Medicare Changes Coming Your Way in 2022

By: Andrew Crocker, M.S.

Fall is such a great season: college football is back, the temperatures get a little cooler, the leaves start to change, and Medicare releases updates for the new benefit year – what’s not to love?!

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updates its Medicare and You handbook each September/October to announce program revisions that will take effect the following January. As a benefit  program, Medicare remains relatively consistent year-to-year but there may be important updates announced of which beneficiaries need to be aware.

So what’s new in 2022?

Some of the details are still being finalized – like whether there will be an increase in the Part B monthly premium – but there are some exciting additions to covered services, including, but not limited to,

• Biomarker for colorectal cancer – coverage of blood test to screen for colon cancer.
• Cognitive assessment – coverage of routine screenings for dementia and other cognitive issues.
• COVID-19 – coverage of routine testing and treatments for coronavirus infections.

And remember, those are just the additions for 2022. Medicare still maintains a robust slate of covered preventive health screenings and services for beneficiaries like an annual wellness exam, routine vaccinations, cancer screenings, medical equipment, and on and on and on.

Want to know more about the benefits and services to which you’re entitled? Access the most recent version of Medicare and You. Historically, CMS has mailed a copy of this publication to each Medicare beneficiary but is beginning to transition to electronic delivery. On the site, you can access the handbook in different languages and formats – such as large print, audio, and eBook – as well as request a print version if one was not mailed to your home.