Spring, at last! Met with fresh blooms and birds chirping, we are liberated from snowy roads, icy walkways and winter coats. It’s a great time to get caught up with delayed physician’s visits, now that -15° temps are behind us.
But, what about the expense? Copayments and deductibles can feel as harrowing as black ice on I-94. For some healthcare, yes, but not for your Medicare Preventive Services! Medicare has a list of exams that are free of charge, regardless of which healthcare plan you may have, or even if you only have Parts A & B with no additional coverage (by the way, we don’t advise that). The list includes: yearly wellness exam, cardiovascular blood tests (cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels), mammograms, screenings for cervical, vaginal, colorectal and prostate cancer.
Medicare also covers preventive vaccines for: Flu, Covid-19, Pneumococcal (aka Pneumonia), and Hepatitis B. If you get these at your pharmacy, make sure they bill them to Medicare Part B, not to your Part D prescription plan.
How about those bone density, diabetes screening, or glaucoma tests your doctor wants you to have? Those are covered too, at 100%. They’ll even help you with tobacco cessation and nutritional therapy services, all at no cost.
Medicare does this for a few reasons. They understand that sometimes even a $20 copay might not be affordable when on a fixed income. They also know that preventing illness means a better quality of life and far lower lifetime costs of healthcare for you and for the Medicare system.
If you’re new to Medicare, or just never put a plan in place other than your Part A & B, please give us a call. There are many zero-dollar premium plans available to help lower your cost of healthcare.
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), formerly known as MMAP, has offices in every Michigan county. Call today! Statewide number: 800-803-7174. You can also call your local Area Agency on Aging or Commission on Aging for an appointment. We’re located there throughout the state and the entire country. SHIP is a free, unbiased Medicare counseling service provided to you via local, state, and federal grants.