The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is a free yearly appointment, but it isn't a physical, and one new symptom raised during it can turn part of the visit into a bill. It's a prevention-planning conversation, and "free" holds only as long as you stick to the planning, so it helps to know where that line is before you book.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- What the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Actually Is (And Isn't)
- What Does the Annual Wellness Visit Include?
- Is It Really Free? And Why You Might Get a Bill
- When Can You Get Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Learn More
What the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Actually Is (And Isn't)
Here's the thing that surprises people: the Annual Wellness Visit is not a physical. There's no gown and no head-to-toe exam. It's not a stand-in for a physical, either, so if that's what you're after, call your doctor's office and ask whether a full exam would be billed to Medicare and what you'd owe, since Medicare may not cover a routine physical exam.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
What it actually is: a yearly sit-down to build or update a personalized prevention plan. It centers on a Health Risk Assessment, a questionnaire about your health, habits, and risks, and the whole point is to catch problems early and map out the screenings and steps that make sense for you over the coming year.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15 Think of it as the planning meeting, not the inspection.
You walk out with a written plan, not a diagnosis, and that difference is the root of the surprise bill we'll get to below.
What Does the Annual Wellness Visit Include?
Once you know it's a conversation, the visit makes a lot more sense. Here's what the office will do with you, and what you'll leave with:U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
- You fill out the Health Risk Assessment, and the doctor or nurse updates your medical and family history with you.
- They take routine measurements: height, weight, and blood pressure.
- They check for signs of cognitive impairment, meaning problems with memory or thinking.
- You go over your current providers and prescriptions, so everything's in one place.
- You get personalized health advice and referrals to the screenings or services you're due for.
- You leave with a written screening schedule: a checklist of the screenings, vaccines, and other preventive services you need.
You'll also get the chance to talk through advance directives if you want to.
How to book and prepare. When you call, ask for the "Medicare Annual Wellness Visit" by name, so the office schedules the right appointment, and ask the date your last wellness visit was billed. Bring your medication bottles, a list of your other doctors, and your family health history. If you're not sure which providers accept Medicare, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) can help.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Contact Medicare — Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 23, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/talk-to-someone
Is It Really Free? And Why You Might Get a Bill
Yes, the visit itself is genuinely $0. You pay nothing for most Medicare preventive services, including the Annual Wellness Visit, as long as your provider accepts assignment.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services So the visit on its own costs you nothing once every 12 months.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
So where do the surprise bills come from? They come from crossing the line between planning and treating. The moment you raise a new symptom, say your knee's been aching or you've been dizzy, and the doctor evaluates or treats it during the same appointment, that part isn't the free preventive visit anymore. Medicare says you may have to pay coinsurance for those extra tests or services, and the Part B deductible may apply.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15 In practice there are three outcomes for the extra service:
- Medicare covers it and you've met your deductible: you typically owe 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Sep 4, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
- Medicare covers it and you haven't met your deductible: you owe the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) first, then 20% of the approved amount.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Sep 4, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
- Medicare doesn't cover it at all, like a routine physical exam: you may have to pay the full amount.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
Here's what that can look like, using made-up numbers for illustration only: if the doctor works up a new knee problem and Medicare's approved amount for it is $100, and you haven't met your deductible yet, that $100 would count toward the $283 deductible, so you'd owe all $100. If you'd already met the deductible, you'd owe 20%, or $20. The free wellness visit itself stays $0 either way.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Sep 4, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
Nothing was done wrong; the visit just did two different jobs, and only one of them is free.
Good news: this is avoidable. To keep your wellness visit free:
- Save new symptoms and ongoing problems for a separate appointment, and go into the Annual Wellness Visit for the prevention conversation.
- If something urgent comes up in the moment, it's fine to have it addressed; just know a bill may follow, and ask the office how it will be coded.
- If a bill already arrived, look at the itemized statement to see which line was the extra service, ask the office to explain it, and call 1-800-MEDICARE if the charge looks wrong.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Contact Medicare — Medicare.gov. medicare.gov. Retrieved Jul 23, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/talk-to-someone
When Can You Get Your Medicare Annual Wellness Visit?
Timing catches people too, because there are actually two different "wellness" visits and they don't overlap.
In your first 12 months with Part B, your benefit is the one-time Welcome to Medicare visit, formally the Initial Preventive Physical Examination. It's also $0 when your provider accepts assignment, and it's a separate, one-time benefit.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.16 — Initial preventive physical examination. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.16 You can only get it during that first year.
The Annual Wellness Visit starts only after you've had Part B for 12 months, and then you can have one every 12 months after that. Medicare won't cover one within 12 months of your last wellness visit or of your Welcome to Medicare visit, so it's worth checking the date of your last one before you book.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15 You don't need to have used the Welcome to Medicare visit first; they're distinct benefits. If you're still sorting out when your Part B actually started, our guide to Medicare enrollment periods walks through the timing.
The two visits side by side:
| Welcome to Medicare visit | Annual Wellness Visit | |
|---|---|---|
| When you can get it | Only in your first 12 months of Part B | After you've had Part B for 12 months |
| How often | One time | Once every 12 months |
| Your cost | $0 if your provider accepts assignment | $0 if your provider accepts assignment |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Medicare wellness visit a physical exam?
No. The Annual Wellness Visit is a prevention-planning conversation built around a health-risk questionnaire and a written prevention plan, not a head-to-toe physical. If you want a full exam, ask your doctor's office what's covered and what isn't before the appointment.
Is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit really free?
Yes, the visit itself is $0 once every 12 months if your provider accepts assignment. Extra services in the same visit are the exception: you may owe the Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance, or the full amount if Medicare doesn't cover them (see the cost breakdown above).Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services,Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles. cms.gov. Retrieved Sep 4, 2026, from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles,U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
Why did I get a bill for my "free" wellness visit?
Usually because a new problem was addressed during the same appointment. That part is a separate medical service, not the preventive visit, so you may owe Part B coinsurance and the deductible, or the full amount if Medicare doesn't cover it.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15 To avoid it next time, handle new or ongoing symptoms at a separate visit.
What's the difference between the Annual Wellness Visit and the Welcome to Medicare visit?
The Welcome to Medicare visit (the Initial Preventive Physical Examination) is a one-time benefit available only in your first 12 months of Part B. The Annual Wellness Visit begins after 12 months of Part B and repeats yearly. They're distinct benefits, and both are $0 when the provider accepts assignment.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Preventive and screening services. medicare.gov. Retrieved Aug 8, 2026, from https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/preventive-screening-services
When am I eligible for my first Annual Wellness Visit?
After you've had Part B for a full 12 months. Before that, the one-time Welcome to Medicare visit is your preventive-visit benefit.U.S. Government Publishing Office. (n.d.). 42 CFR 410.15 — Annual wellness visits providing personalized prevention plan services. ecfr.gov. Retrieved Jul 11, 2026, from https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-410.15
Learn More
Find personalized help booking and getting the most out of a parent's free Annual Wellness Visit at brevy.com.
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