Medicare Offers Many Free Preventive Benefits
Medicare Offers Many Free Preventive Benefits
While most seniors heave a huge sigh of relief when they finally qualify for Medicare at age 65, many are unaware of another special bonus: Medicare Part B offers a wide range of preventive benefits, many of which are completely free of charge—thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Free benefits include screenings and counseling sessions.
The services below are just a few items on the long list of Medicare’s preventive benefits:
- Flu, pneumonia and hepatitis B shots
- Mammograms
- Colonoscopies
- Screening for diabetes, depression and heart conditions
- Counseling to combat obesity, alcohol abuse and smoking
Most of the screenings and tests are free, but some require a copay. For example, for alcohol abuse, one screening and up to four counseling sessions a year are free. Also, there’s no charge for a screening for depression once a year in a primary-care setting—but for a doctor visit and follow-up care, there’s a copay. For colorectal cancer screening, the colonoscopy is free, but a copay is required if a polyp is removed during the test.
In a Nutshell
Because what is free and what requires a copay can be confusing, several resources are available to sort this out. Medicare for Dummies creates a useful chart that lists the preventive services, their frequency covered and cost, if any. Medicare.gov, the official U.S. site for Medicare, contains even more detailed descriptions of the preventive services, along with links to additional resources and information. The website also has helpful explanations and recommendations: for instance, what to do if your doctor or other healthcare provider recommends that you get services more often than Medicare covers, or services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you should ask your doctor why you need the additional screenings or services, because you may have to pay some or all of the costs.
Medicare’s easy-to-use interactive site also has a box labeled “Is my test, item or service covered?” You can type in the service in question and get all the details. For those not certain of the type of service, you can click on an item in a listing of services below the box.
SilverSneakers Exercise Program
One of Medicare’s most valuable and far-reaching benefits is SilverSneakers Fitness. Not just an exercise program, it’s also a venue that fosters social interaction, healthy aging and all-around well-being.
Unfortunately, not all Medicare recipients qualify for the program, but more than 65 major plans across the United States offer this active-adult wellness program. According to the SilverSneakers website, 1 in 5 people 65 and older—more than 12 million people—are eligible for membership. Some 13,000 facilities across the U.S. offer the program, and, best of all, it’s free. Once you enroll in SilverSneakers and get a membership card, there is no copay.
Group retirees or those with the Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement Health plan may already have a Healthways SilverSneakers membership, as it’s officially known. To find out if your health plan offers the SilverSneakersFitness program, visit the health plan locator.
CSA Senior Spirit newsletter, 121515: http://www.csa.us/resource/resmgr/Newsletter/1512SeniorSpirit/seniorspirit1215.html
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