We are all seeing the commercials reminding us to not put our healthcare off during the Pandemic and this could not be truer. Have you taken advantage of your expanded Medicare Benefits like preventative services, cancer screenings and wellness visits all without paying a dollar out of pocket? An easy and important way to stay healthy is to get disease prevention and early detection services. These services include:
Exams
Shots (Including COVID -19 Vaccination)
Lab tests
Monitoring
Counseling
If you’ve had Medicare part B ( Medical Insurance) for longer than 12 months, you can get a yearly “wellness” visit once every 12 months to develop or update a personalized prevention plan to help prevent disease and disability, based on your current health and risk factors. Your provider may also perform a cognitive impairment assessment. You may pay nothing for this visit if your doctor or other qualified health care provider accepts assignment.
However, you may have to pay coinsurance, and the Part B deductible may apply if:
Your doctor or other health care provider performs additional tests or services during the same visit.
These additional tests or services are not covered under the preventive benefits.
Your personalized prevention plan is designed to help prevent disease and disability based on your current health and risk factors. Your provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. This visit may also include:
A review of your medical and family history
Developing or updating a list of current providers and prescriptions
Height, weight, blood pressure, and other routine measurements
Detection of any cognitive impairment
Personalized health advice
A list of risk factors and treatment options for you
A screening schedule for appropriate preventive services
Advance care planning
These services can find health problems early when treatment works best and can keep you from getting certain diseases. You may log into your personal Medicare.gov account and click on the “My Health” tab to track your preventative services. There you may also view a 2 year calendar of the covered tests and screenings that you are eligible for, and you can print a personal on the go report to take with you to your next doctor’s appointment. We here at your local HICAP are committed to helping you take care of your own health through education and informative services as a Medicare Beneficiary.
Please contact a registered HICAP counselor today to review your preventative Medicare Benefits at (559) 224-9117 Monday- Friday 8am -5pm.