How this tool works
Original Medicare Part B covers many preventive services, usually at $0 when your provider accepts assignment. This checker builds a personal list of the services that may apply to you and how often Medicare covers them.
You enter your age and sex, and tick any risk factors that apply: current or former smoker with a 20 pack-year history, risk of diabetes, or risk of osteoporosis. You also say whether you are in your first 12 months of Part B. The tool then filters the list:
- Everyone: the "Welcome to Medicare" preventive visit (once, within the first 12 months of Part B) or the Annual Wellness Visit (once every 12 months after that), depression screening and cardiovascular screening blood tests, plus vaccines.
- By age and sex: mammograms and cervical screening for women, prostate screening for men 50+, colorectal screening from 45.
- By risk factor: lung cancer screening, diabetes screening and bone mass measurement.
| Service | How often Medicare covers it |
|---|---|
| Annual Wellness Visit | Once every 12 months |
| Breast cancer screening (mammogram) | Every 12 months, women 40+ |
| Cervical cancer screening | Every 24 months; every 12 months if high risk |
| Colorectal cancer screening | From 45; e.g., yearly FIT, or colonoscopy every 10 years if not high risk |
| Prostate cancer screening | PSA and rectal exam yearly, men 50+ (rectal exam: 20% coinsurance) |
| Cardiovascular screening blood tests | Every 5 years |
| Depression screening | Once a year in primary care |
| Diabetes screening | Up to 2 times a year if at risk |
| Bone mass measurement | Every 24 months if at risk |
| Lung cancer screening (low-dose CT) | Yearly, ages 50–77, if criteria are met |
| Flu shot | Once per flu season |
A worked example
A 67-year-old woman has had Part B for three years. She smoked for 25 pack-years and quit 10 years ago, and her doctor has said she is at risk of osteoporosis. Her list would include:
- Annual Wellness Visit, every 12 months
- Mammogram, every 12 months
- Cervical cancer screening, every 24 months
- Colorectal cancer screening, with test options and intervals
- Cardiovascular screening blood tests, every 5 years, and depression screening, yearly
- Lung cancer screening, yearly: she is between 50 and 77, has at least 20 pack-years and quit within the last 15 years. A counseling visit comes first, and she must have no symptoms.
- Bone mass measurement, every 24 months
- Flu shot each season, plus pneumococcal and COVID-19 vaccines
Our guide to the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit explains what happens at that appointment, and Medicare preventive screenings covers each test in more depth.
Limits of this tool
The list is a general guide, not a coverage decision. Many services depend on details the tool cannot check, such as referrals, your medical history or the exact date of your last test. Costs can apply if your provider does not accept assignment, if a test becomes diagnostic, or for services like the glaucoma test (20% coinsurance). Medicare Advantage plans must cover these services but may have their own rules. It also does not list every covered service.
When to talk to your doctor
Bring your list to your next visit and ask which screenings make sense for you; not every covered test is right for every person. Your Annual Wellness Visit is a good time to plan a screening schedule. For coverage questions, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Annual Wellness Visit a physical exam?
No. It focuses on a health risk assessment, a review of your history and medicines, a cognitive check and a personalized prevention plan. A full physical exam is not part of it.
What is a pack-year?
It is a way of measuring how much someone has smoked: the number of packs smoked per day multiplied by the number of years. One pack a day for 20 years is 20 pack-years.
Are shingles and RSV vaccines covered?
Yes, but under Part D rather than Part B. Recommended adult vaccines such as shingles and RSV have $0 cost-sharing under Part D.
Will I always pay $0?
Usually, when your provider accepts assignment. Some services, such as the rectal exam for prostate screening and the glaucoma test, have 20% coinsurance.
Sources
Want the full picture? Read our guide: Medicare Preventive Screenings: What’s Covered, How Often and at What Cost.
Read the guideThis tool gives general information for education only. It does not diagnose any condition or replace advice from your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. In an emergency call 911. See our medical disclaimer and sources.