The Preventative Health Services You Need at Every Age

What’s more frustrating than shopping for a new car and home combined? Browsing insurance plans. While the process can be tedious, your efforts will pay off in the long run when you get to utilize preventative health services that could reduce the risk of disease, disability, and death. 

As the old Ben Franklin adage goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That still rings true today both socially and financially. If all Americans received recommended clinical care, the healthcare system could save over 100,000 lives annually, not to mention an estimated $53.9 billion when primary preventive services are delivered 90% of the time. 

Some estimates even predict a savings of $500 billion per year when obesity, smoking, and other modifiable risk factors are addressed regularly.

Health insurance is a valuable asset when it comes to addressing these health concerns. Most insurances (including basic Marketplace plans) cover a set of preventive health services. But they’re not always used. 

About 80% of Americans have health insurance, yet 1 in 4 does not get an annual routine (preventive) checkup.

There are a variety of reasons someone may not get the preventative care they need, including lack of transportation, not having a primary care provider, living too far from providers, or simply not being aware of recommended preventative services. We don’t want this last reason to hinder your health, so we’ve compiled a list of the preventative health services offered to children, adults, and women, specifically.

If you aren’t already taking advantage of the benefits listed below, contact your insurance carrier to take control of your health (and potentially add years to your life)!

The Preventative Health Services You Need at Every Age

Prevention efforts start young, with specific offerings for babies through adolescents. As you get older, the preventative health services offered may change, but they remain just as valuable! 

No matter your age, these preventative services must be provided without a copayment or coinsurance, even if you have not met your yearly deductible. Just remember that the provider you see must be in your plan’s network. 

Children’s Preventative Services

Ask your insurance about common children’s coverages including regular checkups, vaccines (including flu), supplements, and screenings for autism, depression, and drug use.

Here are just a few of the required coverages offered by Marketplace plans (and many others): 

• Blood screening for newborns
• Autism screening for babies at 18 and 24 months
• Developmental screening for children under 3
• Behavioral assessment for children in various age groups (0-11 months, 1-4 years, 5-10 years, 11-14 years, and 15-17 years)
• Blood pressure screening in the same age groups as above
• Depression screening beginning at age 12
• Alcohol, tobacco, and drug use assessments for adolescents
• Immunizations for children from birth to 18 (including Hepatitis A and B, Flu, Measles, and Varicella – chickenpox)
• Lead screening for children at risk of exposure
• Obesity screening and counseling
• Vision screening

Adult Preventative Services

Common adult coverages include diet counseling, falls prevention, vaccines (including flu), and screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, HIV, depression, and certain cancers.

Here are a few more specific services covered:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm one-time screening for men of specified ages who have never smoked
• Alcohol misuse screening and counseling
• Hepatitis B and C screening
• Immunizations (including required and recommended “children’s” vaccines, as well as flu and tetanus)
• Obesity screening and counseling
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and counseling
• Tobacco use screening and cessation interventions 

Women’s Preventative Services

Insurances must cover preventative services specific to women, both pregnant and not. 

Services for pregnant women or those who may become pregnant

• Anemia screening
• Breastfeeding support and counseling
• Folic acid supplements
• Hepatitis B screening
• Preeclampsia prevention and screening for pregnant women with high blood pressure
• Expanded tobacco intervention and counseling for pregnant tobacco users
• FDA-approved contraceptives (at least one in each category) – this does not apply to health plans sponsored by certain exempt “religious employers”
• Maternal depression screening for mothers of infants (at 1, 2, 4, and 6-month visits)

Services for all women

• Breast cancer mammography screenings every 1-2 years for women over 40
• Cervical cancer screening (Pap test every 3 years)
• Diabetes screening
• Domestic and interpersonal violence screening and counseling
• UTI screening
• Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and counseling 
• Well-woman visits to get recommended services for women under 65
• Female cancer screenings

No matter your age, these preventative health services could save your life. They also lower your healthcare costs by preventing or treating diseases before they require a trip to the emergency room. 

Another way to prevent serious health problems is to have blood work done regularly. Blood work is a great option to add to your corporate health fair, as it affords employees the convenience of quality health care, as well as prevention and early detection. 

When you’re ready to offer workplace health screenings, check out our blood work offerings, and then give us a call!