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 counseling and education to help you take care of your own health. For more information, click the Your Guide to Medicare Preventive Services guide.
Medicare covers these preventive services:
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
• Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
• Bone mass measurement
• Cardiovascular disease (behavioral therapy)
• Cardiovascular screening
• Colorectal cancer screening
– Fecal occult blood test
– Flexible sigmoidoscopy
– Colonoscopy
– Barium enema
– Multi-target stool DNA test (like CologuardTM)
• Depression screening
• Diabetes screening
• Diabetes self-management training
• Flu shot
• Glaucoma test
• Hepatitis B shot
• Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection screening
• Hepatitis C screening
• HIV screening
• Lung cancer screening
• Mammogram (screening)
• Medical nutrition therapy services
• Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program
• Obesity screening and counseling
• Pap test and pelvic exam
• Pneumococcal shots
• Prostate cancer screening
• Sexually transmitted infection screening and counseling
• Smoking and tobacco use cessation
• “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit
• Yearly “Wellness” visit
Before you leave your doctor’s office, make sure to ask these questions:
About the test
☐ Do I need the test?
☐ What’s the test for?
☐ How’s the test done?
☐ What are the benefits and risks of having the test?
☐ What do I need to do to prepare for the test?
About the test results
☐ When will I get the results?
☐ What will they tell me?
☐ What’s the next step after the test?
☐ How often do I need this test?
☐ Do I need to get a referral?
☐ Do I need to make an appointment?
Costs for the test
☐ Will Medicare/my other insurance pay for/cover the test?
☐ How much will I have to pay