The importance of preventative care

Health and wellness ranks higher on some people's priority list than it does for others. But, no matter where you fall on the spectrum, it's beneficial to keep tabs on your overall wellbeing. Practicing preventative care can help you maintain or improve your health as well as avoid major medical problems down the line.



What do we mean by preventative care?

Preventative care focuses on maintaining your health in effort to prevent future disease and illnesses. Instead of seeing a doctor when you're already sick to treat your symptoms, preventative care encourages regular doctor visits even when you feel well to detect any health concerns before they escalate. Some examples of preventative care are wellness checks, physical exams, vaccinations, lab tests and screenings.

Why is preventative care important?

Maintaining your health. Going in for regular check-ups, even when you're not sick, gives you the opportunity to assess the current state of your overall health with your doctor. For example, if you've gained weight and have high blood pressure, your doctor may suggest making changes to your diet to keep you at a healthy weight and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or other heart problems in the future.

There are all kinds of ways your health may have changed in between doctor visits, but you just may not have realized it. Generally, people understand this need for preventative care; 92 percent of Americans say it is important to get an annual head-to-toe physical exam. However, just 62 percent of people say they go to the doctor every year.¹ The more often you monitor your overall health, the better you can maintain or improve your well-being over a longer period of time.

It can save you money. Preventing illness benefits both your body and your bank account. Although financial barriers do deter some people from receiving preventative care, you're likely to have some options for covering costs. Your medical plan likely covers regular exams, but you can also tackle costs through voluntary benefit coverage. Some accident or critical illness plans can offer benefits for routine screenings and tests.

The best way to save on healthcare costs is to not rack up expensive healthcare bills in the first place. That's why prevention is so important. With relatively affordable preventative healthcare services, you can save a significant amount of money by getting regular check-ups as opposed to paying for the expensive treatment of a disease or illness. Particularly when it comes to critical illnesses such as cancer, heart attack and stroke, there are more options than ever to detect and treat these conditions early. Without early detection, they can be extremely expensive depending on if you require an ambulance ride, emergency room visit, or hospital admission. Particularly with cancer, the treatment process can be a long-term financial burden.

Fortunately, for these instances, critical illness insurance may help you cover the associated costs. With the right plan, you may even have benefits for early identification and early-stage diagnosis, which is one more reason see your doctor on a regular basis and take a preventative
approach.

Should you end up developing one of these conditions, understanding your medical insurance and potentially filling gaps in your coverage with critical illness insurance can allow you to prepare for difficult times in the future. However, the goal of preventative healthcare is to address potential medical issues before they lead to a major disease, illness or medical event, so be sure to get regular check-ups to enjoy your health and peace of mind in the present.

¹"Ritual, Not Science, Keeps the Annual Physical Alive". April, 2015.