider or setting. It does not make every hearing visit free.
The count is of plan segments, not people. It is not weighted by enrollment, so a large plan and a small plan count once each.
Segments without a reported value stay out of the count. A blank cell is not read as $0 and not read as "not covered".

The $0 figure answers one question: whether a free routine exam exists on paper in a plan's filing. Your plan's Evidence of Coverage says whether it applies to the provider you pick.

What changes by service state

The state table above counts each plan in every state where it is offered, so state rows cannot be added into a national total. A few rows show how far the picture moves:

Texas: 285 of 285 segments that report a minimum routine exam copay set it at $0.
Florida: 611 segments; 99.7% include a routine hearing exam, and 431 of the 436 reported minimums are $0.
Pennsylvania: 332 segments, 99.1% with a routine hearing exam, but only 114 of 163 reported minimums are $0, the widest gap in the table.
New York: 125 of 139 reported minimums at $0. Wisconsin: 60 of 77.
California: 80.1% of 402 segments include a routine hearing exam; 181 of 183 reported minimums are $0.
District of Columbia: 80.0% of 20 segments include the exam; 13 of 13 reported minimums are $0.
Puerto Rico: 63 segments, 85.7% with the exam, and no reported minimum copay value, so the table shows no $0 count there.

A state row describes plans offered in that state. It does not tell you which plan serves your county.

A Part B diagnostic exam is not free

Medicare.gov sets out the Original Medicare rules for hearing exams:

When it is covered: Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if your doctor or other health care provider orders them to find out whether you need medical treatment.
What you pay: after you meet the Part B deductible, 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. In a hospital outpatient setting you also pay the hospital a copayment.
Without an order: you can visit an audiologist once every 12 months without an order, but only for non-acute hearing conditions, such as hearing loss that develops over many years, and for diagnostic services tied to surgically implanted hearing devices.
What is excluded: Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids.

A Medicare Supplement plan or Medicaid may pay part of the 20%, depending on the policy. See Medicare hearing aid coverage for the device side.

What Medicare's fee amounts tell you

The 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule sets a national amount for each audiology service. For three common parts of a hearing evaluation, the national non-facility amounts are:

Comprehensive hearing test: $35.74.
Pure tone audiometry, air only: $40.42.
Tympanometry: $16.03.

These are Medicare-approved amounts before the deductible and the 20% coinsurance, national and unadjusted for local costs. They are not a clinic's cash price, and they do not show that any clinic offers the test for free. Use them as a reference when you read an itemized bill: Medicare adjusts the national amount for local costs, and your 20% share is figured on the approved amount. For cash prices, see hearing test cost.

Where to start, by coverage

Medicare Advantage members: open your Evidence of Coverage, find the routine hearing exam line and note the copay and the network. Your state's row in the table above shows how common a $0 minimum is among plans offered there.
Original Medicare: for hearing loss that has come on over years, you can see an audiologist once every 12 months without an order. Expect 20% of the approved amount after the deductible.
Veterans: see VA hearing test.

A free screening or a $0 exam pays for the test only. Hearing aids are a separate cost; see free hearing aids for programs that help with them.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get my hearing checked for free?

Often, yes. In the 2026 CMS data, 3,370 of 3,501 Medicare Advantage plan segments that report a minimum routine hearing exam copay set it at $0; check your own plan's Evidence of Coverage for the provider you choose.

How do I get a free hearing test?

Start from your coverage. With a Medicare Advantage plan, look for the routine hearing exam line in your Evidence of Coverage and use an in-network provider. With Original Medicare, a diagnostic exam is covered but you pay 20% of the approved amount after the deductible.

Does Medicare pay for a hearing test for seniors?

Part B pays for diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor or provider orders them to find out whether you need medical treatment. You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible. Exams for fitting hearing aids are not covered. Many Medicare Advantage plans add a routine hearing exam.

Do I need a referral to see an audiologist on Medicare?

Not always. Medicare.gov says you can visit an audiologist once every 12 months without an order from your provider, but only for non-acute hearing conditions and for diagnostic services tied to surgically implanted hearing devices. Other diagnostic hearing exams need an order from your doctor or other health care provider.

Sources

Plan counts come from the CMS 2026 Plan Benefit Package files, counted by contract-plan segment and service state, excluding employer-only plans, PACE and optional supplemental packages, and not weighted by enrollment. Fee amounts come from the CMS 2026 Physician Fee Schedule relative value file. Coverage rules come from Medicare.gov.

Cost and coverage research team Methodology

Cost and coverage research, not medical advice. A free screening does not replace an exam by a licensed provider; confirm costs with your plan and provider before your visit.