You've noticed Mom repeating the same question, or missing an appointment she'd never have missed a year ago, and you're wondering whether Medicare will pay to have her memory checked. The reassuring answer is yes, and in two different ways. One of them costs nothing for the visit itself when the provider accepts assignment. The other is a fuller evaluation that a lot of families don't realize Medicare covers at all.

In This Guide

The Two Ways Medicare Covers a Cognitive Assessment for Dementia

The two run on different clocks and different costs. The quick check lives inside the yearly Wellness visit, so it's tied to that visit's 12-month schedule. The deeper care-planning visit isn't tied to the Wellness visit at all: a provider who notices signs of cognitive impairment at any routine visit can open it. So if you're worried now, you don't have to wait for the next Wellness visit to come around. Raise it at whatever appointment your parent has next.

The Free Yearly Check, Inside Your Wellness Visit

Medicare Part B covers the yearly Wellness visit once every 12 months, and the first one can't happen until your parent has had Part B for more than 12 months. Your parent doesn't need a "Welcome to Medicare" preventive visit first to qualify for the yearly Wellness visit. If your parent only just enrolled and you're worried about memory, ask about that Welcome to Medicare visit instead, or bring it up at any appointment.

The yearly Wellness visit isn't a head-to-toe physical. It's a prevention-planning appointment, and Medicare requires the provider to include a cognitive assessment in the Wellness visit, looking for signs of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.,

The cost? You pay nothing for the yearly Wellness visit if the provider accepts assignment, which means they agree to take Medicare's approved amount as full payment, and the Part B deductible doesn't apply. But that $0 covers the preventive visit only. If the provider adds tests or services that Medicare doesn't cover under the Wellness visit benefit, you may owe coinsurance and the deductible, and for something Medicare doesn't cover at all, like a routine physical exam, you may owe the full amount. It's fair to ask at booking whether anything beyond the Wellness visit is planned.

Keep in mind what this first check is: a look for signs, a flag-raiser, not a full workup. If nothing stands out, great. If something does, that's your cue to ask for the second visit.

How Medicare Covers a Cognitive Assessment and Dementia Care Plan

If a doctor or other practitioner detects signs of cognitive impairment, during your Wellness visit or another routine visit, Medicare Part B covers a separate visit dedicated to sorting it out. The provider fully reviews cognitive function, works to establish or confirm a diagnosis such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and develops a care plan. On a bill, the care-planning visit shows up under Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 99483, if you ever want to check that it was coded right.

A referral for this visit isn't a dementia diagnosis. CMS notes the evaluation may also turn up treatable causes or other conditions, such as depression or anxiety, and medicare.gov adds delirium.

So what actually happens in the room? According to medicare.gov, the provider may do an exam, go over medical history, and review medications. They'll identify your parent's social supports, including the care you or another usual caregiver can provide, and create a care plan to help address and manage symptoms. They can also help develop or update an advance care plan, refer to a specialist if needed, and point you to community resources like rehabilitation services, adult day health programs, and support groups.

CMS's provider page describes the result of the 99483 visit as a written care plan and lists what a clinician typically covers in roughly 60 minutes face to face. That includes how your parent handles daily activities and decisions, a review of high-risk medications, screening for depression, anxiety, and behavioral symptoms, and how much caregivers know and are willing to do. It also covers advance care planning and any palliative care needs, plus a safety evaluation for home and for driving. Driving is on the agenda whether or not you bring it up, so it's worth talking as a family beforehand about how you want to handle that conversation.

Clinicians who can bill evaluation and management services can provide the care-planning visit. CMS says those include physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. A 99483 visit can happen in an office or outpatient setting, at home, in a care facility or rest home, or by telehealth.

Now the money side. Unlike the Wellness check, this visit is not free. After your parent has met the annual Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), they pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the cognitive assessment and care-planning visit., If they've already met the deductible earlier in the year from other care, that part's behind you, and you're just looking at the 20%.

If they carry a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medigap supplement, the out-of-pocket math can look different, since those plans handle deductibles and coinsurance their own way. Check the plan for what your parent would owe.

How to Ask for the Care-Planning Visit, and Who to Bring

This visit is easy to leave on the table. A rushed appointment ends, the provider says "let's keep an eye on it," and nobody books the deeper evaluation. So if the first check raises any flag, or you already know in your gut that something's changed, ask directly: "Can we schedule the separate cognitive assessment and care-planning visit?" Naming it helps, because it's a specific covered service, not a vague request for "more tests."

Then plan who comes along. Medicare.gov says your parent can bring someone, like a spouse, friend, or caregiver, to help listen and answer questions. CMS goes further: an independent historian must be present to bill 99483, meaning someone who can provide the history your parent may not be able to give completely and reliably. That can be a parent, spouse, guardian, or another individual. In practice, that's usually the person who sees your parent most days. Arrange it ahead of time, and bring a list of what you've noticed at home.

Some people living with dementia, and their unpaid caregivers, may be able to get more support through the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, a CMS pilot program. Ask the provider whether they participate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Medicare cover a memory test if I'm worried about my parent?

Yes, and you don't have to wait for a particular visit to raise it. CMS tells providers they can detect cognitive impairment at a routine visit through direct observation, and a detection at a Wellness visit or another routine visit is what opens the separate, more thorough assessment.

Is the cognitive assessment really free?

Only the check inside the Wellness visit, and only for the visit itself when the provider accepts assignment. Extra tests or services during that visit can bring coinsurance, the deductible, or the full cost. The deeper care-planning visit is a regular Part B service: after the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026), you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.,

What is CPT code 99483?

It's the billing code for the separate cognitive assessment and care-planning visit that Medicare Part B covers when a provider detects signs of cognitive impairment. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are how services get billed to Medicare, so seeing 99483 on a statement tells you the deeper visit is what was provided.

Do I need a diagnosis before Medicare will cover the deeper visit?

No. The trigger is a provider detecting signs of cognitive impairment. Establishing or confirming a diagnosis is one of the things the visit is for, so it comes before the diagnosis is settled, not after.

Can the care-planning visit happen at home or by video?

Yes. CMS lists a private residence, a care facility, a rest home, and telehealth among the places the service may be performed, along with an office or outpatient setting.

Learn More

MedicareYour Medicare Annual Wellness Visit: What's Free and What's NotYour 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. MedicareMedicare's GUIDE Model: Dementia Care and Caregiver SupportMedicare can now help pay for dementia caregiver respite through the GUIDE Model, up to $2,500 a year, if your provider takes part. Here's how it works. 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.

Find personalized help getting a parent's memory evaluated and a care plan in place 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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