Yes, Medicare covers an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening, a one-time ultrasound that costs nothing if you're at risk, have a referral, and see a provider who accepts assignment. An AAA is a bulge in a blood vessel in your abdomen, and most give no warning until they rupture, so catching one early matters. If you're worried about being told no, the sections below show how to check where you stand before you book.

In This Guide

Does Medicare Cover an AAA Screening?

The short answer is yes, and it's free when you qualify. Medicare Part B treats the AAA screening ultrasound as a preventive service, which means that when the provider accepts assignment, you pay nothing: no Part B deductible and no coinsurance.

One practical detail worth knowing: the current billing code for the screening is CPT 76706. It replaced an older code (G0389) for screenings on or after January 1, 2017, and Medicare's waiver of the deductible and coinsurance carries over to it. If your provider's office seems unsure, that's the code to mention, and if you're billed a deductible or coinsurance for the screening, ask the office to check how the claim was coded and resubmit it.

Who Qualifies, and the Referral Rule

Medicare doesn't offer this to everyone at 65, so it helps to check the list first. You count as at risk, and so qualify, if any one of these applies to you:

  • You have a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm. This one has no age, sex, or smoking condition attached.
  • You're a man aged 65 to 75 who has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your lifetime.
  • You otherwise have risk factors that put you in a group the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends for screening.

Two more conditions apply to everyone.

First, you need a referral from a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist. It's a real coverage requirement, so the screening has to be ordered, not just requested at a walk-in.

Second, you can't have already used the benefit. Medicare covers this screening once per lifetime.

The third risk group is the one readers most often ask about. Medicare's rule points to groups the USPSTF recommends for screening, and this guide can't list that group for you. If you don't clearly fit the family-history or smoking categories, ask your provider whether you fall in a USPSTF-recommended group. Someone who meets none of the three categories isn't covered for the screening at all.

What Medicare's Free AAA Screening Doesn't Cover

Three limits are where families most often get surprised.

Once means once. If you had the screening years ago, or you ask for a repeat "just to be safe," Medicare will deny the second one. The free benefit is a single, one-time scan.

The $0 rides on assignment, not on which risk group you're in. Family history is its own qualifying category, so a woman or a never-smoking man who qualifies that way gets the same free one-time screening as a man who smoked. What the $0 does depend on is your provider accepting assignment. Ask the office before you book.

A positive result starts a different clock. If the ultrasound finds an aneurysm, that can be frightening, and it helps to know the money side before the next appointment. Anything after the one-time scan, such as repeat imaging to watch it, isn't part of the free preventive benefit, so ask the provider what Medicare will bill and what you'd owe. For outpatient Part B services in general, the 2026 deductible is $283, then 20% coinsurance, but hospital stays fall under Part A with its own deductible, so don't assume one rule fits every follow-up service. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE to check coverage for a specific test or procedure. That's not a reason to skip the screening. The free part simply ends at the first scan.

How to Actually Get the Screening

Getting this done takes a few small steps, and most of them happen at a visit you may already have scheduled.

  1. Raise it at a visit where referrals happen. Your one-time Welcome to Medicare visit and your yearly Annual Wellness Visit each include a review of your health history, a written checklist of screenings, and referrals as needed., That's a natural moment to ask about AAA if you're a man who used to smoke or you have a family history.
  2. Ask for the one-time AAA screening ultrasound by name. Make sure the provider orders it, because the order is your referral.
  3. Ask the office two questions before you book: do they accept Medicare assignment, and will they bill the current code, CPT 76706?
  4. Check the bill afterward. If you're charged a deductible or coinsurance for the screening, ask the office to review how the claim was coded and resubmit it.

If that doesn't resolve it, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048) for an Original Medicare question. You can also get free, unbiased help from your state's SHIP, which you can find at shiphelp.org. If you're weighing which of Medicare's free screenings apply to you, our guide to Medicare preventive services covers the full set.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Medicare AAA screening really free?

For someone who qualifies, yes: it's covered at $0 as a one-time preventive service when the provider accepts assignment, with no Part B deductible or coinsurance. But "qualifies" means you're at risk (a family history of AAA, a man 65 to 75 who has smoked at least 100 cigarettes, or another group the USPSTF recommends for screening), you have a referral, and you haven't had the Medicare screening before.

Who qualifies for a Medicare AAA screening?

You're eligible if you have a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm, if you're a man aged 65 to 75 who has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your lifetime, or if you have risk factors in another group the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends for screening. You only need to meet one of these. You also need a referral from a physician, PA, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist, and you can't have used the benefit before.

What if I don't clearly fit a risk group?

Ask your provider whether you fall in a group the USPSTF recommends for screening, since that is the third way to qualify. If you meet none of the three categories, Medicare doesn't cover the screening at all, so ask the office what a cash-price scan would cost before you book.

What should I do if I'm billed for the screening?

Call the office and ask them to check how the claim was coded, since the waiver of the deductible and coinsurance applies to CPT 76706 when it's billed correctly. If that doesn't fix it, call 1-800-MEDICARE or your state's SHIP.,

Do I need a referral for the AAA screening?

Yes. A referral from a physician, PA, NP, or clinical nurse specialist is a hard coverage condition, not a formality. The easiest way to get one is to bring it up at your Welcome to Medicare visit or Annual Wellness Visit.

Can I get a second AAA screening?

Not for free. Medicare covers this screening once per lifetime, so a repeat request is denied. If a doctor wants to re-check based on a finding, that's a different service from the free preventive screening, so ask the office what you'd owe.

What happens if the screening finds an aneurysm?

Follow-up care isn't part of the one-time preventive benefit, so what you'd owe depends on the service and where it's done. Ask the provider before you schedule it, or call 1-800-MEDICARE to check coverage for a specific service.

Learn More

MedicareMedicare Preventive Services: What You Get for FreeMedicare preventive services are mostly free: two wellness visits, screenings, and vaccines at $0, plus the billing trap that can turn free into a charge. MedicareMedicare Annual Wellness Visit: What the Free Yearly Visit CoversYour Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is $0, but it's not a physical, and one new symptom can turn it into a bill. What's covered, and how to keep it free. MedicaidThe Medicare AAA Screening in GeorgiaGeorgia Medicare AAA screening covers a one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound at no cost for at-risk beneficiaries. See who qualifies and how to get it. MedicareDoes Medicare Cover Smoking Cessation? Counseling and the DrugsYes. Part B covers up to 8 quit-smoking counseling sessions a year, $0 if your provider accepts assignment. Prescription quit drugs fall under Part D. MedicareDoes Medicare Cover a Lung Cancer Screening? The Free Low-Dose CTMedicare's annual low-dose CT lung cancer screening is $0, but only if you meet all five criteria and complete a counseling visit first. Here's who qualifies.

Find personalized help checking whether you qualify for the free AAA screening and getting the referral at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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