The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit is free, yet many San Diego seniors skip it. Here is what it covers, how to prepare, and which questions to bring.
By Diane Whitfield, CSA · October 07, 2026
When families first come to us worried about a parent's health, one of the first things I ask is when Mom or Dad last had a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. Often the answer is a blank look. Many older adults assume it is the same as a yearly physical, so they either skip it or are surprised by a bill.
The Annual Wellness Visit is a planning appointment, not a head-to-toe exam. Medicare Part B covers it at no cost when your parent's provider accepts Medicare assignment, and it is available once every 12 months after the first year of Part B. The provider reviews health history, checks height, weight and blood pressure, screens for cognitive changes and depression, reviews fall risk, and builds a written personalized prevention plan. A routine physical with blood work or a new problem addressed on the same day may carry a copay or deductible, so ask the front desk how the visit will be billed before you go.
The visit only works as well as the information brought to it. Before the appointment, gather a complete medication list including over-the-counter products and supplements, names and phone numbers of every specialist, and dates of recent hospital or emergency room visits. If your parent lives in an assisted living community in San Diego County, ask the care director for the current medication administration record and a summary of any recent falls or behavior changes.
If you are an adult child, call the office ahead of time to ask whether you can attend, and have your parent sign a release so the provider can speak with you. Write down what you have noticed at home: missed bills, repeated questions, weight loss, unsteadiness on stairs. Providers see a patient for a short window, and your observations are often what triggers a closer look at memory, mood or mobility.
Ask how the cognitive screening was done and what the result means. If anything looks concerning, ask for a referral to a memory evaluation rather than waiting a year. Ask whether any medications could be causing dizziness or confusion, and whether a pharmacist review is appropriate, since older adults often take several prescriptions from different doctors.
Ask which screenings and vaccines are due and whether Part B or Part D covers them. Ask about hearing and vision checks, because untreated loss in either can contribute to isolation and falls. Finally, ask whether advance care planning is worth discussing. Medicare covers a voluntary advance care planning conversation during the wellness visit, and it is a gentle way to start talking about an advance directive and a health care agent before a crisis.
If your parent does not have a regular doctor, Aging and Independence Services can point you to resources through the Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 800-339-4661. For free, unbiased help understanding Medicare coverage and billing, San Diego's HICAP counselors can walk you through what your plan covers. Veterans enrolled at VA San Diego in La Jolla receive an annual primary care review through the VA, which is a separate system from Medicare.
If your parent has a Medicare Advantage plan, the wellness visit is still covered, but you may need to use an in-network provider. Call the number on the back of the insurance card to confirm. If the visit uncovers a need for help at home or a move to assisted living, you can check any community's licensing and inspection history at ccld.dss.ca.gov before you tour.
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