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Denver, Colorado
United States
Denver, Colorado
United States
Seeking Accessible, Affordable and Quality Health CareMedicare Preventive Services
Medicare pays for many
preventive services to keep people healthy. Preventive services, like
screening tests, may find disease early when it may be easier to
treat. Shots and vaccines help keep people from getting dangerous
infections or illnesses.
“Be sure to get your
‘Welcome to Medicare’ physical exam,” advises Morie
Smile, State Director “within the first 12 months that you start
Part B.” This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get
up-to-date on important screenings and shots. Many people new to
Medicare take advantage of the chance to talk with their doctor about
family medical history and how to stay healthy.
Other preventive services that
Medicare covers:
- Cardiovascular screenings that check cholesterol.
- Breast cancer screening with a mammogram
- Cervical and vaginal cancer screening with Pap tests and pelvic exams
- Colorectal cancer screening to help find growths in the colon so they can be removed before they turn into cancer
- Prostate cancer screening by either a digital rectal exam or Prostate Specific Antigen blood test
- Bone Mass measurements to check for risk for broken bones
- Shots to prevent flu, pneumococcal infections and Hepatitis B
- Diabetes screening, supplies and training
- Medical nutrition counseling for those with diabetes or kidney disease
- Tests for those at high risk for glaucoma
- Counseling to quit smoking for those with a smoking-related illness or taking medications that may be affected by tobacco.
The cost of these services
varies depending on whether the person is on Original Medicare (Part
B) or a Medicare Advantage plan. Under Part B, some screenings are
free; for other screenings the patient will need to pay the doctor the
usual 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount. “Check with
your Medicare Advantage plan to find out if there are any costs for
these preventative screenings,” explained Morie Smile.
“Medicare Interactive, www.aarp.org/medicareinteractive, has
answers to many questions about Medicare. And check with www.medicare.gov or call
1-800-MEDICARE for more information.”
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Added: Nov 20, 2009
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