The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is a free yearly appointment, but it's not what most people expect, and that trips them up two ways. It isn't a head-to-toe physical; it's a prevention-planning conversation. And "free" holds only as long as you stick to that conversation, because raising a new health problem in the same visit can quietly turn part of it into a bill.

In This Guide

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, no head-to-toe exam, and usually no blood work ordered as part of it. It's not a stand-in for a physical, either, so if that's what you're after, ask your doctor's office what a full exam would involve and cost.

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. Think of it as the planning meeting, not the inspection.

That distinction matters because it shapes what you should expect to walk out with (a written plan, not a diagnosis), and because it's the root of the surprise bill we'll get to below.

What Happens in the Room

Once you know it's a conversation, the visit makes a lot more sense. A typical Annual Wellness Visit covers a set of required pieces:

  • The Health Risk Assessment, plus a review and update of your medical and family history.
  • Routine measurements: height, weight, and blood pressure.
  • A list of your current providers and prescriptions, so everything's in one place.
  • Personalized health advice and referrals to the screenings or services you're due for.
  • The written personalized prevention plan you take home.

You'll also get the chance to talk through advance directives if you want to. It's a lot of ground, but it's a conversation, and you can come with your own questions and your medication bottles.

Is It Really Free? And Why You Might Get a Bill

Yes, the visit itself is genuinely $0. Medicare covers most preventive services, including the Annual Wellness Visit, with no deductible and no coinsurance, as long as your provider accepts assignment (meaning they accept Medicare's approved amount as full payment). So the visit on its own costs you nothing once every 12 months.

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. It's a separate, billable medical service, and it's charged under regular Part B rules: you'd owe the Part B deductible if you haven't met it yet ($283 in 2026), and then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount as coinsurance. Nothing was done wrong; the visit just did two different jobs, and only one of them is free.

Good news: this is avoidable. If you want to keep your wellness visit free, save new symptoms and ongoing problems for a separate appointment, and go into the Annual Wellness Visit for exactly what it is, 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.

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. 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 (11 full months have to pass between visits). 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.

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?

The visit itself is $0 once every 12 months, as long as your provider accepts assignment. It stops being free only if additional, non-preventive services (like working up a new symptom) are done in the same visit, which are billed under the regular Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance.

Why did I get a bill for my "free" wellness visit?

Almost always because a new problem was addressed during the same appointment. That part is a separate medical service, not the preventive visit, so Part B cost-sharing applies. 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.

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.

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. MedicareWhen to Sign Up for Medicare: Enrollment Periods and Late PenaltiesWhen to sign up for Medicare without a lifelong penalty: the 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, working past 65, the GEP, and what each late penalty costs. MedicaidThe Medicare Annual Wellness Visit in GeorgiaMedicare's yearly Annual Wellness Visit is free for Georgia beneficiaries, but a new symptom can turn it into a bill. What it covers and how to keep it $0.

Find personalized help booking and getting the most out of a parent's free Annual Wellness Visit 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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Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.