The Medical Screening Medicare Gives Seniors For Free

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death around the world. With one death recorded every 34 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is known as a silent killer. What's especially scary is that many patients with heart disease experience no symptoms until it leads to other complications, like a heart attack. That's why experts recommend regular health checkups and preventive screenings to spot issues even when you feel and look healthy. 

Fortunately, Medicare offers relief. Besides covering your hospital bills and providing discounts on prescription medication, Medicare also recognizes the importance of early detection and provides a range of preventive services. One of them is a cardiovascular disease screening, a no-cost service that assesses each patient's heart health — and taking advantage of that perk can certainly be worth your time. A condition like early-stage hypertension can be treated with minimal medication, diet and activity changes. On the other hand, severe hypertension needs constant monitoring and inpatient care – which is expensive. In fact, the CDC estimates heart disease caused around $417.9 billion of expenses between 2020 and 2021. So, the earlier you can catch a cardiovascular issue, the less it will probably cost you both physically and financially.

The Medicare cardiovascular screening might sound a little complicated, but it's just a simple preventive blood test that allows doctors to measure your cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid levels to get a better sense of your heart health. High cholesterol and high lipid levels cause plaque buildup in the arteries, while high triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia) can increase your risk of a stroke or heart attack. 

The only qualifications you need to fulfill to access this screening at no cost are that you're on a Medicare Part B plan and that the lab where you get the test done accepts the Medicare assignment. This condition might seem simple, but if your provider rejects the assignment, you'll be billed for the whole screening — which can cost upwards of a few hundred dollars depending on the provider and your location. Another thing to note about this free benefit you can get with Medicare is that it is categorized under preventive, not diagnostic, care. So, if your doctor orders additional tests based on the results of the screenings, those will likely come at the standard price.

The cardiovascular screening isn't the only free preventative care Medicare offers participants, either. Medicare also offers several free cancer screenings, as well as an annual cardiovascular behavioral therapy visit and, for seniors with a qualifying family and medical history, a one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms.