Submitted by SHIBA
Many Medicare beneficiaries don’t realize that Medicare offers a number of free services to help keep people healthy. When you get these services from a provider enrolled in Medicare, you will not have to pay a deductible or a copay. The covered services include:
All vaccines recommended for people over the age of 65
Annual wellness exams with your primary care provider (these are information gathering visits, not physical exams)
Annual mammograms
Annual prostate cancer screenings
Annual depression screening
Annual glaucoma screening
Bone mass density screenings every two years
Cardiovascular blood screenings every five years
Cervical and vaginal cancer screenings every two years
Colon cancer screenings every 10 years for colonoscopies, more frequently for other kinds of screenings
In addition, there are a number of other screenings that are free if your provider determines that you may be at risk for developing the disease or condition that the screening is intended to detect. Medicare also covers training to help manage a variety of health care conditions if your provider determines that you have the condition and could benefit from the training.
SHIBA, sponsored by Orcas Senior Center, is a free, unbiased, and confidential informational service offered through the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Contact the San Juan Island SHIBA office at 360-375-0292 to schedule a counseling session.