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Belief 13
“Medicare pays for a full physical exam every year.”
True or false?
Correct!
Not quite.
Medicare covers a “Welcome to Medicare” visit in the first year of Part B and a yearly wellness visit after that. Both are planning conversations: health history, risk screening, a prevention schedule. Neither is a head-to-toe physical, and a routine physical is not a covered service. If the doctor performs a hands-on exam or treats a new problem during the visit, part of it can be billed separately with the usual cost sharing. Ask how the visit will be billed when you book it.