Does Medicare Cover Blood Pressure Monitors?

Original Medicare does not pay for a home blood pressure cuff from the store. But it does help pay for a 24-hour test and remote monitoring. If your doctor wants you to check at home, the cuff is one more cost. Medicaid in California and New York may pay for a home monitor. Ask your doctor which you need.

Medicare may pay if

• Your doctor orders a 24-hour test because your office and home readings don't match.
• You do dialysis at home and get a cuff from your dialysis center.
• Your doctor's office sets up remote monitoring, and you agree to it.

Not sure Medicare will pay? Ask anyway, because your doctor's office can check before you start. If you want a hand, a Pair Team advocate can help you sort it out.

What Medicare pays for

Part B is the part of Medicare that pays for doctor visits.

What is a 24-hour blood pressure test?

This test uses a cuff and recorder you wear for 24 to 48 hours, even while you sleep. It checks for high blood pressure that shows up only at the office or only at home. Your doctor reads the results, and you give the device back.

Does Medicare pay for remote blood pressure monitoring?

Yes, Medicare pays for remote monitoring if your doctor's office runs it. Your home cuff sends your readings to your care team on its own. Medicare sets the rules:

• You must already be a patient of that office and agree to it.
• The cuff must count as a medical device under Food and Drug Administration rules.
• Only one office can bill for it each month.

You pay 20% of Medicare's price, after the deductible, for each month you're in it. Ask the office what your share will be before you say yes.

What is Medicare's ACCESS option?

ACCESS is new help at home for people with Original Medicare and high blood pressure or some other long-term health problems. Most groups charge $0 to $7 a month, Medicare.gov says. If one group helps with several problems, the most is $13 a month. A group may give or lend you a monitor at no cost.

You sign up yourself, from the list of groups at Medicare.gov/ACCESS, and keep your own doctors. Medicare picks a small number of applicants at random, and they must wait 12 months.

How to get a monitor

1. Ask your doctor what you need. Home readings, a 24-hour test and remote monitoring are different, and your doctor decides which fits you.
2. Ask what your share will be for a 24-hour test, so there's no surprise bill.
3. If you have Medicaid, ask for a prescription or order, since the rules below need one.
4. If you have Original Medicare, look at ACCESS to see if it fits.
5. If you buy one yourself, ask your doctor or pharmacist which kind and cuff size to get. The American Medical Association lists monitors tested for accuracy at validatebp.org.

Watch out for free monitor calls

Some companies call, text or run ads to sign people up for remote monitoring, HHS's inspector general warns. Often the monitoring never happens, but the company bills Medicare every month.

• Don't give your Medicare number to anyone who calls out of the blue.
• If a device comes that your doctor didn't order, refuse it or send it back.
• Check your Medicare Summary Notice for monitoring you never agreed to.
• Report it to the HHS inspector general at 1-800-447-8477.

If you also have Medicaid

• In California, Medicaid's pharmacy program pays for one home monitor every 5 years and one cuff a year, from its approved list. No prior approval is needed, but wrist monitors aren't covered. Ask your doctor for a prescription and use a pharmacy that takes Medicaid. See Medicare and Medicaid in California.
• In New York, Medicaid pays for an automatic home monitor once every 5 years. Your doctor must order it as part of a plan to check your blood pressure at home. See Medicare and Medicaid in New York.

What a Pair Team advocate does

High blood pressure is one of the things we help with most. Usually the cost of pills or getting to checkups comes with it. This is what we do:

• Ask your doctor's office what your monthly share is, before you start.
• Help you get a monitor through Medicaid, if you have it.
• Help you apply for Extra Help with the cost of blood pressure pills, and set up rides to checkups.
• Help with what usually comes with it: food, utilities and housing.

An advocate is covered by Medicare if you qualify. It takes two minutes to find out.

Check if you qualify for a Pair Team advocate

Frequently asked questions

Does Medigap pay my 20% for remote monitoring?

Most Medigap plans pay all of it, and Plans K and L pay part. Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) is one of the Medicare Savings Programs. If you have it, the office can't bill you for the 20%.

Does Medicare pay for blood pressure checks at the doctor?

Yes, your yearly wellness visit includes a blood pressure check. See what the yearly wellness visit covers. Medicare also pays for one heart health visit a year with your main doctor. It costs you nothing if the doctor accepts Medicare's price.

Is remote monitoring the same as telehealth?

No, remote monitoring is a device that sends your readings to the office between visits. Telehealth is a visit with your doctor by video or phone. See Medicare and telehealth.

Does Medicare pay for blood pressure pills?

Yes, Medicare drug coverage (Part D) pays for them if your plan covers the pill. In 2026, the most you pay for covered drugs in a year is $2,100. See Medicare drug coverage and Extra Help.

Does a Medicare Advantage plan pay for a home monitor?

Coverage for a home monitor depends on your Medicare Advantage plan. Every plan must cover what Original Medicare covers, and some add extras. People in these plans can't use ACCESS, so call your plan before you buy.

Sources

• Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (NCD 20.19), CMS
• Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage, Medicare.gov
• Support for chronic health conditions (ACCESS), Medicare.gov
• ACCESS Model, CMS Innovation Center
• Telehealth and Remote Monitoring (MLN901705), CMS
• Billing for remote patient monitoring, Telehealth.HHS.gov
• Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 11, End Stage Renal Disease, CMS
• Additional Oversight of Remote Patient Monitoring in Medicare Is Needed, HHS Office of Inspector General
• Consumer Alert: Remote Patient Monitoring, HHS Office of Inspector General
• Cardiovascular behavioral therapy, Medicare.gov
• 2026 Medicare Parts A and B Premiums and Deductibles, CMS
• Covered Medical Supplies Product Descriptions and Billing Information, California Medicaid pharmacy program, DHCS
• Medical Supply Procedure Codes and Coverage Guidelines, New York State Medicaid (eMedNY)
• US Blood Pressure Validated Device Listing, American Medical Association