Preventive Care Reminders

One of the most underused parts of Medicare is also one of the most valuable: preventive care that costs you nothing when you know where to look. Every year, beneficiaries leave benefits on the table simply because they don't realize the services are already included in their coverage.

Free Annual Wellness Visit

After your first 12 months of Part B coverage, you're entitled to a yearly wellness visit at no cost [2][7][8]. This isn't the same as a routine physical exam. Instead, it's a dedicated appointment where your provider reviews your medical history, screens for risk factors, and helps you build or update a personalized prevention plan based on your specific health picture [7][8]. Many people skip this visit simply because they assume it's the same as an annual physical, and it isn't.

Provider Must Accept Assignment

If your provider accepts assignment, meaning they agree to Medicare's approved payment amount, you pay nothing for a wide range of preventive services, including [2][5][6]:

• Annual depression screening

• A cardiovascular disease risk reduction visit

• Bone mass measurement, every 24 months, or more often if you're considered at risk

• Breast cancer screening, an annual mammogram for women 40 and older

• Colorectal cancer screening, with frequency depending on the specific test and your risk level

• Prostate cancer screening, annually, for men 50 and older

• Flu, pneumonia, and COVID-19 vaccines [1][2][5][6]

Follow-Up & Diagnostic Care

There is one important nuance worth understanding before your visit. If your doctor discovers something during a preventive screening and orders additional tests, procedures, or treatment as a result, that follow-up care is often billed as diagnostic care rather than preventive care, meaning it may not fall under the $0 benefit [5][6]. It's a good idea to ask your provider ahead of time which parts of a visit are being billed as preventive versus diagnostic, so there are no surprises later.

Many people let these benefits go unused simply because they don't realize they're already paid for. Taking a few minutes to check which screenings you're due for is one of the simplest ways to get more value out of the coverage you already have. SGIA Medicare Consulting can help you understand exactly what's included and when you're eligible.

Sources

1. Medicare Rights Center. Medicare-Covered Preventive Services. Found on the internet at https://www.medicareinteractive.org/wp-content/uploads/Medicare-Covered-Preventive-Services.pdf

2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. PFS Preventive Services Code List. Found on the internet at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/physician/preventive-services

3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Preventive Services. Found on the internet at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/preventive-services-coverage

4. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. MLN006559: Medicare Preventive Services. April 2026. Found on the internet at https://www.cms.gov/medicare/prevention/prevntiongeninfo/medicare-preventive-services/mps-quickreferencechart-1.html

5. UnitedHealthcare. 2026 Medicare Advantage Preventive Screening Guidelines. Found on the internet at https://www.uhcprovider.com/content/dam/provider/docs/public/health-plans/medicare/MA-Preventive-Services-Coding-Guidelines.pdf

6. Medicare.gov. Preventive and Screening Services. Found on the internet at https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services

7. Medicare.gov. Your Guide to Medicare Preventive Services. Found on the internet at https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10110-your-guide-to-medicare-preventive-services.pdf