Preventive health care services include checkups, patient counseling and screening to help prevent illness, disease and other underlying health issues that might otherwise go undetected. And they can save your life and lengthen it. Preventive health care is meant to keep healthy people healthy.

Detecting health-related issues before they get out of hand gives you a better chance of a full recovery. While you may not think about going to the doctor unless you’re sick, consider yearly check-ups. Preventive measures like these will help you live a healthier, fuller life so you can keep doing the things you love most.

Here are some of the many benefits of preventive health care and why it’s so important to stay on top of your health:

Increased Longevity

We all want to live a long, healthy life. And preventive health care can extend your life. The more proactive you are, the better prepared you’ll be. Make sure you’re scheduling important screening tests. These age-appropriate tests will give you a good sense of your health every step of the way. This is one of the best ways to prevent cancer, diabetes, mental illness and much more.

Costs Less Over Time

Preventive health care can save you money in the long run by lowering the long-term cost of disease management by catching health problems early. If you wait on fixing a health issue, medical bills can skyrocket.

Preventative health care can also save you money through full insurance coverage. Most insurance will cover your preventative services. Take advantage of no deductibles, copay, coinsurance or other out-of-pocket expenses that may be included in your insurance plan. Be sure to check what your plan covers first.

Immunizations Prevent Infections

Immunizations are an important part of preventing infectious diseases.

Aside from the common flu vaccine, vaccinations prevent infections like polio, measles, mumps, diphtheria and other harmful viruses like COVID-19.

Immunizations can be nerve-wracking for some, but research has shown that vaccines are safe for most people.

Live an Active Life

When you’re held back from activities, your health can suffer. A simple physical can help you understand your body, and to help you know with your provider’s help which activities are best for you to get you active again if you’ve been sedentary for a while.

Remember to get the go-ahead from your doctor based on your current health before starting a new exercise plan.

Provider Recommendations

When you’ve scheduled your appointment, your provider will give you a full scope of your potential health risks. These physician recommendations are a valuable tool and one of the benefits of preventative care.

Doctors can ask important questions like family medical history. This can be a telltale sign of something you may need to check up on.

For patients with chronic conditions, doctor recommendations can help with changes in various conditions with symptom relief and improving your life is the goal. Make sure to take your provider’s recommendations to heart.

Get a Handle on Health Challenges

The running theme of preventive care is catching issues before they become big problems.

If you have an underlying health issue, controlling the risk factors of different causes of death can’t happen without preventive care. This could mean things like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and safe exercise routines. All of these things can be developed and built upon after a preventive care visit.

Collective Benefits of Preventive Health Care

Improving the metrics and system of health care overall makes for better treatment for you and others. This means the more people who take advantage of preventive health care, the more effective these services are.

Proper health care plays a crucial role in the delivery of care. Without information, we can’t have causation. This means the more people willing to visit the doctor early before a situation gets worse will lead to better health care for all.

We Take Your Whole Health Seriously

These are only some of the benefits of preventive health care. There are dozens of other reasons you should make your annual visit with your primary care provider a priority.

Since “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans,” take the time to pay attention to your body, mind and spirit and what they need. And we’ll support you every step of the way.

To find a primary care provider or schedule a visit with yours, call the Member Experience Center at 855-747-7476. You deserve to feel whole.