Use and knowledge of the new enrollee "welcome to Medicare" physical examination benefit.

The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is a large survey utilizing a nationally representative sample of the Medicare population. The MCBS collects data on a whole host of topics including health status, health insurance coverage and financing, access to care, knowledge and understanding of the Medicare Program, as well as use and effectiveness of new program benefits and changes.

Introduction

As part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and beginning on January 1, 2005, Medicare authorized the coverage of a one-time “Welcome to Medicare” preventative physical exam to occur within the first six months that a beneficiary establishes Part B coverage. This comprehensive exam includes a thorough review of a beneficiary's health, discussion of his/her family history, education and counseling about needed preventative services, such as shots, screening, and/or referrals for other care. The beneficiary's doctor will check his/her blood pressure, weight, and height and where warranted, give or order an electrocardiogram and a simple vision screening test. Beneficiaries are expected to leave their doctor's office with a written plan/checklist of the particular screenings and other preventative services he/she ought to have in the near future.

A New Enrollee Supplement was included within the MCBS beginning in 2006, purposefully created in order to monitor this new benefit that is available to new Medicare Part B enrollees. The Supplement involved the surveying of approximately 1,300 Medicare new enrollees, ages 65-69, in 2006. It will continue to be utilized among the same survey panel of enrollees for the next several rounds of the survey.

A few changes to the “Welcome to Medicare” physical exam benefit have been brought about with the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Most notably, the Medicare Part B deductible has been waived and new enrollees now have one year from their Part B enrollment date to take advantage of the one-time physical.