A Free Visit Most People Skip
Medicare covers an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) once every 12 months at no cost to you, but it’s easy to confuse with a routine physical. It’s not the same thing — and skipping it means missing a genuinely useful benefit.
What’s Actually Included
Instead of a hands-on exam, your AWV is a conversation. Your provider will update your health history, check your height, weight, and blood pressure, screen for cognitive impairment, and review your risk factors for common conditions. You’ll also walk away with a personalized prevention plan and a schedule of recommended screenings for the year ahead.
Why It’s Worth Scheduling
This visit is where a lot of early issues get caught — a medication interaction, a fall risk, an overdue screening. It also gives your doctor an updated picture of your health that shapes decisions the rest of the year.
How to Make the Most of It
Bring a list of your medications, any new symptoms, and questions about screenings or specialists. The more current information your provider has, the more useful this visit becomes.
If you’re not sure whether you’ve used this benefit yet this year, ask your provider’s office — there’s no cost to find out.