The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit can be scheduled every 12 months. Best of all? Part B covers 100% of the visit when you visit a doctor in your plan’s network, so you pay nothing out of pocket.
Although it is a doctor visit, the Annual Wellness Visit doesn’t include a physical exam. There are no needles, lab work or other tests. It’s simply a chance for you and your doctor to talk about ways to improve or maintain your health, and to get your health questions answered in a comfortable setting.
3. Cancer screeningsWe can’t say it enough. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Finding cancer in its earliest stages offers 1 of the best chances to beat it. These screenings may cost you a little time, but they won’t cost you a penny out of pocket.
Colorectal cancerMedicare covers screening colonoscopies once every 10 years, or 4 years after a previous flexible sigmoidoscopy. In addition, if you’ve had a stool-based screening test like Cologuard® and the test result was positive for abnormal DNA or blood in your stool,2 Medicare will cover a follow-up colonoscopy 100% as a screening test.
Lung cancerMedicare Part B covers low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screening once each year if:
You’re between the ages of 50 and 77. You he no signs or symptoms of lung cancer . You’re either a current smoker or you quit smoking within the last 15 years. You’ve been smoking for at least 20 “pack years” (an erage of 1 pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years). Your doctor or other healthcare provider orders 1. Prostate cancerMedicare Part B covers digital rectal exams and prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood tests once every 12 months for men over 50 (starting the day after your 50th birthday).
Breast cancerMedicare Part B covers screening mammograms every 12 months for women 40 and older with a doctor’s order.
Cervical cancerMedicare Part B covers Pap tests and pelvic exams once every 12 months to check for cervical and vaginal cancers.
4. VaccinationsMedicare Part B (coverage for doctor visits) covers a number of vaccinations, including COVID-19, flu, hepatitis B and pneumonia.
If you he a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, you’ll pay nothing for any adult vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That includes the shingles and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines. Talk to your doctor about which are recommended for you.
5. Tobacco and smoking cessation supportThe erage price of a pack of cigarettes in the U.S. is $8,3 so quitting will se you plenty. To help you quit, Medicare Part B will pay for up to 8 smoking cessation counseling sessions in a 12-month period, as long as you use a Medicare-approved professional.
In addition, many Medicare Part D prescription drug plans also offer full coverage for smoking cessation products like nicotine patches or nicotine gum. If you opt for Medicare Advantage, check your benefits for an over-the-counter allowance that can be used to buy nicotine replacement products.
Good health is pricelessThese 5 “freebies” are all valuable parts of your healthcare coverage—and there is so much more to explore. Take some time to check out the details. Don’t miss out on any free stuff that may support your best health.