There’s no doubt about it…Medicare can be confusing. However, there are many benefits out there that many seniors may not even realize exist. Here’s a quick look at a few of the often overlooked Medicare benefits that you should be sure you are fully utilizing.
Annual wellness visit
If President-elect Trump follows up on his campaign promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, this benefit will disappear, which is a real loss for millions of seniors who’ve used these visits preventatively to avoid potentially larger health issues in the future. If you haven’t already, get your annual visit in soon.
Wellness visits are with your primary-care physician once a year, even when you’re feeling fine. These visits give you and your doctor a chance to review your health and see where attention might be needed or improvements might be made. The focus is on your overall health and allows patients and doctors to red-flag any concerns that might seem small now but could lead to a more serious issue if ignored. Wellness visits are available to anyone covered by Part B or Medicare Advantage plans. For now, anyway.
Depression screening
Once a year, every Medicare Part B recipient can receive free depression screening from his or her primary-care doctor. This is an important benefit because one in six seniors suffers from depression yet estimates are only 10% of chronically depressed seniors receive the treatment they need for their disease.
Late life depression is an important public health problem. It is associated with increased risk of illness, increased risk of suicide, decreased physical, cognitive and social functioning, and greater self-neglect, all of which are in turn associated with an increased likelihood of death.
Smoking cessation
According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 40 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. Smoking is the #1 cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. In fact, more than 480,000 Americans die, or 1 of every 5 deaths, from tobacco use. It’s never too late to stop smoking. That’s why Medicare provides its beneficiaries help quitting. Anyone who uses tobacco and has Medicare Part B coverage can get up to eight smoking-cessation visits covered over a 12-month period. The only stipulation is that the visits are with a qualified doctor or other Medicare-recognized practitioner. These visits will not cost you a penny out of pocket, so if you’re a smoker who wants to quit for good, make sure you take advantage of this Medicare benefit.