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What Medicare beneficiaries must for pay out of pocket, such as monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and copayments for doctor visits and prescription drugs can be a big worry. But many enrollees may not realize is that some services won’t cost them a cent.
You can get vaccines and screenings for a number of illnesses and see your doctor each year for a wellness visit. You also can get counseling to help you kick smoking or manage your diabetes.
You won’t be subject to any out-of-pocket charges for these services as long as you use a health care provider who participates in Medicare, or if you get your health care through a Medicare Advantage plan, an in-network medical professional.
Here’s a look at a dozen things you can get for free from Medicare. For a full list of the program’s preventive and screening services, go to Medicare.gov.
1. A onetime Welcome to Medicare checkup in your first year
This visit must be made within the first 12 months of signing up for Medicare Part B, the part of Medicare that covers doctor visits and other outpatient services.
Think of this initial visit as a baseline check-in. Your provider will review your medical and personal history; see what medications you are taking; give you a flu and pneumococcal shot; monitor your vital signs including blood pressure, height and weight; do a simple vision test; ask some mental and behavioral health questions; and offer to help you create any advance directives you might not yet have.
All this will be free.
But after this general check-in if your doctor wants to order some diagnostic tests or perform some other services, the rules governing Part B will apply and you’ll be responsible for 20 percent of the costs. Your coinsurance or copay may be different if you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or if you have supplemental, or Medigap, insurance.
2. A wellness visit every year after that helps keep you healthy
The first thing to know about this is what it isn’t: a physical. This is a once-a-year visit to “update your personalized plan to help prevent disease or disability,” according to Medicare.
Your doctor will probably take your vital signs and review your medical history and medications. Providers are also expected to do a cognitive assessment to look for any signs of dementia.
If during this visit your doctor needs to order some tests, such as blood work or an actual physical exam, then as with that first welcome Medicare visit, the rules governing your coinsurance under Medicare Part B will apply.
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