Preventive Care

Most Annual Physicals Free Through Your Medical Plan

When you're bitten by the flu bug or hurt your arm, there's a good chance you might call or visit your doctor. But ask yourself how long it's been since you visited your doctor for a checkup. If it's been a while, you may want to consider making an appointment.

Did you know you can see your doctor for preventive services and not pay a copayment? Your medical plan allows you to access certain wellness benefits or preventive services at no charge to you. These services include:

• Age Specific Cancer Screenings: Mammograms, pap smears, prostate cancer screenings, colorectal screenings and colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy screenings
• Annual Physical Exams
• Immunizations
• Well-child Care

Preventive services are important for adults and children alike. Through annual exams, your doctor can often detect the onset of certain health conditions and can monitor your child's development. Physicians use screening tests to find diseases before symptoms appear, and diagnostic tests and medical exams to find a disease early in its course. The tests you need may depend on your age, gender, and risk factors.

In addition, your physician can offer advice on a variety of topics including injury prevention and the importance of diet and exercise. They can also work with you to design a program to help you stay healthy.

If your physician provides services in addition to the standard exam, you may be charged an office visit copayment.

Call your doctor to set up an annual exam or for cancer screenings. Also, take advantage of vision and hearing exams through your medical plan one time per year with a $25 copayment.

Sources include: Preventive Services for Healthy Living at familydoctor.org, 5 Simple Steps Could Save 100,000 Lives, and Early Disease Detection - Overview at webmd.com