Depression screening

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
 covers one depression screening per year.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988, the free and confidential Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can call and speak with a trained crisis counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also connect with a counselor through web chat at 988lifeline.org.

Call 911 if you're in immediate medical crisis.

Your costs in Original Medicare

You pay nothing if your doctor or other health care provider accepts

assignment
. You must get the screening in a primary care setting (like a doctor's office) where you can get follow-up treatment and/or referrals to a mental health provider.

Notice:

Frequency of services

Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or, they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. Ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and if, or how much, Medicare will pay for them.

What it is

During the screening, your health care provider will ask you a series of questions to find out if you have depression.

Related resources

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