Medicare’s Preventative Services: Protecting Yourself

The best defense, some say, is a good offense.  The same is often true of your health.  By taking proactive steps to stay healthy and by utilizing the preventative services offered by your Medicare plan, it is possible to protect yourself from some diseases before you even become ill.

Preventative services, typically offered to you at various reduced costs through your Part B Medicare insurance, include measures like administering shots, monitoring your health, and offering exams, lab tests, and screenings.  They also include providing education and information to help you remain healthy. 

Services offered to you at no cost and usually covered by your other Part B fees are wide-ranging.  Typically, they include a cardiovascular screening every five years, a pap lab test every 24 months, fecal occult blood tests once every 12 months, a flu shot once a year (usually in the fall or winter), a Pneumococcal shot, and diabetes screening if you are considered high risk for developing diabetes. Some of these tests, of course, are gender specific.

Services that are covered but still require you to pay for a smaller percentage of the cost can encompass a one-time, “welcome to Medicare” physical exam, a mammogram every 12 months, cervical cancer screening every 12-14 months (depending on your risk factors), colorectal cancer screening every 120 months, prostate cancer screening every 12 months, bone mass measurements once every 24 months (or more, if you’re at risk for osteoporosis), glaucoma tests once every 12 months, a hepatitis B shot (if you’re at medium to high risk), medical nutritional therapy, and counseling to quite smoking.

Take advantage of the opportunity to protect yourself.  Your health is important, both now and in the future.