Many people on Medicare never use one of its most useful free benefits. The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is a yearly appointment with your doctor to review your health, update your prevention plan and catch problems early, and it usually costs nothing. It is not the same as a full physical, and knowing the difference can save you from a surprise bill.
This guide explains the one-time “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit, the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit that follows, what happens during each appointment, when the visits are free and when you might be billed, and the key screenings and vaccines Medicare covers at no cost.
Quick answer: Medicare Part B covers a one-time “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit within your first 12 months of Part B, then a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit once every 12 months after that. You pay $0 for these visits if your provider accepts assignment, and the Part B deductible doesn’t apply. The wellness visit is a prevention planning appointment, not a routine physical exam, so extra tests or treatment for new problems during the same visit may cost you coinsurance. (Medicare.gov)
What Is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is a scheduled appointment focused on prevention. Instead of checking you from head to toe, your doctor or another qualified provider reviews your health history, measures a few basics and works with you on a personalized plan to help you stay healthy.
Think of it as a yearly check-in on the big picture. You talk about your risks, your medications, your memory and mood, and which screenings and shots you are due for over the coming years.
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is covered under Part B. If you need a refresher on what Part B pays for, read our guide to Medicare Part B.
Why the Yearly Wellness Visit Is Worth Your Time
It is easy to skip a visit when you feel fine. But prevention works best before symptoms appear, and many serious conditions, like colon cancer, high blood pressure and early memory loss, can be quiet for years.
A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit gives you a few clear benefits:
- Early detection. Screenings on your plan can find problems while they are easier to treat.
- Fewer medication problems. A full review of your prescriptions and supplements can catch duplicates, interactions and medicines you no longer need.
- Fall prevention. Questions about balance, vision and home safety can lead to simple changes that prevent injuries.
- A plan for the future. Talking about advance directives now means your family knows your wishes later.
- A stronger relationship with your doctor. A relaxed visit focused on your goals, not just a single complaint, helps your provider know you better.
For people who see several specialists, the visit is also a chance to put all the pieces together in one place, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Two Different Visits: Welcome to Medicare and the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Medicare has two prevention visits, and people often mix them up. Here is how they compare:
| Welcome to Medicare preventive visit | Medicare Annual Wellness Visit | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Once, within the first 12 months of Part B | Once every 12 months, after your first year of Part B |
| How often | One time only | Every year |
| Cost with assignment | $0, no Part B deductible | $0, no Part B deductible |
| Main focus | Baseline review of your health and a prevention checklist | Updating your personalized prevention plan |
| Includes a simple vision test | Yes | No |
| Includes a cognitive assessment | No | Yes |
| Is it a full physical exam? | No | No |
You don’t have to have the Welcome to Medicare visit before you can get your first Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. But if you are new to Part B, the Welcome visit is a great way to set a baseline.
The Welcome to Medicare Preventive Visit
You can get the Welcome to Medicare visit once, any time during the first 12 months you have Part B. If you miss that window, you lose this specific visit, although you can still get a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit every year later on.
During the Welcome visit, your provider will usually:
- Review your medical and social history, including past illnesses, surgeries and family history
- Check your height, weight and blood pressure and calculate your body mass index (BMI)
- Give you a simple vision test
- Review your risk for depression
- Review your use of alcohol and tobacco, with referrals if you need help
- Offer to talk about advance directives, such as a health care proxy
- Give you a written checklist of the screenings and vaccines you need
If your doctor recommends it during this visit, Medicare also covers a one-time screening EKG, though the normal Part B deductible and coinsurance apply to the EKG itself.
Turning 65 soon? Our guide on when to sign up for Medicare explains how to get Part B started so you can schedule this visit on time.
What Happens at a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Once you have had Part B for more than 12 months, and it has been at least 12 months since your Welcome visit or last wellness visit, you can schedule a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Here is what usually happens:
Before the appointment
You will usually fill out a Health Risk Assessment questionnaire. It asks about your general health, daily activities, safety at home, diet, exercise, sleep, mood and any help you need with everyday tasks. Some offices send it ahead of time, and others ask you to complete it in the waiting room.
During the appointment
- Measurements: height, weight, blood pressure and other routine measurements
- History review: your medical and family history, updated since your last visit
- Medication review: a list of your current prescriptions, plus vitamins and supplements
- Your care team: a list of your current doctors and other providers
- Cognitive assessment: a short check for signs of memory problems, including dementia
- Depression and substance use: a review of your risk, with referrals if needed
- Opioid review: if you take opioid pain medicine, a review of your pain treatment and other options
- Advance care planning: an optional talk about your wishes if you become unable to speak for yourself
- Health advice: personalized guidance on things like falls, nutrition and physical activity
What you leave with
At the end, you should receive a written prevention plan. It usually lists the screenings, vaccines and other preventive services you need over the next 5 to 10 years, along with any referrals your provider recommends. Keep this plan with your health records and bring it to next year’s visit.
How Much Does the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Cost?
If your provider accepts assignment, meaning they accept Medicare’s approved amount as full payment, you pay nothing for the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. The Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026, does not apply to the visit itself.
That $0 cost applies only to the parts of the appointment that are part of the wellness benefit. Other services during the same appointment can have normal Part B cost-sharing, which we explain below. For a full picture of your yearly Medicare costs, see how much Medicare costs in 2026.
With a Medicare Advantage plan
Medicare Advantage plans must cover the Welcome visit and the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, and you pay $0 when you use an in-network provider. Many Advantage plans also cover a yearly routine physical as an extra benefit, so check your plan’s Evidence of Coverage. Learn more in What Is Medicare Advantage?
Wellness Visit vs Physical Exam: What’s the Difference?
This is the most common source of confusion. A routine physical exam is a hands-on head-to-toe exam, often with routine bloodwork. Original Medicare does not cover routine physicals.
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is different. It is mostly a conversation and planning session. Your provider may take your blood pressure and weight, but they generally won’t listen to your lungs, examine your abdomen or order a standard set of lab tests as part of the wellness benefit.
- Medicare Annual Wellness Visit: health risk review, prevention plan, cognitive check, screening schedule. $0 with assignment.
- Routine physical: full hands-on exam and routine labs. Not covered by Original Medicare, so you may pay the full cost.
- Problem visit: a visit to look into a new or ongoing health issue. Covered by Part B with the deductible and 20% coinsurance.
When you book, use the words “Annual Wellness Visit” so the office schedules the right kind of appointment.
When You Can Be Billed After a Wellness Visit
Many people are surprised by a bill after what they thought was a free Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Here are the most common reasons:
- You raised a new problem. If you ask about knee pain, a rash or chest discomfort and your doctor examines or treats it, that part is billed as a regular office visit with Part B cost-sharing.
- Your doctor managed an ongoing condition. Adjusting diabetes or blood pressure medicines can be billed separately.
- Lab tests were ordered. Bloodwork that isn’t a covered screening may be billed under Part B.
- You got a routine physical. If the office did a full physical instead of, or in addition to, the wellness visit, you may owe the full amount.
- Your provider doesn’t accept assignment. You may pay more.
It is completely fine to bring up health concerns. Just ask the office, “Will any part of today’s visit be billed separately?” That simple question prevents most surprises.
Free Preventive Screenings Medicare Covers
The prevention plan from your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit will point you to screenings you are due for. Many are covered at $0 when your provider accepts assignment. Some have age, risk or frequency rules:
- Mammograms: screening mammograms once every 12 months for women 40 and older
- Colorectal cancer screening: including colonoscopy, stool-based tests and blood-based tests, starting at age 45, on set schedules
- Cardiovascular screening blood tests: cholesterol and related tests once every 5 years
- Diabetes screening: if you have certain risk factors, up to 2 screenings a year
- Lung cancer screening: yearly low-dose CT for people 50 to 77 who meet smoking history rules
- Bone mass measurement: once every 24 months if you meet certain conditions, such as being at risk for osteoporosis
- Depression screening: once a year in a primary care setting
- Prostate cancer screening: a yearly PSA blood test for men over 50
- Cervical and vaginal cancer screening: generally once every 24 months
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm: a one-time ultrasound with a referral if you are at risk
- Hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV screening: for people who meet risk or age criteria
- Alcohol misuse screening: once a year, with counseling if needed
You can see the full list of covered screenings and their rules on Medicare.gov.
A note on colonoscopies: the screening itself is free, but if your doctor removes a polyp, you may owe a share of the cost. That share is being phased down and is set to reach $0 in 2030. A follow-up colonoscopy after a positive stool test is now treated as a screening.
Vaccines Covered at $0
Staying up to date on vaccines is one of the easiest ways to protect your health. Medicare covers these at no cost when the provider or pharmacy accepts Medicare:
- Under Part B: flu shots once each flu season, pneumococcal vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines, and hepatitis B vaccines for people at medium or high risk
- Under Part D: adult vaccines recommended by the CDC, such as shingles, RSV and Tdap, at $0 through your drug plan
Get Part D vaccines at an in-network pharmacy so the plan bills correctly. Our Medicare Part D guide explains how drug plans work.
Other Preventive Benefits Worth Asking About
Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is also a good time to ask about counseling and programs Medicare covers, including:
- Obesity behavioral therapy, if your BMI is 30 or higher
- Cardiovascular disease behavioral therapy, once a year
- Tobacco-use counseling
- Diabetes self-management training and medical nutrition therapy, if you have diabetes or kidney disease
- The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, if you have prediabetes
If the cognitive assessment raises concerns, Medicare covers a separate, more detailed cognitive assessment visit. And if your mood or stress comes up, our guide to Medicare mental health coverage explains your options.
How to Prepare for Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
A little preparation makes the visit far more useful. Bring:
- Your Medicare card, or your Medicare Advantage card
- A list of all medicines, vitamins and supplements, with doses
- Your vaccine records, if you have them
- Family health history, such as parents or siblings with cancer, heart disease or diabetes
- Names of your other doctors and specialists
- Copies of any advance directives or health care proxy forms
- A short list of questions or goals, such as better sleep or fall prevention
Some people bring a family member, especially if memory is a concern. That is welcome and often helpful. If you have trouble hearing or seeing, let the office know ahead of time so they can plan for it.
It also helps to think about what has changed since last year. New diagnoses, hospital stays, falls, changes in appetite or weight, and new worries about memory or mood are all worth mentioning, even if they seem small.
How to Schedule a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
- Check your timing. Make sure it has been at least 12 months since your last wellness visit or Welcome visit. Your doctor’s office or your Medicare account can confirm.
- Ask for the right visit. Request the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit by name.
- Confirm assignment. Ask whether the provider accepts Medicare assignment, or is in your plan’s network.
- Book a separate problem visit if needed. If you have several concerns, a separate appointment may be clearer for billing.
- Follow your plan. Schedule the screenings and shots on your written plan over the next year.
Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Examples
Example 1: A new enrollee uses the Welcome visit
Patricia turned 65 in March and started Part B the same month. In June, she schedules her Welcome to Medicare visit. Her doctor reviews her history, checks her vision and blood pressure, and gives her a checklist that includes a mammogram and a colorectal screening. She pays nothing for the visit.
Example 2: A wellness visit that turns into a bill
George, 71, from Staten Island goes in for his Medicare Annual Wellness Visit and mentions new shoulder pain. His doctor examines the shoulder and orders an X-ray. The wellness portion is $0, but the shoulder exam and X-ray are billed under Part B, so George pays toward his deductible and 20% coinsurance.
Example 3: Catching memory changes early
Rosa, 78, brings her son to her Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. The short cognitive check shows some concerns, so her doctor schedules a separate cognitive assessment visit and refers her to a specialist. Her son leaves with a clear plan and a list of next steps.
Common Mistakes With the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
- Asking for a “physical.” Original Medicare doesn’t cover routine physicals, so you could get billed. Ask for the wellness visit by name.
- Missing the Welcome visit window. It is available only during your first 12 months of Part B.
- Scheduling too early. If less than 12 months have passed since your last wellness visit, it may not be covered.
- Not asking about extra charges. Discussing new problems is fine, but ask whether they will be billed.
- Skipping the plan. The written prevention plan is the most valuable part, so follow through on the screenings.
- Forgetting Part D vaccines. Shingles and RSV shots are $0 under Part D, but you need to get them at an in-network pharmacy.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit really free?
Yes, if your provider accepts assignment. You pay $0 and the Part B deductible doesn’t apply. Extra services during the same appointment may have normal costs.
How often can I get a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
Once every 12 months, after you have had Part B for more than 12 months.
Does Medicare cover a yearly physical?
Original Medicare doesn’t cover routine physicals. Many Medicare Advantage plans include one as an extra benefit.
Do I need a Welcome to Medicare visit before my first wellness visit?
No. The Welcome visit is optional. You can get your first yearly wellness visit once you have had Part B for more than 12 months.
Will my doctor do bloodwork at the wellness visit?
Not as part of the wellness benefit itself. Some screening blood tests, like cholesterol every 5 years, are covered at $0, but other lab tests may be billed under Part B.
Can a nurse practitioner do my Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
Yes. A doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or other qualified provider can perform the visit.
Can I get my wellness visit through telehealth?
Some parts of the visit can be done by video or phone, depending on your provider and current Medicare telehealth rules. Measurements like blood pressure and weight usually need to be done in person, so ask your office what they offer.
Get Help Making the Most of Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
Preventive care works best when you know what’s covered and your plan fits the doctors you use. If you have questions about the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, preventive screenings or whether your plan covers a routine physical, we can walk you through it. Caring Curations is an independent Medicare agency at 26 Bolivar St in Staten Island, New York. We help people compare Original Medicare, Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans from multiple carriers.
Book a free Medicare consultation or call 848-257-9344. We are licensed in 25 states, and our help is always free.
