The Department of Health & Human Services has published a comprehensive booklet titled: Your Guide to Medicare Preventive Services.
Medicare pays for many preventive services to keep you healthy. Preventive services can find health problems early, when treatment works best, and can keep you from getting certain diseases. Preventive services include exams, shots, lab tests, and screenings. They also include programs for health monitoring, and counseling and education to help you take care of your own health.
If you have Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance), you can get a yearly “Wellness” visit and many other covered preventive services.
Whether it’s online, in person, or on the phone, Medicare is committed to helping people get the information they need to make smart choices about their Medicare benefits.
How can this booklet help me?
The booklet includes an alphabetical list of the Part B-covered preventive services and about what you pay if you have Original Medicare and see doctors or other health care providers who accept assignment. Some of the information listed includes:
- What the service is
- Who’s covered
- What’s covered
- How often is it covered
- Your costs if you have Original Medicare
- Who’s at risk
You’ll pay more if you see doctors or providers who don’t accept assignment. If you’re in a Medicare health plan or have other insurance, your costs may be different. Contact your plan or benefits administrator directly to find out about the costs.
Preventive Services
Here is the list of preventive services covered in the booklet:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
- Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
- Bone mass measurements
- Breast cancer screening (mammograms)
- Cardiovascular disease (behavioral therapy)
- Cardiovascular disease screening
- Cervical and vaginal cancer screening
- Colorectal cancer screening
- Depression screening
- Diabetes screening and self-management training
- Diabetes screening (fasting blood glucose test)
- Diabetes self-management training
- Glaucoma tests
- Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection screening
- Hepatitis C screening test
- HIV screening
- Lung cancer screening
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program
- Obesity screening and counseling
- Prostate cancer screening
- Sexually transmitted infection screenings and counseling
- Shots (flu, pneumococcal, and Hepatitis B)
- Smoking and tobacco use cessation counseling
MyMedicare.gov
Register at MyMedicare.gov to get direct access to your preventive health information—24 hours a day, every day. You can track your preventive services, get a 2-year calendar of the Medicare-covered tests and screenings you’re eligible for, and print a personalized “on-the-go” report to take to your next doctor’s appointment. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get the most current information.
TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
We hope this information is helpful to you in the important work you do as a family caregiver.
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