Preventive medical screenings can help detect health conditions before they worsen. Medicare covers many of these tests, which can assess things like hearing, blood pressure, and kidney function.

Getting older may increase your risk of developing chronic conditions and other health conditions.

Being over age 60 doesn’t guarantee a decline in health, but it’s estimated that by age 80, nearly 90% of adults in the United States will have at least one chronic condition.

Some age-related diseases that older adults are more likely to develop include:

  • hearing and vision loss
  • impaired immunity function
  • hypertension
  • cardiovascular disease
  • osteoarthritis
  • osteoporosis
  • cancer

Milestone medical tests during your 60s, 70s, and beyond may help you prevent some health conditions or slow down their progression.

Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) covers many of the tests we discuss in this article. Where there may be gaps in coverage, other Medicare plan options may be able to help.

Infographic: "Medical tests covered by Medicare that you should take in your 60s 70s and beyond"Share on Pinterest
Illustrations by Maya Chastain

It’s important that older adults check their blood pressure regularly at home. However, a doctor or another healthcare professional will also check it as part of your Medicare yearly wellness visit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48.1% of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. But only 1 in 4 of these people have it well managed.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is when your blood pressure reading is at or above 130/80 mmHg, which may put you at greater risk of stroke and heart disease.

Speak with a doctor if you’re noticing high or low readings.

A bone density test is important to help diagnose osteoporosis. Medicare covers a bone mass or bone density test every 2 years, or more often if a doctor feels it is medically necessary.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that everyone over age 65 get a bone density test, but how often they are retested depends on the advice from a doctor or another healthcare professional once they have reviewed previous scans and calculated an individual’s risk of fracture.

Consider more frequent scanning if you’ve had a previous abnormal test result or take medications that may impact bone density.

A genetic predisposition to diabetes is the biggest risk factor for high cholesterol and warrants regular cholesterol screening. Medicare covers cholesterol screening as part of its cardiovascular disease screening.

If left untreated, high blood cholesterol levels may gradually cause plaque to build up in your arteries. This may lead to life threatening complications.

The CDC suggests that most adults should check their cholesterol at least every 4 to 6 years, a requirement that doesn’t increase with age. However, if you have diabetes or heart disease, you may need to get it checked more often.

A colonoscopy is a medical examination that looks for irregularities or diseases in your colon. It may help doctors diagnose colorectal cancer, ulcers, and polyps.

For those with average risk, healthcare professionals recommend screenings for colorectal cancer every 10 years between the ages of 45 and 75, although an individual’s specific schedule can vary by circumstance. In the United States, colorectal cancer is most common in older adults ages 65 to 74.

Medicare covers screening colonoscopies every 2 years if you are at high risk of colorectal cancer. If you are not at high risk, Medicare will cover screening costs every 10 years, or 4 years following a flexible sigmoidoscopy.

High risk groups include those with:

  • a family history of colon cancer
  • obesity or diabetes
  • inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Fecal occult testing looks for blood in the stool, which may be a sign of colorectal cancer. However, the test doesn’t determine the cause of the bleeding.

A doctor may order this test yearly to screen for colorectal cancer, but it’s not a replacement for a colonoscopy. For people age 45 and older, Medicare covers fecal occult screenings once a year if a doctor or another eligible healthcare professional prescribes it.

As you age, you’re more likely to experience hearing loss. Roughly 33% of people between the ages of 65 and 74 in the United States have hearing loss. This jumps to 50% for those over age 75.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends getting a hearing test every 3 years after age 50.

Medicare covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if a doctor or healthcare professional orders them to confirm whether you may need medical treatment.

Medicare also covers visits with an audiologist once per year without a doctor’s order, but only for nonacute hearing conditions, like hearing loss that occurs over time or for diagnosing hearing loss that could be treated with surgically implanted hearing devices.

However, Medicare does not cover hearing aids, should you need one.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). The American Sexual Health Association reports that around 79 million people are thought to have an active infection at any given time.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer reports there are 13 types of HPV infections that may cause cervical cancer. Approximately 10% of HPV infections may lead to cervical cancer in females, per the CDC.

It’s recommended that females get screened for cervical cancer every 3 to 5 years until age 65. This may include HPV and pap smear tests.

Medicare covers HPV tests as part of a Pap test once every 5 years for people between 30 and 65 who don’t have HPV symptoms.

You should have annual kidney function tests to check for kidney disease if you’re over age 60.

It’s estimated that more than 50% of people over age 75 have kidney disease.

A simple urine test that checks for protein in your urine could detect early signs of kidney damage. A doctor may also order blood tests to check your kidney function.

Medicare covers both blood and urine tests.

The American Cancer Society suggests that people with breasts should start getting mammograms at age 40, and those over age 55 should have them every 2 years.

You may opt for more frequent testing if you have a family history of breast cancer or have previously had breast cancer.

Medicare covers mammograms in the following ways:

  • one baseline mammogram per lifetime
  • screening mammograms once every year
  • medically necessary diagnostic mammograms as required

It’s estimated that 13% of males in the United States could receive a prostate cancer diagnosis. Your chances of developing prostate cancer increase as you get older.

If you’re between ages 55 and 69, speak with a doctor about prostate screening options.

Medicare covers prostate cancer screenings once every year for males over age 50.

Older adults, particularly males over age 50, have an increased risk of receiving a skin cancer diagnosis.

Screening options for skin cancer may include self-check methods or visiting a dermatologist. They’ll be able to help you address any noticeable skin changes. These typically include moles or marks that change shape or color, or start to bother you.

Medicare covers the costs of outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests relating to skin cancer.

Even if you’ve had perfect vision all your life, you may still develop conditions like cataracts and glaucoma as you age.

The American Optometric Association recommends that people over age 60 get an eye examination every year, especially if they have hypertension or diabetes.

Original Medicare does not cover routine eye exams, but some Medicare Advantage plans might. However, it does cover annual eye exams for diabetic retinopathy.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a one-time screening if you’re a male between 65 and 75 years old with a history of smoking or a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Original Medicare covers an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening ultrasound once in your lifetime if you have a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysms, or if you’re a male between 65 and 75 years old and have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your lifetime.

Below are some common questions and answers around tests for older adults.

Blood tests may help doctors find signs of several health conditions and diseases in adults over age 70.

Some of these tests may include:

How often individuals get blood tests varies for each person. It may largely depend on whether you have a health condition or disease that needs to be monitored.

It’s best to speak with a doctor to determine how often you should get bloodwork done if you’re age 70 or older.

You might not need testing for everything on this list, but regular health checks may help you keep tabs on your overall health and address problems before they get worse.

Speak with a doctor about your testing options and whether you’re a candidate for more frequent testing because of your lifestyle factors or family history.