5 Lesser Known Benefits Of Medicare Every Retiree Should Benefit



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Medicare covers hospital stays, doctor visits and prescription medications for adults 65 years of age and older. But some of its most lucrative benefits are also the most rarely used. It offers a number of preventative screenings, tips and other services, often free, to help you better manage your health and improve your quality of life without burdening your budget. Here are five of these benefits that you should consider taking advantage of.

1. Annual wellness visits

Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to one free wellness visit per year. Your doctor will evaluate your weight, your blood pressure and your general health. You can also be evaluated for signs of Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Stethoscope with money

Source of the image: Getty Images.

These exams can make you aware of health problems before they become serious so that you can correct them. Understanding your health risks and making some simple changes to your lifestyle can make all the difference between staying healthy until you are old, or incurring high medical costs for preventable diseases.

2. Consultation on obesity and smoking

Smoking and obesity are key factors in heart disease and diabetes. Smoking can also lead to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many other diseases. These conditions can cost you a fortune in medical treatments and prescription drugs – and more importantly, could shorten your life.

Under Medicare, you can call in professional counselors for these problems. But there are restrictions. Obesity counseling is only free for adults whose body mass index (BMI) is equal to or greater than 30. And if Medicare supports the counseling services in abandonment they do not cover the cost of nicotine patches, lozenges or gums to help you stop smoking.

3. Palliative care

You can get free care in a hospice if you have six months or less to live. This can ease the burden of your family's finances while making your last days enjoyable. Medicare however limits the type of facilities eligible for hospice palliative care coverage.

In addition to taking care of your physical well-being during this time, Medicare will also cover the grieving issues for you and your family members so that you can all cope with the imminent loss.

4. Disease Screening

Medicare will support disease screenings if your doctor determines that you are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis B or C, HIV or certain types of cancers. You will have to pay some of the treatment from your pocket if it turns out that you have any of these diseases, but you do not have to delay the time spent with the doctor for to be tested because of the cost. If you detect your prognosis earlier, your prognosis is better with many of these diseases. So take advantage of these free screenings if you think you are at risk of contracting any of these health problems.

Medicare will also pay for an examination of the hearing if your doctor says that it is medically necessary. But if you wish, you will have to pay for the exam yourself.

5. Certain medical equipment

Medicare covers some durable medical equipment, including wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, glucometers, walkers and even hospital beds. Strangely, he neglects one of the most commonly used durable medical equipment: hearing aids. Medicare does not cover them at all, so you have to pay for them from your pocket or look for other types of coverage that can help you pay for the costs.

Everyone likes to enjoy free services. And some of the Medicare services listed above could help you save money, live longer and healthier, and avoid expensive future medical bills. Take advantage of the annual wellness visit if you have not done so yet and ask your doctor what other services mentioned here might apply to you.

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