Ask Ms. Medicare: Medicare Coverage for Routine Physicals - AARP Bulletin Medicare Resource Center

Routine Physicals

Q. Can I get routine physical checkups under Medicare? A. It depends whether you get your benefits from traditional Medicare or a Medicare private health plan. (.) Traditional Medicare doesn’t currently cover routine checkups. The exception is the “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam that you can get only within 12 months of joining , which covers doctors and outpatient services. You pay 20 percent of the cost of this one-time exam, which does not cover lab tests. Your Part B deductible is not applied to the cost of the exam, as explained . Medicare private health plans generally cover one routine physical exam per year. Most plans charge no copayment for the exam, as long as you go to a physician in the plan’s network of providers. Others plans typically charge $10 to $35 per exam. Patricia Barry is a senior editor at the AARP Bulletin. Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.