People with Medicare now have access to a new "Annual Wellness Visit" where they can receive a comprehensive health risk assessment and develop a personalized prevention plan, according to Vera Nelson at the Active Aging Resource Center in Gallatin.
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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) eliminates cost-sharing for medicare-covered preventive services that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task force. The services which now have no cost-sharing (If a doctor accepts what Medicare pays for a service as payment in full) include:
Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening; bone mass measurement; breast cancer screening/mammograms; cardiovascular screening tests (although you generally will have to pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor’s visit); certain types of colorectal cancer screening (i.e. flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy); diabetes screening tests (although you generally will have to pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor’s visit); flu shots; hepatitis B shots; HIV screening tests (although you generally will have to pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the doctor’s visit); medical nutrition therapy services (for those with diabetes or kidney disease, or who have had a kidney transplant in the last 36 months and whose doctor refers them for these services); pap tests and pelvic exams; physical exams, both the "welcome to Mediare" visit and the annual "wellness visit"; pneumococcal shot; prostrate cancer screening; smoking cessation counseling (more peole are now eligible for this benefit under Medicare. Now all beneficiaries who smoke can take advantage of as many as eight smoking cessation counseling sessions.)