What Is Included in a Preventative Health Checkup and Scan?

Getting regular preventative healthcare screenings can save your life and keep you healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 70% of the leading causes of death in America are caused by a chronic condition. And, unfortunately, roughly 60% of Americans have at least one chronic condition.

Luckily, many chronic conditions can be prevented with the right preventative care such as healthier choices, regular dental checkups, and regular medical checkups (according to the CDC). Learn what should be included in your preventative health checkup below.

What is preventative health care?

According to the CDC, preventative health care includes wellness checks (when you go to the doctor even though you feel good just to make sure everything is okay), health screening tests, cancer screenings, and vaccinations.

The majority of chronic conditions and chronic illnesses have no symptoms in the early stages. This is why preventative care is vital to overall health and longevity. Some people may even opt to receive preventative CT scans to ensure nothing is wrong.

Examples of preventative healthcare:

Annual Health Screening

An annual wellness check is the best way to find serious health issues before they become worrisome or even life-threatening such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, abnormal blood sugar levels, etc. Getting these regular healthcare screenings and following doctor recommendations for how to fix the issue if there’s a problem is the best way to prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other preventable diseases.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, your annual health screening tests will include:

Checking your blood pressure and heart rate.
A physical examination.
Discussing your lifestyle and how that could be contributing to current health problems and future health problems.
Reviewing your medication record, vaccination record, family history, and any health concerns you may have.
Being advised on cancer screenings and blood tests you should be getting based on your age and risk factors.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), adults under the age of 65 should also receive annual mental health checkups. This addresses the possibility of a patient developing anxiety and/or depression. Mental health screenings have become increasingly common as part of a wellness check as anxiety has become more common since 2020 in the U.S.

Vaccinations

An annual health screening with your primary care doctor is also important because it helps ensure that you’re up to date on vaccinations. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, adults between the ages of 19 and 49 should receive the following vaccinations:

Flu shot (annually)
COVID-19 vaccine (follow doctor recommendations)
Tdap (every 10 years)
HPV (by age 26)

Everyone over 50 should get the vaccines listed above plus the following vaccinations, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

A shingles vaccine
A pneumococcal vaccine (65 and older)

Cancer prevention

Cancer screenings are the best way to find cancer while it is still treatable.

Breast Cancer Screening

According to the CDC, all women should be routinely checking their breasts. If there are any changes or concerns, always address them with your doctor. At 40, women should begin a conversation with their doctor about when they should begin getting mammograms. Depending on your risk factors this may be the time to begin screening. Beginning at 50 women with average risk factors should begin getting a mammogram every other year.

Cervical Cancer Screenings

Beginning at 21, women should begin to get regular PAP tests to look for early signs of cervical cancer, according to the CDC. Women should also consider HPV screening as well since HPV prevention and regular PAP tests are the best ways to prevent cervical cancer. If your PAP and HPV tests both come back normal, you may be able to wait up to five years to be tested again.

Colon Cancer Screenings

The CDC recommends that people between the ages of 45 and 75 be screened for colorectal cancer through stool tests and a colonoscopy. How frequently you will need to repeat screening will depend on the results of your first tests. People with certain risk factors such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, a family history of colon cancer, a family history of colorectal polyps, Lynch syndrome, or familial adenomatous polyposis should discuss even earlier screening with their doctors.

Lung Cancer Screenings

Not everyone needs to be screened for lung cancer, according to the CDC, but anyone who has ever smoked or been exposed to cancer-causing substances should discuss testing with their doctor.

The CDC recommends people be screened annually if they meet these criteria:

Are 50 or older and…
Currently, smoke or have smoked within the last 15 years or…
Have a history of smoking 20 packs or more a year.

Does health insurance cover preventative care?

According to Healthcare.gov, all health insurance plans that go through marketplace health plans are required to cover preventative services for free without needing to meet an annual deductible. This tends to be true of even plans outside of the marketplace as these types of plans are still subject to rules under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Keep in mind that for these services to be free they must be provided by a medical provider within your network.

Getting regular preventative health checkups is not only good for living a longer and more comfortable life, but these checkups can also be lifesaving (literally). Making the time to see your doctor, making the changes they suggest, and getting the recommended tests are key to a long life.

Getting an annual exam and all recommended screenings are the best way to prevent deadly diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, cancer, and more. For those wishing to go even further, consider scheduling a CT scan with the Preventative Diagnostic Center.