End of Year Wellness Visits
The end of the year is fast approaching, so you should get in your wellness visits if you haven’t done them yet.
Some Examples of Wellness Visits
Cancer screenings
- Women need to have breast cancer screenings done every one or two years after they turn 40, and men should have prostate cancer screenings every year after 45.
- People with a personal or family history of cancer are more at risk of developing cancer
- Mortality rates for people diagnosed with cancer who are regularly screened are from 3-35% less than those who do not go to regular screenings because cancer is often caught before it can develop into serious stages.
Cholesterol screenings
- Adults should have their cholesterol checked every 4-6 years.
- There are no symptoms of having high cholesterol, so it’s important to have it checked.
- Cholesterol levels increase in your body as you age, so it is especially crucial for those older than 40 to get cholesterol tests done.
- If high cholesterol runs in your family, if you have heart disease or type II diabetes, if you are overweight, if you’re leading a sedentary lifestyle, or if you’re smoking and drinking your chances of developing high cholesterol are increased.
Diabetes screenings
- People over 45 to 70 years old, and people who are overweight, should be screened for type II diabetes every two years if initial screening comes back normal.
- Screening for type I diabetes is not recommended.
- Older adults are at higher risk of developing type II diabetes.
- Children and young adults that are overweight and considered at risk of developing diabetes should be screened every two years.
Blood pressure screenings
- You should have a blood pressure screening every 2 years after age 20 if you have had high blood pressure before. If not, then adults between 18 and 39 should get screened every 3 to 5 years. If you are older than 40, then you should be screened every year.
- High blood pressure presents no symptoms, so it is important to get screened to catch it, as having high blood pressure can lead to different types of heart disease.
About seven out of ten people in the US suffer from a chronic disease. Leading a healthy lifestyle and routinely seeing a doctor for wellness visits greatly reduces the chance you have of contracting one of these diseases. If you do develop a chronic condition it is best to catch it early so it can start to get treated as soon as possible to prevent the condition from worsening. Wellness visits and exams are the best way to catch these conditions early.
Your health insurance will, of course, influence what all is covered for wellness exams. Not all insurance policies cover blood work and lab work that some of these exams require. Deductibles for insurance reset at the end of the year, so be sure to visit your healthcare providers to get the most out of what is left.
