$0 Medicare Health Programs You May Not Know You Qualify For

In this article: 

• Most Medicare enrollees know that the program can help pay for hospital stays and doctor’s visits, but Medicare also covers a range of preventive care to keep you healthy.
• Many preventive programs and services are completely free to eligible Medicare enrollees with no co-pays or deductibles. 
• The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is an example of a Medicare program that’s available at no cost to eligible enrollees. Designed to lower diabetes risk among Medicare enrollees with prediabetes or high blood sugar, MDPP is a program that supports healthy lifestyle changes like weight loss and increased physical activity. 
• Annual wellness visits, vaccines, and screenings are additional preventive services that are covered by Medicare. Some members may also be eligible for tobacco cessation programs, mental health screenings, medical nutrition therapy, and intensive obesity treatment. 
• Consider asking your healthcare provider about your prediabetes risk and whether you should be screened. You may qualify for Lark MDPP at no cost to you.
• Lark offers a virtual MDPP that you can participate in with your smartphone. It’s available 24/7 for coaching, support, encouragement, and information.

Many people know that Medicare helps cover the costs of hospital stays, trips to urgent care and the emergency room, and doctor’s visits, but Medicare also offers preventive care. If you’re among the 99% of seniors who are enrolled in Medicare, you’re also eligible for many preventive services offered to you for $0 out of pocket, with no co-pays, deductibles, or hidden fees. 

Preventive services may be some of the most valuable parts of your Medicare plan that you didn’t know you could get. Whether you are enrolled in Original Medicare (Part B) or a private Medicare Advantage plan (Part C), federal rules require certain preventive services to be covered at 100% with $0 copay or deductible, provided you use an in-network doctor or approved program partner. The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is one covered service for eligible seniors with high blood sugar. Other examples of covered services include annual wellness visits, vaccines, screenings, medical nutrition therapy, tobacco cessation, and mental health and behavioral screening. 

Here are 8 health programs available at $0 cost that you might not know you qualify for if you’re in Medicare Part B or Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) - but that may be worth checking out to keep you as healthy as possible. Keep reading to learn how to access programs at no cost to you - like Lark’s MDPP that you can enroll in and participate in online from your home.

1. The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP)

The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a program for adults with prediabetes, or blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but lower than in diabetes. Half of seniors aged 65 years and older have prediabetes, even though most don’t know it. Having prediabetes puts you at high risk for developing diabetes in the near future, but you can lower your risk by over half by participating in a lifestyle change program like the MDPP.

You may qualify for the MDPP if you’re in Medicare Part B or Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) and you’re overweight, meaning your BMI is over 25 (or 23 if you’re Asian American). You also need a qualifying lab test result in the past 12 months showing high fasting blood glucose, a high A1C, or a high value on an oral glucose tolerance test. You’re not eligible if you have a diagnosis of diabetes or end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

The MDPP is a year-long program that’s approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It includes education, tracking, and opportunities to interact with lifestyle coaches. Here’s some of what you can expect in a MDPP.

A curriculum with education on topics related to health and lifestyle, such as eating for heart health, healthy grocery shopping, being active despite barriers, and staying motivated. Each module has information on the topic and tips to help you make sustainable changes.

• Goals of achieving 5% weight loss and at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity.
• Ongoing opportunities to interact with CDC-certified lifestyle coaches.
• Tools to help you log and track nutrition, physical activity, and weight.

In-person MDPP opportunities may be available, or you can opt for a digital, or fully online, MDPP like Lark. 

2. Annual Wellness Visit

Cost is no longer a barrier to seeing a doctor regularly if you’ve been in Medicare Part B or Medicare Advantage for at least 12 months. The Annual Wellness Visit is available for $0, and it’s a chance to talk to your doctor about your health history, your lifestyle, and how you might focus on disease prevention. You can chat about current prescriptions and screen for fall risks, for example. 

It’s also a great opportunity to talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for prediabetes, especially if you're overweight, have a family history of diabetes, or have had elevated blood sugar in the past. You and your provider might agree that an A1C or fasting blood glucose screening test is a good idea. If you're identified as having prediabetes, your provider can discuss whether you're eligible for the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program. If you 

3. Certain Preventive Screenings

Medicare covers screenings for a variety of conditions that many seniors are at risk for. Here’s what may be covered under your plan at no cost, though be sure to check with your provider and insurance to be sure. 

Most of these screenings are easy and take little preparation, and they can be life-saving. If your blood sugar shows prediabetes, for example, you can ask your provider about an MDPP like Lark MDPP to make effective lifestyle changes from home that fit into your everyday lifestyle. 

4. Preventive Vaccines

Vaccines can save lives. They can have these benefits.

• Reduce your chance of getting a disease
• Reduce the severity of the disease and its effects if you do get it
• Reduce how infectious you are if you get the disease - so you are less likely to pass it to a vulnerable individual

Here are some standard vaccines. 

• Flu Shot: Covered once per flu season.
• COVID-19 Vaccines: Fully covered updated boosters and annual shots.
• Pneumonia Vaccine: Two-shot series for seniors to protect against severe lung infections.
• Shingles Vaccine: Covered under Medicare Part D with $0 co-pay (thanks to recent legislation under the Inflation Reduction Act).
• Hepatitis B: Covered for individuals at medium to high risk.

Ask your healthcare provider about your risk and which vaccines are recommended and covered for you.

5. Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT)

Medicare may support medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for qualifying individuals for up to 3 hours in your first year, and 2 hours each year after. It can include personalized meal plans, dietary strategies for managing blood glucose, and specialized dietary recommendations based on your medical conditions.You may qualify if you’re a beneficiary with diabetes or kidney disease, or if you’re a kidney transplant patient with a transplant within the last 36 months.

If you don’t have a qualifying condition for MNT, but you have prediabetes and join an MDPP, you can focus on nutrition strategies and personalized nutrition throughout the year-long program.

6. Tobacco Cessation Counseling

Tobacco cessation counseling can include up to 8 individual counseling sessions per 12-month period to help you quit smoking or quit using other forms of tobacco. It may include strategies like identifying triggers and modifying behaviors to quit for good. Depending on your coverage and program eligibility, Lark participants may also have access to additional support for stress management and tobacco cessation.

7. Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity

Medicare covers intensive behavioral therapy for obesity as a preventive service. Obesity is a risk factor for conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, joint pain, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. It affects one-third of American adults. 

Intensive behavioral therapy for obesity includes 1:1 counseling in a primary care setting. In comparison, MDPP is in a group setting, and you can talk to a lifestyle coach who’s trained in lifestyle changes to help with weight loss and physical activity through diet and exercise. 

8. Mental and Behavioral Health Screening Services

Medicare also covers certain mental and behavioral health screening services, in addition to the physical screenings listed above, such as for diabetes and low bone mass. 

• Comprehensive Mental Wellness: Annual depression screenings combined with expanding coverage for behavioral health.
• Substance Use Screening: Screening and brief intervention for alcohol and substance misuse during primary care visits.
• Integrated Care: Primary care integrated support to connect you with specialized mental health providers if needed.

How to Find Out Which $0 Medicare Programs You May Qualify for

Here are some steps to getting the preventive services you’re entitled to. 

• Ask Your Primary Care Provider: Bring a list of these benefits to your next visit—especially your Annual Wellness Visit—to request screenings or referrals.
• Review Your Medicare & You Handbook: Check official coverage parameters or call 1-800-MEDICARE to verify plan details.
• Check Program-Specific Eligibility Online: Many virtual programs offer fast, online screeners. You can check your eligibility for Lark’s Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) in under two minutes without booking an appointment.

See If You Qualify at No Cost to You

Lark's Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program offers personal health coaching delivered right to your phone - built around the same CDC-recognized program that showed a 71% risk reduction in adults over 60. There is no cost to eligible Medicare members. 

Lark can help you stay on track with your weight and health goals as you log, track, and chat. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark MDPP or another Lark program today!