Medicare annual wellness visits nearly tripled over the decade, to an estimated 21 million a year
The annual wellness visit — the no-cost yearly check-in the Affordable Care Act added in 2011 — grew from an estimated 7,634,000 in 2015 to 21,134,000 in 2024, about 2.8 times as many. Per beneficiary the rise was smaller — about 2.0 times on the fee-for-service record — because the estimated total also reflects Medicare Advantage's rising share of enrollment.
A prevention check-in, not a physical. The Medicare annual wellness visit is a yearly, no-cost appointment to review health risks and set up a prevention plan — distinct from a head-to-toe physical exam.
Take-up climbed steadily over the decade. An estimated 7,634,000 visits in 2015 grew to 21,134,000 in 2024, about 2.8 times as many. On the fee-for-service record the count rose from 5,269,000 to 10,519,000, about 2.0 times — the smaller, per-beneficiary figure; the estimated-total multiple is larger because it also absorbs Medicare Advantage's rising share of enrollment, so the two differ.
A volume record, and an estimate. Why take-up rose is a separate question this page does not answer. The scaled figures are estimates: the calculation assumes Medicare Advantage per-capita use equals fee-for-service; MA plans may run their own wellness visits differently.
An estimate of total-Medicare annual-wellness-visit volume, scaled from the fee-for-service record — not a physical exam, not a quality or outcomes measure, and not a statement of why take-up rose.
Estimated total-Medicare annual wellness visits (beneficiary counts on the initial and subsequent codes), 2015 to 2024, scaled from the fee-for-service record.
Not a physical exam (the wellness visit is a prevention-planning check-in). Not billed claim lines, not a quality or outcomes measure, and not all-payer. The scaled figures are estimates: the calculation assumes MA per-capita utilization ≈ FFS; MA plans may manage utilization differently.