Original Medicare (Parts A & B): Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (chemo) is drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cancer cells for both curative and life-extending care.

Access all my benefits
Get more personalized support for free with Helpful.

Get insurance benefits, legal documents, and medical records in one place

Cost
20% of the Medicare approved amount; Part B deductible applies
Prior Authorization Required
No
Provider Referral or Order Required
Yes

How To Receive

Details on how to apply

  1. Initial consultation with the oncologist, prior to arranging chemotherapy.

    • Note that some people may require surgery to implant an intravenous port through which the chemotherapy drugs will be administered.

  2. Determine the chemotherapy schedule and where it will be administered (Medicare-certified facility).

    • The schedule depends on the provider's preference and the type and stage of cancer. It could be once a week, or once every 2, 3, or 4 weeks.

  3. Attend the chemotherapy sessions.

  4. Follow through with any recommendations and further testing.

For more information on Medicare benefits and coverage, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit the Medicare Benefits Website. TTY users, call 1-877-486-2048.

Availability
As ordered by the provider
Access all my benefits

Get more support and guidance on insurance benefits, medical records and legal forms.

Helpful brings together your insurance benefits, legal documents, and medical records in one personalized place — so you always know what you have, and never have to search again.

banner

Medicare covers chemotherapy in a provider's office, freestanding clinic, or hospital outpatient setting under Part B. Chemotherapy in an inpatient hospital setting is covered under Part A (Inpatient Hospital Care).

Chemotherapy (chemo) provides variably effective treatment for the majority of forms of human cancer and curative treatment for many categories of cancer.

Curative chemotherapy

Curative chemotherapy is administered with the goal of achieving complete remission and preventing the recurrence of cancer. This also includes adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery for localized cancers (breast, colon, lung).

Adjuvant chemotherapy is applied after initial treatment for cancer, especially to suppress secondary tumor formation.

Palliative chemotherapy

Palliative care, or palliation, is the relief of symptoms and suffering from cancer or other life-threatening disease.

In contrast to curative, oncologists typically use the term palliative chemotherapy to refer to any chemotherapy administration that is not curative. It is therefore defined by what it isn't (curative) rather than specifying the palliative intention. Palliative chemotherapy is given without curative intent and does not increase survival, but is used simply to decrease tumor load and tumor-related symptoms, as well as increase life expectancy.

Today, many oncologists object to the term "palliative chemotherapy" because the intended outcome is not palliation. As well, because the term palliative care has errantly become synonymous with end-of-life, it may unnecessarily alarm people who are not near death to hear it. Likewise, its use for people who truly are at the end of life gets misapplied because it is not necessarily prescribed for palliation.

Life-extending chemotherapy

Cancer outcomes have improved, in some cases dramatically. For many metastatic tumors, even if incurable, survival with chemotherapy and best practice treatments is now well over a year and frequently much more. If chemotherapy is offered with the goal of prolonging life, but not preventing recurrence (not curative), it has been suggested that the term "palliative chemotherapy" be dropped in favor of the term "life‐extending chemotherapy."

Access all my benefits

Navigate Healthcare with A Little Help from Helpful

Get more from your healthcare. Whether for you or your loved one, Helpful makes it easy to book with our in-network mental healthcare providers, book other doctor visits, manage insurance benefits, check prescriptions, and handle important forms.

  • Covered by Your Insurance

  • For You or For Caregivers

  • HIPAA Compliant, Data is Never Shared

hero-hand
sync 1

Healthcare Made Simple

sync 1

From syncing records to spotting drug interactions, Helpful does the heavy lifting, turning complex health info into clear tasks and showing you benefits you can actually use, giving you clarity and control over your care.

Get help with care

therapy

In-Network Mental Health

therapy

Our licensed therapists are here to support you and your loved ones through stress, burnout, and life’s hardest moments, with an inclusive, compassionate approach that works with most insurance plans.

Talk to a therapist

legal

Create Legal Documents

legal

Plan ahead by creating will, trusts, advance directives and more, that ensure your wishes are honored in the event you can’t speak for yourself -with Helpful guiding you every step of the way.

Get started with legal