“Isn’t a yearly physical something you did back in elementary school?” Hopefully you have had one since then, but most of us aren’t taking advantage of these golden opportunities.
As all of us face changes in our health insurance and there are a variety of mixed feelings about the Affordable Care Act (“Obama Care”), one good thing that came from it is provision for yearly preventative screening visits. These are generally 100% covered and are pre-deductible; often screening labs are also covered as pre-deductible. This means your out of pocket expenses are much lower for these visits.For kiddos and young adults, the reason for yearly physicals is simple- their bodies are still developing. What is and isn’t healthy for one child versus another can be vastly different. These visits give young parents the opportunity to ask a health professional questions and get tips for creating healthful habits from the start. They also give growing young adults a chance to learn how to start taking responsibility for their own health.
Now, let’s say you are a 20 or 30ish year old, who hasn’t been to the doctor in a while. You haven’t had any problems, so why should you have to? By getting regular screening exams you can make sure that you are not starting to have the early signs of diabetes or heart disease and actually prevent future problems.
Has a family member struggled with something you are afraid could be hereditary, like alzheimer’s disease or heart attacks? This is a time when your doctor can discuss screening and prevention tactics.
Perhaps instead you are seeing your doctor for health issues. Maybe you even have complex illness that require you see multiple providers on a regular basis. When issues like fatigue, pain, or digestive issues come up, it isn’t unusual for issues like cholesterol or blood pressure to get put lower on the priority list. A yearly physical gives your doctor the chance to go through and check on everything else. Sometimes this helps provide greater insight into your overall health and can help individualize your treatment plan.
No matter what you age, it is good to check in on the basics on a regular basis so that you stay informed and empowered in your health and happiness.