If you’ve had  Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) for longer than 12 months, you can get a yearly “Wellness” visit to develop or update your personalized plan to help prevent disease or disability, based on your current health and risk factors. The yearly “Wellness” visit isn’t a physical exam.

Your first yearly “Wellness” visit can’t take place within 12 months of your Part B enrollment or your “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit. However, you don’t need to have had a “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit to qualify for a yearly “Wellness” visit.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay nothing for this visit if your doctor or other health care provider accepts assignment.

The Part B deductible  doesn’t apply.

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 that Medicare doesn’t cover under this preventive benefit.

If Medicare doesn’t cover the additional tests or services (like a routine physical exam), you may have to pay the full amount.

What it is

Your provider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a “Health Risk Assessment,” as part of this visit. Answering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized prevention plan to help you stay healthy and get the most out of your visit. Your visit may include:

  • Routine measurements (like height, weight, and blood pressure).
  • A review of your medical and family history.
  • A review of your current prescriptions.
  • Personalized health advice.
  • Advance care planning.

Your provider will also perform a cognitive assessment to look for signs of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Signs of cognitive impairment include trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, managing finances, and making decisions about your everyday life. If your provider thinks you may have cognitive impairment, Medicare covers a separate visit to do a more thorough review of your cognitive function and check for conditions like dementia, depression, anxiety, or delirium and design a care plan.