A. General
These are expenses that constitute charges by immediate relatives of the beneficiary or by members of their household. The intent of this exclusion is to bar Medicare payment for items and services that would ordinarily be furnished gratuitously because of the relationship of the beneficiary to the person imposing the charge. This exclusion applies to items and services rendered by providers to immediate relatives of the owner(s) of the provider. It also applies to services rendered by physicians to their immediate relatives and items furnished by suppliers to immediate relatives of the owner(s) of the supplier.
B. Immediate Relative
The following degrees of relationship are included within the definition of immediate relative.
Husband and wife;
Natural or adoptive parent, child, and sibling;
Stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, and stepsister;
Father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law;
Grandparent and grandchild; and
Spouse of grandparent and grandchild.
For more information and please see Section 130
