Which Medicare Screenings Are Free, and Which Aren't

Medicare covers a long list of cancer, bone, and heart screenings every year at no cost to you, as long as your provider accepts assignment. Most retirees know about the free wellness visit. Far fewer know the full list of what else is covered free, or that a screening's due date can quietly pass unused.

There's a second thing almost nobody warns you about. A screening and a diagnostic test can look like the same appointment from where you're sitting, but Medicare bills them differently. Find out where that line sits before your next visit, not after the bill arrives.

What's Actually Free at $0

Medicare Part B covers a specific set of preventive screenings at no cost when your provider accepts assignment. A screening mammogram is covered once every 12 months starting at age 40. A colon cancer screening is covered on a schedule based on your own risk, as often as every 24 months or as rarely as once every 10 years. A bone density test is covered every 24 months if you're at risk for broken bones, and a cardiovascular blood test that checks cholesterol and triglycerides is covered every 5 years. A diabetes blood test is covered up to twice a year if you have risk factors.

None of these happen on their own. A provider has to order them, and you have to know you're due. Check off what you've confirmed below, starting with your Cancer screenings pick, then follow up on anything still open.

A provider is supposed to hand you a written schedule of exactly which of these you're due for during your free Yearly Wellness visit. If you haven't used that visit yet, Your Free Medicare Wellness Visit Isn't a Physical covers how to book it and what to expect.

Where a Screening Can Turn Into a Bill

The word "screening" only applies while nothing unusual turns up. If a colonoscopy finds a polyp and your provider removes it during the same procedure, the visit moves from a covered screening into a covered screening plus a billable procedure. You'll owe 15% of the Medicare-approved amount for that part, plus a facility fee if you're at a hospital outpatient department or surgical center. A screening mammogram works the same way: if something looks unclear and your provider orders a follow-up image, that follow-up is billed as diagnostic care, with a 20% coinsurance charge after your Part B deductible.

The bill for what happens next depends on what your provider finds during the appointment, not on how the visit was booked. Getting the screening done is still the right call. Ask directly, in the room, whether what's happening has moved from screening into diagnostic care.

Get the Right Screening at the Right Time

The prevention plan from your Yearly Wellness visit should already list your due dates. If you don't have one, or it's been a while since you last checked, you don't need to wait for a reminder letter to start.

Work through it in order instead of trying to schedule everything at once.