✔ Backed by: Medicare.gov · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Each fact links to its source, and the full list is at the bottom of this post.
If you have Medicare, there is a visit you may be skipping without knowing it. It is called the Medicare yearly wellness visit. It is not a full physical. It is something different. When you know how it works, it can become one of the most useful hours you spend with your doctor all year.
Let’s walk through what it is, what it isn’t, what it may cost, and how to walk in prepared.
Two visits with similar names
Medicare has two preventive visits that people often mix up.
The first is the “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit. You can get it once, within the first 12 months you have Part B. When you schedule, tell the office you want a “Welcome to Medicare” visit.[2] It includes a review of your medical and social history, information about screenings and vaccines, a simple vision test, a review of depression risk, and a written checklist of preventive services.[2]
The second is the yearly “Wellness” visit. Medicare Part B covers it once every 12 months. Your first one can’t happen within 12 months of your Part B enrollment or your “Welcome to Medicare” visit. You don’t need to have had a “Welcome to Medicare” visit to qualify.[1]
What the Medicare yearly wellness visit is, and isn’t
Medicare describes the Wellness visit as a conversation to create or update a personalized prevention plan based on your health and risk factors. It is not a routine physical exam.[1] Medicare suggests bringing specific health concerns to a separate appointment.
This surprises many people. Take Rosa, 68. She booked her Wellness visit planning to ask about her sore knee and a new rash. Her doctor gently explained that those problems would need their own visit. Some extra care during the wellness visit could also come with a bill. Rosa was glad to know before, not after.
The CMS page for providers lays it out the same way: the Wellness visit and the “Welcome to Medicare” visit are covered. However, a routine physical exam is not covered by Original Medicare.[3]
What usually happens during the visit
According to Medicare, the Wellness visit can include:[1]
- A health risk questionnaire you fill out
- Routine measurements like height, weight, and blood pressure
- A review of your medical and family history
- A review of your current prescriptions
- A check for signs of memory or thinking problems
- An offer to talk about advance directives
- A review of substance use risk
- A written plan listing the screenings, vaccines, and other preventive services you need
Two of these deserve a closer look. The memory check is a quick screen, not a diagnosis. If your provider suspects a problem, Medicare covers a separate, more thorough visit.[1] And the advance directive talk is a calm, no-pressure moment to share what matters to you about future care.
What it may cost
Medicare says you pay nothing for the Wellness visit if your provider accepts assignment. The Part B deductible doesn’t apply, either.[1] But here is the important part. Your provider may do extra tests or services during the same visit that aren’t part of this preventive benefit. If so, you may owe coinsurance, and the deductible may apply. Services Medicare doesn’t cover, such as a routine physical, may be billed to you in full.[1]
You can protect yourself with one simple question when you book. You can say: “I’d like to schedule my Medicare yearly Wellness visit. If anything during the visit would be billed separately, can someone let me know first?”
If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, call the number on your plan card and ask how the plan covers the Wellness visit and which doctors to use. And if money is tight, Medicare notes that people with limited income may qualify for help paying costs like premiums or drugs.[4]
How to get the most out of it
A little prep turns this visit from a form-filling session into a real plan. Medicare suggests bringing these to your “Welcome to Medicare” visit, and they help just as much for the yearly one:[2]
- Past medical records, including your vaccine history
- Your family health history
- A list of all your prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements, with how often and why you take them
Before you go, jot down two or three questions about staying well this year. You can ask: “Which screenings am I due for?” or “Am I up to date on my vaccines?” or “Is there anything in my family history I should be watching?”
The prescription review is a good moment to speak up about anything that feels off. Maybe a medicine seems to make you tired, or you are not sure why you still take it. You can say: “Can we go over my list together? I want to make sure I understand what each one is for.” Don’t stop or change any medicine on your own; just bring your questions.
Then, before you leave, ask for your written prevention plan. Put it somewhere you will see it, like the fridge door. That checklist is your roadmap for the year.
If you are a caregiver
If you help a parent, partner, or friend with their care, the Wellness visit is a great time to come along, with their okay. You can help bring the medicine list, take notes, and keep track of the written plan. If memory is a worry, you may be able to share what you have noticed at home. The person you support can say to the office: “I’d like my daughter to join me today and hear the plan.”
Tru-Tips: Book your Wellness visit around the same time each year, like your birthday month. It is easy to remember, and it keeps you from accidentally scheduling it too soon after the last one.
Let’s talk
Have you had a Medicare Wellness visit? Did anything surprise you, or did you get a helpful tip from your doctor? And caregivers, what do you bring along to make visits go smoothly? Share in the comments.
One Tru Step: Look up the date of your last Wellness or “Welcome to Medicare” visit. If it has been more than 12 months, call and ask to schedule your yearly Wellness visit.
Sources and further reading
- Medicare.gov: Yearly “Wellness” visits
- Medicare.gov: “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit
- CMS: Medicare Wellness Visits
- Medicare.gov: 5 tips for using Medicare
Sources checked October 19, 2026. General education; individual care and coverage questions require an appropriate professional.
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