Grand Junction and Mesa County · Heart and lung rehab for 2027

How Much Is Cardiac Rehab on Medicare in Grand Junction?

On Original Medicare, cardiac rehab costs 20% of each session after the Part B deductible. On the 13 general Advantage plans sold in Mesa County for 2027, an in-network session runs anywhere from $0 to $40. Over a full 36-session program, that's the difference between nothing and $1,440.

Medicare On Main Data Desk

Published November 11, 2026 · 6 min read · Reviewed by Brian Penner, 22+ years in Medicare

When Medicare pays for cardiac rehab

Cardiac rehab is a supervised program of exercise, education and counseling after a heart problem. Medicare.gov lists the conditions that qualify you for it under Part B:

• A heart attack within the last 12 months
• Coronary artery bypass surgery
• Stable angina (chest pain)
• A heart valve repair or replacement
• Coronary angioplasty or a stent
• A heart or heart-lung transplant
• Stable chronic heart failure

The limits are set in 42 CFR § 410.49. A regular program covers up to 36 one-hour sessions, no more than two a day, spread over as long as 36 weeks. Medicare's regional contractor can approve another 36. An intensive program, which is more structured and includes heavier lifestyle coaching, covers up to 72 one-hour sessions and up to six a day, all within 18 weeks.

Pulmonary rehab works the same way for lungs. Part B covers it if you have moderate to very severe COPD, or breathing problems that have lasted at least four weeks after COVID-19.

The 2027 copay on each Mesa County plan

I matched the cardiac and pulmonary rehab section of CMS's 2027 plan benefit file to every general plan on the 2027 Mesa County landscape. CMS records these as a flat copay per session, with no deductible and no referral on any of the 13. The last column is what you'd pay for all 36 sessions of a regular program in network.

Source: CMS 2027 plan benefit file, section B3, Mesa County general plans, in network. Listing a plan is reporting, not a recommendation, and we do not offer every plan available in your area.

A few things stand out:

• All four Humana plans charge $0 for regular, intensive and pulmonary rehab alike.
• All four Aetna plans skip prior authorization. Every other plan on the list requires it, so the rehab program has to get the plan's approval before your first session.
• Intensive rehab costs the most on HealthSpring Preferred, $55 a session. Over a full 72-session intensive program that adds up to $3,960 before the plan's out-of-pocket cap stops it.

One thing to ask the program: CMS prices rehab per session, and a session is one hour. If your program schedules two hours back to back, find out whether your plan counts that as one copay or two.

The out-of-pocket cap does more work than the copay

Rehab rarely happens alone. It follows a hospital stay, a cath lab procedure, a run of cardiology visits and new prescriptions. By the time you start rehab, you may already be close to your plan's in-network maximum out-of-pocket for the year. Once you hit it, the plan pays 100% of covered in-network care, rehab copays included, for the rest of the calendar year.

In Mesa County for 2027, those caps range from $4,900 (Select Health Medicare Essential and HumanaChoice H5216-223) to $9,850 (Anthem). So when you compare plans for a heart patient, look at the hospital copay and the cap first, then the per-session rehab copay. Our Grand Junction hospital copay breakdown and the 2027 out-of-pocket maximum post cover those two numbers.

Where Grand Valley patients do rehab

Both hospitals in Grand Junction run programs. St. Mary's Regional Hospital lists cardiac rehabilitation under its Heart Care department (970-298-2273). Community Hospital received certification for its cardiovascular rehab program in 2023. Medicare.gov notes that rehab can also happen in a doctor's office or at a critical access hospital, so if you live in Delta, Montrose or Fruita, ask whether there's a program closer to home.

The network question matters more than the town. Before you enroll in a 2027 plan, confirm that the specific rehab program you'd use is in that plan's network. Don't assume the hospital that did your procedure is in network for rehab. The network-check walkthrough shows how to look it up.

Out of network on a PPO

If you'd rather do rehab somewhere outside the network, like near family on the Front Range, only the PPOs pay anything. In CMS's file, the four Humana PPOs, Aetna Medicare Eagle and HealthSpring True Choice charge 50% of the allowed amount out of network. Aetna Medicare Signature PPO and Value Care charge 40%. On the HMOs, out-of-network rehab isn't covered. That includes Anthem's HMO-POS, whose point-of-service option in CMS's file covers dental only. At 40% to 50% of the cost, 36 sessions can add up quickly, so confirm the price with the program before you start.

On Original Medicare with a Medigap plan

On Original Medicare, you owe 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for each session after the Part B deductible. In a hospital-based program you also owe the hospital a copayment. A Medigap Plan G covers both after you meet the deductible, which is $283 in 2026. CMS hadn't announced the 2027 figure as of November 11. There's no network and no prior authorization, so any Medicare-enrolled program will take you, in Grand Junction or anywhere else.

If you already have a Medigap plan and a heart event is in your recent history, think carefully before switching to an Advantage plan. In Colorado, getting back onto a Medigap plan later can mean answering health questions. Our post on switching from Medigap to Advantage walks through that risk.

Before you sign up for a 2027 plan

If you're in rehab now or expect to be, write down the program, your cardiologist and every heart medication. Ask whether the program needs your plan's approval, and get it before January's first session. Open Enrollment runs through December 7, and a new plan starts January 1. Your rehab sessions continue under the new plan's rules from that date.

How we know all this: the Medicare On Main Data Desk backs every article with public data. Here that means Medicare.gov's cardiac rehab, pulmonary rehab and cost pages, the federal rehab rule at 42 CFR 410.49, and CMS's 2027 plan benefit and landscape files, all read November 11, 2026. A plan's final documents can differ, so confirm benefits in its Summary of Benefits and Evidence of Coverage. Carrier names are factual reporting, not endorsement. This is education, not medical or plan advice. Compare plans with a licensed agent or Medicare.gov. We take no payment from any carrier to feature a plan.