Medicare Can Make Summer Healthier

What You Need to Know

Wellness benefits can help any client with Medicare get ready for the summer.
Some clients qualify for extra nutrition counseling.
Original Medicare does not cover routine skin cancer screenings but does cover diagnostic services.

Summer is a great time to focus on wellness and preventive care.

Here’s how Medicare can help beneficiaries stay healthy during the hottest months of the year.

John, a 70-year-old Medicare beneficiary who loves gardening, spends several hours a day tending to his plants during the summer.

Recently, he has been feeling more fatigued and occasionally dizzy after being in the sun for too long.

John wonders how Medicare can help him stay healthy during the summer and what specific preventive services and wellness benefits are available to manage seasonal health challenges.

The Answer:

Understanding how Medicare supports summer wellness and preventive care can help beneficiaries like John safely enjoy the season.

Here’s a detailed look at the preventive services and wellness benefits Medicare offers, including some important caveats.

The Annual Wellness Visit

Medicare covers an annual wellness visit, or ANW, to develop or update a personalized disease prevention plan.

This visit includes a health risk assessment, an update of medical and family history, and various routine measurements.

However, it is important to note that the wellness visit is not a full physical exam and is specifically geared toward prevention and health planning.

Beneficiaries must ensure their health care provider accepts Medicare to avoid out-of-pocket costs for this visit.

During his Annual Wellness Visit, John’s doctor advised him on the importance of hydration and scheduled a cardiovascular screening to ensure his heart was handling the extra activity.

This preventive visit is crucial for staying on top of health issues that might worsen in the summer.

Preventive Services Covered by Medicare

Medicare also provides coverage for the following preventive measures:

Cardiovascular disease screenings: Medicare Part B covers cardiovascular disease screenings once every five years. While this is valuable for monitoring heart health, beneficiaries should be aware of the specific frequency limitations and ensure these screenings are within the covered timeframe to avoid additional costs.

Diabetes screenings: Medicare covers up to two diabetes screenings per year for beneficiaries who are at risk for diabetes. This coverage is crucial for managing blood sugar levels, especially in hot weather. However, beneficiaries must meet certain risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity, or a history of high blood sugar.