Preventive Healthcare Checklist for Medicare Patients (Medicare Advantage & Original Medicare)

Most people know Medicare covers preventive care. Far fewer know exactly which screenings they’re eligible for, how often, and what — if anything — they’ll pay. This checklist fills that gap: a specific, scannable reference for what’s covered under Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, organized by category, so you can see at a glance what you’re due for.

How Preventive Care Works Under Medicare

Original Medicare Part B covers a long list of preventive services at $0 cost when your provider accepts assignment. Medicare Advantage plans are required by law to cover everything Original Medicare covers, often with extra benefits layered on top. For a full explanation of how Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage differ, see our Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage explainer. This article treats that background as known and focuses entirely on the checklist itself.

One distinction worth keeping in mind as you read: “covered” and “$0 cost” aren’t always the same thing. Most of the services below are covered at no cost to you when your provider accepts Medicare assignment. A handful carry coinsurance or apply toward your Part B deductible — those are called out specifically wherever they apply, rather than lumped in with everything else as if all preventive care were free across the board.

Your Preventive Care Checklist, by Category

Here’s what’s covered, organized by category, with how often you’re eligible and what it costs under Original Medicare.

Heart & Metabolic Health

• Cardiovascular disease screening (cholesterol/lipid panel) — once every 5 years, $0 cost.
• Diabetes screening — up to 2 times per year for at-risk patients, $0 cost.

Cancer Screenings

• Mammogram (women 40+) — once every 12 months, $0 cost.
• Cervical & vaginal cancer screening — once every 24 months (every 12 months if high-risk), $0 cost.
• Colorectal cancer screening — frequency varies by test type (colonoscopy, stool-based tests, CT colonography, flexible sigmoidoscopy); generally $0, though coinsurance can apply if a polyp is found and removed during the same procedure.
• Lung cancer screening — once a year, for patients ages 50–77 with a significant smoking history (20+ pack-years) who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years; $0 cost. (NOTE FOR TEAM: the age ceiling here is 77, not 80 — correcting the figure originally in the brief per current CMS guidance.)
• Prostate cancer screening (men 50+) — PSA blood test once every 12 months at $0 cost; digital rectal exam once every 12 months with coinsurance applying after the Part B deductible.

Bone & Vision Health

• Bone density screening (bone mass measurement) — once every 24 months, with coinsurance applying after the Part B deductible.
• Glaucoma test (high-risk patients only: diabetics, family history, certain ethnic groups) — once a year, with coinsurance applying after the Part B deductible.

Mental & Behavioral Health

• Depression screening — once a year, $0 cost.
• Alcohol misuse screening and counseling — screening once a year, plus up to 4 brief counseling sessions if needed, $0 cost.
• Tobacco use counseling — up to 8 sessions within a 12-month period, $0 cost.
• Obesity behavioral therapy (BMI 30+, in a primary care setting) — $0 cost.

Infectious Disease Screenings

• HIV screening — once a year, $0 cost.
• Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C screening — frequency depends on individual risk factors, $0 cost.
• STI screening and counseling — screening once every 12 months, plus up to 2 counseling sessions a year, $0 cost.

Vaccines: What’s Covered Under Part B vs. Part D

Part B covers: the annual flu shot, the pneumococcal vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccine, and the Hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk patients — all at $0 cost.

Part D covers: the shingles vaccine, RSV vaccine, Tdap, and other adult vaccines recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). This is a common point of confusion worth stating plainly: the shingles vaccine is not a Part B benefit — it’s covered under Part D. Thanks to a 2023 federal change, ACIP-recommended adult vaccines covered under Part D — including shingles — carry no copay or deductible for beneficiaries. Since Medicare Advantage plans typically include Part D drug coverage bundled in, MA patients should still check their specific plan’s formulary to confirm which vaccines are covered, rather than assuming every vaccine is included automatically.

The Two Visits That Anchor Your Checklist

Two visits sit at the center of this checklist. The “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit is a one-time visit available within your first 12 months of having Part B, at $0 cost. The Annual Wellness Visit happens every 12 months after that, also at $0 cost. For the full breakdown of what each visit includes, see our Annual Wellness Visit guide.  Think of these two visits as the checkpoints where you and your care team can review this checklist together and make sure nothing’s been missed.

Medicare Advantage: Same Baseline, Often More

Every service on this checklist is covered under Medicare Advantage at the same $0 in-network cost-sharing, because MA plans are required by law to cover everything Original Medicare covers. Many Medicare Advantage plans also add preventive-adjacent extras on top — things like routine dental, vision, and hearing exams, or fitness program memberships. Exactly which extras are included, and at what cost, varies by plan and by county, so it’s worth checking your specific plan’s benefits rather than assuming a given extra is included.

This is also why it’s worth reviewing this checklist annually, even if you’ve been with the same plan for years: coverage rules can shift from one plan year to the next, and a benefit that wasn’t included last year may be added — or vice versa. Your Annual Notice of Change, which Medicare Advantage plans send out each fall, is the most reliable place to confirm what’s changing for the year ahead.

Make It Actionable

Here’s the short version to keep on hand — screenshot it, print it, or bring it to your next visit:

• Cholesterol/lipid panel — every 5 years
• Diabetes screening — up to 2x/year if at risk
• Mammogram (women 40+) — every 12 months
• Cervical/vaginal cancer screening — every 24 months (12 if high-risk)
• Colorectal cancer screening — frequency depends on test type
• Lung cancer screening (if eligible) — every year
• Prostate cancer screening (men 50+) — every 12 months
• Bone density screening — every 24 months
• Glaucoma test (if high-risk) — every year
• Depression screening — every year
• Alcohol misuse screening — every year
• Tobacco counseling (if applicable) — up to 8 sessions/year
• HIV, Hepatitis B/C, and STI screenings — per schedule above
• Flu, pneumococcal, COVID-19 vaccines (Part B) — per schedule
• Shingles, RSV, Tdap vaccines (Part D) — check your formulary
• Welcome to Medicare visit — once, in your first 12 months of Part B
• Annual Wellness Visit — every 12 months

Schedule Your Preventive Care with Palm Medical Centers

The easiest way to use this checklist is to go through it with your care team. Schedule an appointment with Palm Medical Centers and we’ll help you sort out exactly what you’re due for and when.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay anything for these preventive services?

Most preventive services under Original Medicare are covered at $0 cost when your provider accepts assignment. A few — like bone density screening, glaucoma testing, and the digital rectal exam portion of prostate screening — involve coinsurance after the Part B deductible. Medicare Advantage plans cover the same services at the same $0 in-network cost-sharing.

Does Medicare Advantage cover the same preventive services as Original Medicare?

Yes. Medicare Advantage plans are required by law to cover every preventive service Original Medicare covers, at the same cost-sharing for in-network care. Many MA plans add extra benefits on top, though those vary by plan and county.

Is the shingles vaccine covered by Medicare?

Yes, but through Part D, not Part B. Since 2023, ACIP-recommended adult vaccines covered under Part D — including the shingles vaccine — carry no copay or deductible. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage, check your plan’s formulary to confirm coverage.

How often should I get screened after age 65?

It depends on the screening — some, like the Annual Wellness Visit and depression screening, are covered every year, while others, like bone density and cervical cancer screening, are covered every 24 months. The checklist above breaks down the specific frequency for each service so you don’t have to guess.