6 Free Healthcare Benefits You Can Get With Medicare

Medicare is a federal health insurance program that is part of the Social Security Administration. It's a fairly sprawling public health project that provides health coverage to over 66 million people throughout the United States. Generally speaking, Medicare is designed to support the health care requirements of those over 65, so it ties in nicely with other federal retirement benefits (provided you don't retire early, which can come with it's own complications). However, those with disabilities or severe illnesses such as Lou Gehrig's Disease (officially ALS), or End-Stage Renal Disease can get coverage before reaching 65.

Unfortunately, older Americans have more medical needs than younger people on the whole, and alongside those added health care needs comes a landscape of treatment options that would be prohibitively expensive if not for a federal program like Medicare. Standard insurance policies can deny coverage or even offer terms that aren't affordable for a retired person living on a fixed income. That's where Medicare comes in, providing guaranteed coverage for those who need it most — even those who never worked and therefore didn't pay relevant payroll taxes. The program works much like a regular insurance policy would, with copays and other features built into the process, but coverage doesn't stop with the basics. In fact there are plenty of free benefits that come along with your Medicare policy — which can be especially important when you consider just how much essential healthcare seniors won't be able to afford in the next decade. Let's explore what free benefits are available to you.

Perhaps one of the most important health care services that Medicare offers is coverage for almost all preventative vaccines available to the public through Medicare Part B, Medicare Advantage, and Part D prescription plans. Americans covered by these components of Medicare can take advantage of shingles vaccinations, RSV shots, and others like inoculation against pneumococcal disease which can cause meningitis and pneumonia. These vaccinations are added on top of the seasonal flu vaccine and boosters for COVID-19 that are covered under Medicare Part B. Plus, more uncommon vaccinations like those for yellow fever or typhoid are also covered if you need them to travel and the CDC has recommended them for areas you plan to visit. While there is no vaccination for malaria — protection is instead accomplished with a daily prescription medication — Part D should cover the prescription, but a copay might apply.

Having your vaccinations covered can be a huge relief. Without this inclusion, many older Americans — who are most at risk of severe complications and even death from the contraction of typically pedestrian illnesses (like the flu, which, according to the National Institutes of Health, hospitalizes over 200,000 Americans each year and kills over 36,000) — might decide to take their chances without immunization. Having to juggle priorities when it comes to health care leaves the most vulnerable in a dangerous place. Vaccination coverage therefore allows older Americans to get the protection they need without having to sacrifice something else in their life.

Another important service that Medicare provides involves both drug and alcohol use disorders. For starters, according to the American Medical Association, Americans who have been prescribed opioids to manage pain while recovering from a surgery or injury have between a 3% and 19% chance of developing an addiction. They also note that a lack of access to a continued opioid supply can lead to heroin use for some addicts. Since seniors are generally more prone to surgical procedures, they tend to take prescription painkillers at a higher rate. Meanwhile, the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimated that 1 in 20 Americans 65 and older had experienced an alcohol use disorder during the year prior. This is particularly troubling when you consider that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has found that misuse can lead to faster cognitive decline and issues with both memory and judgement.

Fortunately for those with Medicare coverage, a yearly screening for alcohol misuse is included in your policy. If needed, four face-to-face counseling sessions are also covered by the program. On the opioid front, recovery treatments are included as well, and there are no co-pays if you select a treatment program enrolled in Medicare. While medication and other supplies aren't covered by the Medicare Part B deductible, the bulk of the expenses associated with this care fall completely within Medicare's purview.

Cancer screenings are a big deal, especially for older Americans. The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 2 million new cancer diagnoses took place in 2024, and that cancers of all varieties clamed the lives of over 600,000 people. The most common cancers are breast, prostate, lung, colon, and skin cancer (in descending order). All of these areas of the human body have included screenings under Medicare, giving older Americans a substantial ally in the fight against cancer. Those with Medicare coverage can take advantage of numerous cancer screenings every year, including an annual mammogram, four yearly colorectal screenings (in differing formats), a lung checkup, and annual prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood tests.

These cancer screenings are absolutely essential in staying ahead of this terrible disease because catching cancer early cam be critical to improving survival odds. According to a study in the British Journal of Cancer, the gold standard estimate for the chances of developing cancer over the course of a typical lifespan is 40% for males and 38% for women. The longer a cancer is left undetected, and untreated, the more harm it can ultimately do. Catching cancer early gives health care providers more options when treating the disease, including less invasive approaches. As a result of Medicare's included screening services, seniors have a broad range of included detection methods to help them even the odds in their favor.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 38 million Americans suffered from diabetes, with another 8.7 million estimated to be undiagnosed. This amounts to almost 14% of the entire U.S. population. Even worse, the International Diabetes Federation ranked the U.S. at No. 4 amongst all nations in terms of the number of people suffering from diabetes in 2021, making it a significant concern for the country's policymakers and citizens alike. Fortunately, screenings for diabetes are covered by Medicare Part B (up to two blood glucose screenings per year), meaning Medicare patients can hopefully identify the issue and begin their treatment process before the disease is able to escalate. 

In fact, catching this disease while it's still in the prediabetes stage can help improve your life and retain your wellness for many years without worrying about regular injections and other invasive diabetes management techniques. As is the case with other screening tools offered by Medicare, this one can drastically improve your lifestyle with simple checkups and a free service that doesn't cost you anything but a bit of your time.

Depression is a major issue among retirees and older Americans. Research consistently finds that retirees are particularly susceptible to depression, showing more signs than those still in the workforce. According to a 2022 study in Clinical Interventions in Aging, roughly 28% of retirees exhibited signs of depression, which is drastically higher than the rest of the older adult cohort. The known risks associated with depression are why some consider delaying their retirement, even after they may have reached their full retirement age.

Medicare Part B covers a yearly depression screening. As a result of the increased risk of seniors developing depression, this is perhaps one of the most important free services that Medicare provides to its recipients. If your doctor recommends follow up treatments, then your Medicare Part B coinsurance rules will apply. Generally speaking, this means that Medicare will cover 80% of the treatment costs and you would be left managing the remaining 20%. The free screening combined with reduced treatment costs makes this a major benefit that Medicare recipients can and should take advantage of.

For those who suffer from diabetes, kidney disease, or those who have had a kidney transplant within the last three years, Medicare offers a variety of nutritional counseling and therapy services for free. Medicare covers the initial assessment of your nutrition and lifestyle as well as follow up appointments — three hours of counseling in the first year and two hours each subsequent year — in group or individual settings to help you develop a plan and stick to it. These services can be life altering for those who have been diagnosed with a chronic illness or have been through a traumatic medical procedure like a kidney transplant.

Your nutrition is something that's easy to underestimate. Eating junk food or even hastily prepared meals that don't feature a balanced diet of nutritional staples might be easier and more accessible for many. However, balancing your diet and watching what you eat can help delay or even prevent the onset of serious conditions like diabetes and improve your heart health, among many other things. Fortunately, Medicare is there to step in and help those who might need support with their dietary planning the most. This may not seem like a relevant service to some, but the reality is that while most Americans try to eat healthy, the National Center for Health Statistics found that 36% of people consumed fast food in a given day between 2013 and 2016, and that 40.3% of Americans are obese, per survey data from 2021 through 2023.