While health care is continually evolving, one thing remains true: prevention is the best medicine. So what is preventive care, why is it important, and what does it include?
Preventive care, sometimes called preventative care, includes health care services, screenings, and early interventions designed to detect or prevent diseases and health conditions even before you experience signs or symptoms.
Services can include routine physicals, blood work, the flu shot and other vaccines, blood pressure checks, or screenings for chronic diseases.
The good news? These important preventive care services are typically covered by your insurance at no extra cost to you.
The earlier you identify and address health problems, the less likely it is they become worse. With early detection, common conditions like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension may be more treatable. Once an illness progresses, you're at increased risk for hospitalization, which can be costly and time-consuming.
To access your check-ups, screenings, and vaccinations and to find out more about which preventive screenings are a fit for you, schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Schedule a yearly visit with your primary care provider to catch problems before they start or before small issues turn into complex conditions.
Depending on your health and screening results, your doctor may recommend preventive medications. An example of preventive medication is daily low-dose aspirin for heart attack. If prescribed, it's important to take medications as directed.
If you are sexually active, it's important to test for sexually transmitted infections on a regular basis.
Vaccinations guard against illnesses like the flu, HPV, and pneumonia. If you're traveling outside the U.S., talk to your doctor about vaccines to protect against region-specific diseases.
Common screening tests include blood pressure readings, bone density scans, depression screening, cholesterol testing, Pap smear, prostate specific antigen testing, mammography, colonoscopy, and diabetes testing.
Depending on your history and risk profile, your doctor might provide counseling services and education that supports your overall health. Blue Cross NC members, for example, may qualify for free smoking cessation or nutrition counseling.
The importance of preventive care is in its ability to catch problems before they're apparent. Once you have signs, symptoms, or specific concerns, care shifts from preventive to diagnostic.
In other words, your doctor goes from general monitoring to trying to figure out what's causing your symptoms.
Some services can be either preventive or diagnostic, depending on why they’re ordered. For example, a mammogram done as a routine screening for someone without symptoms is considered preventive and may be covered at no cost under many health plans. If that same test is ordered to evaluate an existing concern, it’s considered diagnostic and may involve cost‑sharing.
If you’re unsure, your doctor can help explain whether a service is preventive or diagnostic and what that means for you.
Get reliable answers to your insurance questions, such as how to get prior authorization and submitting a claim.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its health programs and activities. Learn more about our non-discrimination policy and no-cost services available to you.
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