"My retired LA firefighter friend has a similar policy. His 'annual' doctor checkup was conducted for 10 minutes by phone past week. They billed him $225 after his deductible. He never spoke to a doctor, only an assistant."
First, I don't understand how any doctor can do a thorough 'wellness visit' over the phone. Second, as the paragraph below states, Medicare covers an annual wellness visit with no deductible or copay, so your friend's 'visit' must have more to it. I have a Humana Advantage plan that negates the need for a supplemental, costs me nothing per month, and has an out of pocket max of $2650 per year, which is a good deal. My wife and I just had our wellness checks, you spend around 45 minutes with the doctor, an EKG is done, various other checks, and a full blood workup. All at no cost. Only thing I can think of with your friend is that tests were ordered that were not covered, although that seems highly unlikely with a 'phone' visit.
Yearly "Wellness" visits
If you’ve had Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) for longer than 12 months, you can get a yearly “Wellness” visit once every 12 months to develop or update a personalized prevention plan to help prevent disease and disability, based on your current health and risk factors. Your provider may also perform a cognitive impairment assessment.
Your costs in Original Medicare
You pay nothing for this visit if your doctor or other qualified health care provider accepts assignment.
The Part B deductible doesn’t apply. |
