Does Medicare Cover Cardiovascular Screenings?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women, claiming about 647,000 lives each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medicare offers several free preventive services to help keep beneficiaries healthy and reduce health care spending.

If you’re at risk for a heart attack or stroke, you should meet with a health care professional to discuss steps you can take to help prevent these conditions.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking are three of the biggest risk factors for heart disease.

Making lifestyle changes, such as adapting your diet and exercising more often, are effective ways to help lower your cholesterol and stay healthy.

These Medicare-covered services help you assess your heart health and develop a plan of care with your doctor.

Medicare coverage includes a set of blood tests every five years to screen for cardiovascular disease. A complete blood test for cholesterol is also called a full lipid profile.

This preventive service is available to you at no cost.

These screenings include blood tests for cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels that help detect conditions that may lead to a heart attack or stroke.

For many people, an elevated blood cholesterol level indicates an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Medicare Part B may help pay for additional blood tests related to monitoring cholesterol if your doctor orders them, but you’ll be responsible for 20 percent of the Medicare-approved cost for additional tests.

Since 2011, Medicare has covered intensive behavioral therapy for cardiovascular disease.

You can receive this free preventive service — also known as a cardiovascular disease risk reduction visit — once a year from a qualified physician or practitioner in a primary care setting.

Medicare coinsurance and the Part B deductible are waived for this preventive service.

During your visit, your primary care provider will give you specific and personalized behavior change advice. Together, you’ll select appropriate treatment goals based on your willingness to change the behavior.

You’ll use techniques such as counseling to help you achieve these goals. Your doctor will schedule follow-ups either in person or over the phone to provide ongoing support and adjust the treatment plan as needed.

Aneurysms are thinned out areas in your arteries that cause them to weaken and widen. They are especially dangerous if they rupture.

A tear in your aorta can result in internal bleeding and immediate death.

Medicare Part B will cover a one-time ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA, for beneficiaries who meet certain criteria.

The evaluation is done with a noninvasive ultrasound and is offered only once under Medicare.

A female smoker is not eligible for a free aneurysm screening unless she has a family history of the condition.

Medicare does not offer a free AAA screening in other parts of the body, such as the brain, even if there is a known family history.