Medicare will not cover annual physical exams, but it will cover a one-time “Welcome to Medicare” checkup in your first year after enrolling in Part B. Thereafter, Medicare covers yearly wellness visits to keep track of your health. Here is what you should know.

Physical vs Wellness Exam

An annual physical is an overall health check where a doctor examines you, may order blood tests or other diagnostics and checks for health issues, even if you do not have a specific complaint or risk.

In contrast, the Welcome to Medicare checkup and annual wellness visits are centered on preventive care. During these visits, your doctor will review your risk factors, develop your personalized health plan, ensure that you are up to date with preventive tests such as cancer screenings and flu shots and refer you for additional tests if needed. Here is a breakdown of what these exams may include.

Welcome to Medicare Checkup

The Welcome to Medicare checkup is an introduction to Medicare and focuses on health promotion, disease prevention and early detection to maintain your well-being. It gives your doctor the chance to assess your health and provide a plan for care. During this visit your doctor will:

• Record your height, weight, blood pressure measurements to calculate your body mass index (BMI).
• Inquire about personal and family health history.
• Provide referrals for other care as needed.
• Evaluate your risk for depression.
• Conduct a basic vision test.
• Recommend vaccinations, tests, screenings and other preventive services you may need.
• Offer to talk about creating advance directives.

Annual Wellness Visit

This visit includes many of the same components as the Welcome to Medicare checkup. Your doctor will review your medical history, record your vital signs and give you a chance to discuss advance directives. They may also provide the following services:

• Develop a checklist for recommended preventive services for the following year.
• Evaluate health risks and treatment options.
• Perform a cognitive screening to check for early signs of dementia.
• Provide personalized health advice.
• Review your current prescriptions.
• Assess risk factors for opioid problems if you have a prescription for opioids and screen for potential substance use disorders.

Medicare Coverage 

Both the Welcome to Medicare and annual wellness visits are covered by Medicare Part B. To ensure coverage, be sure to ask for the Welcome to Medicare checkup or annual wellness visit when you book the appointment. If not, you may have to pay for the visit. You do not need to complete the Welcome to Medicare visit to qualify for later annual wellness visits. However, keep in mind that Medicare will not pay for a wellness visit during the first 12 months you have Part B. Keep in mind that, at either of these visits, your provider may recommend additional tests or procedures that could incur Medicare’s deductibles, copayments or coinsurance.

If you are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, you will likely need to use an in-network provider for the wellness visits to be covered. Some Medicare Advantage plans also include coverage for annual physicals in addition to the wellness visit. Review your plan for specific details.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

What can you tell me about spousal IRAs? My spouse and I are in our 50s and are looking for ways to boost our retirement savings. In addition to being a homemaker and caregiver, my spouse works part time.

Saving for retirement can be challenging for married spouses when one spouse is not working full time because of caregiving responsibilities or other reasons. Fortunately, there is a tax benefit referred to as a spousal IRA that can help couples save for retirement.

Spousal individual retirement accounts (spousal IRAs) allow a working spouse to contribute to a non-working or lower-earning spouse’s retirement savings. The spousal IRA can be set up as a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA, allowing couples to save for retirement either on a tax-deferred basis or a tax-free basis.

How They Work

A spousal IRA is not a unique type of IRA or joint account, but rather a separate IRA opened and owned in the name of the non-working or lower-earning spouse. The process of opening a spousal IRA is similar to opening a regular IRA. Many financial institutions such as brokerage firms and banks offer IRAs. Like a regular IRA, the benefits of a spousal IRA include boosting your family’s overall retirement savings in a tax-efficient manner. It can also provide the lower-earning spouse with access to their own funds in an unforeseen event like the death of their spouse, divorce or illness.

For traditional IRAs in 2025, the spousal IRA option phases out for spouses filing jointly where the contributing spouse is covered by a workplace retirement plan and has income between $126,000 to $146,000. If the contributing spouse is not covered by a workplace plan and is married to someone who is covered, the phase-out range is $236,000 to $246,000 in 2025 for traditional and Roth IRAs.

In 2025, each spouse under age 50 can contribute up to $7,000 annually to an IRA or $8,000 annually for those over age 50, but the total contribution cannot exceed the taxable earned income reported on the couple’s tax return. Otherwise, the IRS limits contributions based on their earned income.

Roth or Traditional?

Deciding whether to open a Roth or traditional IRA depends on your tax situation and financial goals. Traditional IRA contributions typically are tax deductible in the year in which they are made and are beneficial during high-income earning years. Contributions grow tax-free until they are withdrawn during retirement.

Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, but qualified contributions plus any earnings grow tax-free and are withdrawn tax-free in retirement as long as IRS rules are followed. To withdraw investment earnings tax-free, the rules include that you must be at least 59½ at the time of the withdrawal and that you have held your Roth IRA for at least five years.

There are penalties for withdrawals from traditional and Roth IRAs before age 59½ unless the owner qualifies for an exception. Traditional IRAs also require that the owner begin taking annual withdrawals known as required minimum distributions (RMDs) from the plan the year that the owner turns 73 (or 75 beginning in 2033). Roth IRAs do not require RMDs until after the death of the original owner. Beneficiaries of an inherited Roth IRA generally will need to take RMDs to avoid penalties, although there is an exception for spouses.

For more information on the IRS rules of both traditional and Roth IRAs see IRS.gov/retirement-plans/traditional-and-roth-iras.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

The amazing donors of the Washington County Community Foundation awarded over $100,000 in grants through the Spring 2025 Grant Cycle.  Grants are primarily awarded from the Foundation’s Touch Tomorrow Funds.

The Salem Police Department was awarded a $3,500 grant to purchase e-bikes and training equipment in order to improve safety on the Monon Trail as well as easy access to fairs and festivals in the community while providing law enforcement presence.

The Pierce Polk Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a grant for $15,000 to purchase a fire rescue utility terrain vehicle in order to perform trail rescue as well as assist with wildland firefighting, missing persons location and accessing community events such as festivals and parades.

The Salem Fire Department also received a $15,000 grant for a utility terrain vehicle with skids in order to help with medical rescue on the trail and difficult to reach locations as well as the fair and other festivals.  The UTV will also be utilized to assist with firefighting capabilities.

Choices Life Resource Center received a $3,742 grant to purchase much needed formula and diapers for the center as well as outdoor signage to raise awareness for their free parenting resource program.

The Washington County Fair Board will be getting new bleachers in the show barn thanks to a $25,000 grant.  The new bleachers will provide a better experience for exhibitors, families, and community members.

Washington County EMA received a $14,399 grant to purchase a thermal drone to assist in response to emergency situations and disasters.  The drone will have 24/7 accessibility to all types of emergency responses.

The Square will be getting additional public art through crosswalk design thanks to a $10,000 grant to the City of Salem.  The permanent art installation contains a pedestrian safety component for the downtown corridor while promoting downtown attraction and a welcoming atmosphere.

Lights, Camera, Action will be in order for WCACT with a $2,560.95 grant to purchase new sound and lighting equipment to replace the current system, which has ceased working.  The new equipment at the theatre will help to ensure production success for a better participant and audience experience.

Emmanuel Church was awarded a grant for $10,000 to prevent collapse of the north wall of the church, erected in 1872.  The funds will be used to replace the sill foundation logs as well as installing a French drain along the outside of the wall to divert rainwater and prevent future damage.

East Washington Elementary School is receiving a $1,493.37 grant from The Women’s Fund to purchase items for their back to school assistance program.  The program provides backpacks of needed supplies to students that might not be able to afford them.

Thank you to the donors of Washington County Community Foundation for making our community a better place for our residents through their generosity and compassion for Washington County.

Washington County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1993 to serve donors, award grants, and provide leadership to improve Washington County forever

Is vision care covered by Medicare? I currently have vision insurance through my employer, but I will lose this coverage when I retire.

Many soon-to-be retirees are often unclear with what Medicare covers when it comes to vision care. The good news is that Medicare pays for most eye-related medical issues like cataract surgery, treatment of eye diseases and medical emergencies. Routine care, such as eye exams and eyeglasses, are usually the responsibility of the beneficiary. Below is an overview of what is included and excluded under Medicare.

Eye exams and treatments: Medicare does not cover routine eye exams that test for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but it does cover yearly medical eye exams for individuals with diabetes or at high risk for glaucoma. Medicare will cover examinations for eye diseases if you are experiencing vision issues that suggest a serious condition, including macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, eye infections or if a foreign object is present in your eye.

Eye surgeries: Eye surgeries that are not considered medically necessary, including refractive (LASIK) surgery and cosmetic eye surgery, are not covered by Medicare. Medicare does pay for eye surgeries that help repair the eye function, including cataract surgery to remove cataracts and insert standard intraocular lenses. Medicare will not, however, cover the extra cost of premium multifocal lenses that restore the full range of vision, thereby reducing the need for glasses after cataract surgery. The additional cost for premium lenses may range from $1,500 to $4,000 per eye.

Eyeglasses and contact lenses: Medicare will not typically pay for eyeglasses or contact lenses. If you have had a conventional intraocular lens inserted during cataract surgery, Medicare will pay for one pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses following the operation.

Ways to Save

Although original Medicare’s vision coverage is limited to medical issues, there are ways to save on routine care. Here are some options to consider.

Medicare Advantage: Many Medicare Advantage plans, which are alternatives to original Medicare and sold through private insurance companies, cover routine eye exams and eyeglasses. Coverage may be limited so be sure to understand the details of what is and is not covered under any plan being considered. Although enrolling in an Advantage plan exclusively for vision coverage is not recommended, it is an option worth considering. To locate Advantage plans in your area that provide vision coverage, go to Medicare.gov/plan-compare or call 800-633-4227.

Purchase vision insurance: If you get routine eye exams and purchase new eyeglasses annually, a vision insurance plan may be worth the premiums. These policies typically range between $5 and $30 per month. Most plans will also have copays or deductibles you will be responsible for.

Check veterans’ benefits: If you are a veteran and qualify for VA health care benefits, you may be able to get some or all your routine vision care through the VA. Go to VA.gov/health-care/about-va-health-benefits/vision-care to learn more.

Find cheaper shopping options: Many retailers provide discounts between 10% to 50% on eye exams and eyeglasses if you belong to a membership group. You can also save by shopping at discount retailers or big box stores.

You could also consider buying your eyeglasses online which may offer savings. To purchase eyeglasses online, you will need a valid prescription from an eye doctor, usually no more than a year old, and your pupillary distance (PD). Your PD is the measurement in millimeters between the centers of your pupils.

Look for assistance: There are health centers and local clinics that provide free or discounted vision exams and eyeglasses to those in need. To find referrals, visit the National Eye Institute online at nei.nih.gov and click on the “Get Help Paying for Eye Care” option. 

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization’s official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.