An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure

In the old days, doctors wanted you to come to their office for a full physical once a year. These physicals were never covered by health insurance because the person wasn't actually "sick". So people paid full price for the visit.

Now, doctors and health insurers have learned physicals are not necessary for everyone every year. Generally the older you are the more likely you are to need one. Many health insurers now cover preventive care at 100% (free to the patient). They do this because it is cheaper to pay for a physical where an illness might be detected and treated in its early stages. If you try to treat an illness when it as advanced, more technology, tests and treatments are needed so the cost goes up and up.

A great example of this is heart disease. During a routine physical, your doctor will take your blood pressure. The doctor will likely recommend changing your diet and increasing exercise as a way to lower your blood pressure. But, if you need blood pressure lowering medicine, the doctor might give you a prescription to take. The cost you pay for the medicine each month is far cheaper than ignoring the high blood pressure until years later when you have a heart attack or stroke. The cost of treating you in the cardiac (heart) intensive care unit and later in cardiac rehabilitation is far greater than the copays for that blood pressure medicine. (Diet and exercise is even cheaper... FREE!)

So check your coverage to see if preventive care screenings (preventive physicals, well baby visits, mammography, pap smear, flu shot, prostate tests, etc,) are covered for your and your family. Then make sure each of you is taking full advantage of this benefit by having whatever preventive screenings the doctor recommends for you (based on your age and gender).If you don't take advantage of the preventive care now, you could cost yourself money and health later on.