National Women's Health Week kicks off this year on Mother's Day, May 10th and continues through May 16th, and Monday, May 11th is the 13th annual National Women's Check-up Day. The goal of these national health observances, led by the HHS Office on Women's Health, is to empower women to make their health a priority. The week also serves as a time to help women understand what steps they can take to improve their health. CMS reminds health care professionals that Medicare provides coverage for an array of preventive services that can help women takes steps to meet the challenge to be healthier, many without any out-of-pocket costs to them.
Medicare-Covered Preventive Services
Medicare provides payment for the following preventive services that can help detect disease and improve and maintain women's physical and mental health, subject to certain beneficiary eligibility criteria and coverage requirements:
- Alcohol Misuse Screening and Counseling
- Annual Wellness Visit (Providing Personalized Prevention Plan Services)
- Bone Mass Measurements
- Cancer Screenings
- Breast Cancer (mammograms and clinical breast exam)
- Cervical and Vaginal Cancer (pap test and pelvic exam [includes the clinical breast exam])
- Colorectal Cancer: fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, barium enema, and Cologuard™ multi-target stool DNA test (effective 10/9/14)
- Screening for Lung Cancer with Low Dose Computed Tomography (effective 2/5/15)
- Cardiovascular Disease Screening
- Diabetes Screening
- Diabetes Self-Management Training
- Glaucoma Screening
- Hepatitis C Screening
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Screening
- Immunizations (seasonal influenza, pneumococcal, and hepatitis B)
- Initial Preventive Physical Examination (IPPE) (also commonly referred to as the "Welcome to Medicare" Preventive Visit)
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity
- Medical Nutrition Therapy (for beneficiaries with diabetes or renal disease)
- Screening for Depression
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Screening and High-Intensity Behavioral Counseling (HIBC) to prevent STIs
- Tobacco-Use Cessation Counseling
For more information, please visit CMS.gov >>