Free Annual Wellness Visit: What’s Covered and How to Use It
Free Annual Wellness Visit: What’s Covered and How to Use It
Most insurance plans — including many employer plans, Medicaid, and Medicare — cover a free annual wellness visit once per year. No copay, no cost-sharing. But a lot of people never use it because they don’t know it’s available or don’t want to wait weeks for an appointment. HealthCARE Express offers annual wellness visits at clinics across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana — Just walk in when it works for you.
What a Wellness Visit Actually Covers
A wellness visit is different from a sick visit. The goal isn’t to diagnose or treat a specific problem — it’s to get a current picture of your health, catch anything that needs attention, and make sure your preventive care is up to date.
At HCE, a wellness visit typically includes:
- A review of your current health history and medications
- Blood pressure, heart rate, and BMI measurement
- Bloodwork to check cholesterol, blood sugar, and other key markers (if ordered)
- Age-appropriate screening recommendations — cancer screenings, immunizations, and more
- A conversation about any health concerns you’ve been putting off
If something comes up during your visit that needs further evaluation, we can address it the same day or refer you to the right specialist.
Who Should Come in for a Wellness Visit
Short answer: anyone with insurance coverage who hasn’t had one this calendar year. Annual wellness visits are designed for adults, but the specific screenings and recommendations vary by age and gender. If you’re managing a chronic condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, a wellness visit is also an opportunity to review how things are going and whether your current plan is working.
If you’re unsure whether your plan covers it, call the member services number on your insurance card before you come in. Most major commercial plans, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid plans include it as a zero-cost benefit.
Why People Skip It — and Why That’s a Mistake
The most common reason people skip their annual wellness visit is access. Getting a routine appointment with a primary care provider can take weeks in many markets. At HCE locations in Texarkana, Shreveport, and Fort Smith — and across our network of clinics — you can walk in and be seen the same day.
The second most common reason: people feel fine and don’t think they need it. But a wellness visit isn’t about feeling sick. It’s about knowing your numbers, staying current on screenings, and catching things before they become problems. Bloodwork that’s slightly off today is much easier to address than a condition that goes unmanaged for another year.
"We see patients all the time who haven’t had any kind of checkup in years. A wellness visit gives us a baseline — blood pressure, labs, weight, history — and often opens up a conversation that catches something the patient didn’t know to ask about. It’s one of the most valuable visits we do."
— Dr. Tim Reynolds, HealthCARE Express
Does It Cover Labs and Bloodwork?
This is one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is: it depends on your plan. The wellness visit itself is typically covered at 100%. Bloodwork ordered during the visit — like a cholesterol panel or blood sugar check — may be billed separately depending on your insurance. If cost is a concern, ask at check-in and we can help clarify what’s likely covered before we order anything.
Medicare patients should know that Medicare Part B covers one “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit in the first 12 months of enrollment, plus an annual wellness visit every year after that. Both are covered at no cost.
What to Bring to Your Visit
Come prepared with your insurance card, a photo ID, a list of any current medications and dosages, and any recent lab results if you have them. If you have questions or health concerns you’ve been putting off, write them down before you come in — the wellness visit is the right time to raise them.
What to expect
Walk in, check in at the front desk, and let us know you’re there for a wellness visit. Most visits at HealthCARE Express take 30 to 45 minutes. We’ll go through your health history, take your measurements, run any indicated labs, and have you out the door with a current picture of where your health stands.
Walk into any HealthCARE Express location — no appointment needed. Find your nearest clinic
