9 Vaccines Medicare Covers for Free

Once you turn 65, you qualify for Medicare, which is a government-administered health care plan for seniors. Original Medicare has three parts (Part A, Part B, and Part D), which help you pay for short-term hospital stays, regular medical care, and prescription medications. 

All three Medicare parts come with plenty of ways to help you stretch your retirement dollars further, including fully covering all of the most crucial vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for seniors.

Keep reading to learn about the vaccines Medicare offers for free so you can protect yourself from common illnesses without paying a single cent out of your own pocket.

1. Influenza

The seasonal flu usually starts circulating around October and doesn't fade until May. Symptoms include cough, fever, muscle aches, headache, sweating, chills, and tiredness. And while the flu can seem like the common cold at first, it usually lasts longer and has more severe symptoms.

Although there's no vaccine against the common cold, there is a yearly flu vaccine that targets the most common strain of the flu likely to circulate each flu season. Since dominant strains change from year to year, you typically need a new flu shot every single year. Medicare Part B fully covers your yearly flu shot.

If you have a Medicare Advantage plan rather than Original Medicare, meaning you've opted for a privately administered Medicare plan, you'll need to check your specific plan details to find out if your yearly flu shot is covered or not. Since flu shots are considered preventative care, odds are good Medicare Advantage will cover it, but check ahead of time so you aren't surprised by an unexpected cost at the clinic.

2. Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes coughing and difficulty breathing. Children under five and adults aged 50 and older are most at risk of experiencing severe complications from pneumonia, which is one key reason Medicare Part B covers the pneumonia vaccines for adults.

You'll likely qualify for either a single-dose pneumonia vaccine or a two-dose series, which requires you to get two shots one year apart.

3. Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a liver disease that is easily transmitted through contaminated food. The Hepatitis A vaccine is commonly administered to children these days, but this wasn't always the case, so it's possible you weren't vaccinated against Hepatitis A if you were born after the mid-1990s.

Medicare Part D, which helps you pay for prescription medications, covers Hepatitis A vaccines for adults who didn't receive the vaccine as kids. Even if you were vaccinated when you were younger, you might qualify for another Hepatitis A vaccine if you're older than 65 or if you're considered high risk.

4. Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is also a contagious liver disease, but unlike Hepatitis A, it's transmitted through bodily fluids like blood rather than through contaminated food. If you're at relatively low risk of contracting Hepatitis B, Medicare Part D will cover the cost of the vaccine. For those with a medium or high risk, Medicare Part B will cover the cost of the vaccination at no cost to you.

5. COVID-19

After wreaking havoc worldwide in 2020, COVID-19 continues to circulate among the general population. Even though the COVID-19-related public health emergency ended in 2023, annual COVID-19 booster vaccines are still covered by Medicare Part B.

6. RSV

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a virus that can cause pneumonia. Infants are particularly susceptible to the virus, but so are adults over age 60. RSV is a particularly concerning infection for anyone with chronic lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.

If you're older than age 60 and have a chronic lung-related condition, the CDC recommends that you prioritize getting the RSV vaccine, which is covered under Medicare Part D.

7. Shingles

Chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same virus. While you won't necessarily get shingles if you've had chickenpox, it's not possible to get shingles if you've never had chickenpox, because shingles is a reactivation of the same virus. If you were vaccinated against chickenpox as a child, you don't need to worry about shingles. You're protected against the virus.

But if you weren't vaccinated or you had chickenpox earlier in life, the CDC recommends that you get the shingles vaccine. Not sure if you were vaccinated or not? The CDC reports that over 99% of Americans who were born before 1980 were unvaccinated, so if you don't have a record of getting the vaccine, err on the side of caution by getting the shingles vaccine.

Medicare Part D covers shingles vaccines for all adults age 65 and older.

8. Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough)

The Tdap vaccine protects you from three serious diseases in one swoop — tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (also called whooping cough). Most people should get a Tdap booster every 10 years, so Medicare Part D should cover the cost of the shot for you more than once after you've signed up for Medicare.

9. Other vaccines

If you're traveling to a part of the world where you could be exposed to diseases that aren't as common in the U.S., the CDC might recommend that you get certain vaccines before leaving the country. If so, Medicare Part D may likely cover all necessary vaccines free of cost, helping you keep more cash in your wallet. 

Bottom line

Taking advantage of Medicare's free perks can help you eliminate some money stress as you grow older and experience more health risks.

Many seniors should follow through on as many free benefits as their Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage plan provides. This way, you can hopefully enjoy a longer, healthier retirement.

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