The short answer
Medicare covers two preventive visits at no cost to you — the one-time Welcome to Medicare visit and the yearly Annual Wellness Visit — but neither one is a head-to-toe physical exam. That's the single most important thing to understand, because people book these expecting a full physical and then get billed when the doctor does something the visit doesn't cover.
Both visits are about prevention and planning: reviewing your health history, screening for risks, and building a plan to keep you well. They are not the annual physical you may have had through an employer plan.
The Welcome to Medicare visit (one time)
The Welcome to Medicare visit is a one-time preventive visit available during your first 12 months on Part B. It's a review of your medical and social history, a check of things like height, weight, and blood pressure, screening for depression and safety risks, and a conversation about the preventive services and screenings that make sense for you.
Think of it as an orientation to Medicare's preventive care, not a diagnosis appointment. If the doctor addresses a specific problem or orders extra tests, those can be billed separately — which is where a surprise charge can come from.
The Annual Wellness Visit (every year)
After your first year, you're entitled to an Annual Wellness Visit every 12 months at no cost. It's built around a health risk assessment and a personalized prevention plan — updating your history, checking your risk factors, reviewing your medications, and keeping your screening schedule on track.
Again, it's planning and prevention, not treatment. If you bring up a new symptom and the doctor evaluates it, that portion may be a regular office visit with normal cost-sharing. Knowing that in advance lets you decide whether to handle new issues in a separate appointment.
How to avoid a surprise bill
The clean way to keep these visits free is to treat them as what they are. When you schedule, say you want the Annual Wellness Visit (or Welcome to Medicare visit). If you also have specific problems to address, understand that those may be billed as a separate service, and ask the office how they'll handle it.
None of this means the visits aren't valuable — they are, and they catch a lot of preventable problems. Our guide to the zero-dollar preventive care Medicare covers lists the screenings and shots you can get at no cost, and our Medicare basics overview explains how the parts fit together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit a physical exam?
No. The Annual Wellness Visit is a prevention-and-planning visit — a health risk assessment and personalized prevention plan — not a hands-on head-to-toe physical.
How much does the Annual Wellness Visit cost?
Nothing, if it's billed as the Annual Wellness Visit and the provider accepts assignment. You can still be charged if the doctor also evaluates or treats a specific problem during the visit.
What is the Welcome to Medicare visit?
A one-time preventive visit available in your first 12 months on Part B. It reviews your history, checks basic measures, screens for risks, and plans your preventive care.
Why did I get a bill after a free wellness visit?
Usually because the doctor addressed a new symptom or ordered extra tests beyond the preventive visit. Those services are billed separately with normal cost-sharing. Ask the office in advance how they'll handle non-preventive issues.
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