If your Part B coverage began
on or after Jan. 1, 2005,
Medicare & More/ActivelyYou
will pay for a physical exam
within the first six months you
have Part B. It’s a great way
to stay current with important
health screenings and immunizations
and to talk with your
doctor about your family history
and how to stay healthy.
Medicare & More/ActivelyYou
now covers smoking-cessation
counseling for beneficiaries
who have an illness caused
or complicated by smoking,
including heart disease,
cerebrovascular disease, lung
disease, weak bones, blood
clots and cataracts. It also
applies to beneficiaries who
take any of the many medications
whose effectiveness is
complicated by smoking—
including insulin and medications
for high blood pressure,
seizures, blood clots and depression.
Next year, Medicare’s
voluntary prescription drug
benefit will cover smokingcessation
treatments prescribed
by your doctor.
For people at risk of developing
diabetes, Medicare & More/
ActivelyYou covers up to two
blood sugar screening tests
a year. For those who have
diabetes, it also covers glucose
monitors, test strips and lancets,
as well as self-management
training for those at risk for
diabetes complications.
Once every five years Medicare
& More/ActivelyYou will pay
for a cardiovascular screening
to check your cholesterol and
other blood fat (lipid) levels.
High levels of these can
increase your risk for heart
disease and stroke.
In May 2005, Medicare &
More/ActivelyYou expanded
its coverage of implantable
defibrillators to prevent
sudden death in people with
heart disease. Following a
clinical study published in
Jan. 2005 in the New England
Journal of Medicine, Medicare
announced it would expand
the number of eligible beneficiaries
by a third, to nearly
500,000—including patients
with heart failure and those
whose left ventricle is functioning
poorly. In the first year
alone, the move could potentially
save up to 2,500 lives.
