FLORENCE, Wis. — When choosing changes to make for the new year, consider taking advantage of Medicare’s Preventive Services and resolve to improve your health.

First, consider taking that step to quit smoking. Why? Because tobacco use is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for 1 in every 10 adult deaths. And because Medicare can help you quit smoking.

Medicare Part B covers free counseling sessions as a preventive service to help you quit smoking. If you haven’t been diagnosed with an illness caused or complicated by tobacco use, and if the doctor or other health care provider accepts assignment, then you pay nothing for the counseling sessions.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with an illness that was caused or made worse by tobacco use, or you take a medication affected by tobacco, you can still get up to eight counseling sessions every 12 months. In this case, you pay your Part B deductible and 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. (If you get counseling in a hospital outpatient setting, you’ll also need to pay the hospital a copayment.)

Second, women should resolve to get your mammogram this year. Mammograms are breast cancer screening tests that can often detect a lump before you or your doctor can feel it. This can help detect breast cancer early, when it’s the most treatable. All women older that 40 should have a screening mammogram every 12 months — and Medicare covers it at no cost if your doctor accepts assignment.

Third, if you are a man, add a screening for prostate and colorectal cancer to your list of resolutions. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, second only to lung cancer in the number of cancer deaths. Not sure you should get screened? You’re at a higher risk for getting prostate cancer if you’re a man 50 or older, are African-American, or have a father, brother or son who has had prostate cancer. Screening tests can find cancer early, when treatment works best.

Don’t worry about the cost — if you’re a man 50 or older, Medicare covers a digital rectal exam and Prostate Specific Antigen test once every 12 months. Also, Medicare covers a variety of colorectal cancer screenings, and you pay nothing for most tests.

Colorectal cancer is also common among men–in fact, it’s the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States among cancers that affect both men and women. If everyone 50 or older got screened regularly, we could avoid as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer.

In most cases, colorectal cancer develops from precancerous polyps — abnormal growths in the colon or rectum. Fortunately, screening tests can find these polyps, so you can get them removed before they turn into cancer. If you’re 50 or older, or have a personal or family history of colorectal issues, make sure you get screened regularly for colorectal cancer.

This year, take advantage of Medicare’s Preventive Screenings and don’t wait to schedule your next screening.

For information on aging or living with a disability, contact the ADRC of Florence County at 715-528-4890, or stop by the office in the lower level of the Florence County Courthouse, 501 Lake Ave. in Florence, Wis. Information also can be obtained at www.florencecountywi.com, click on Aging and Disability Resource Center.