Many – but not all – healthcare plans cover preventive services. The extent of coverage varies, so you should confirm exactly what coverage your plan provides for preventive services. What you do with this information is your choice - people in good health or who dislike testing may not feel compelled to act. The benefits, however, are compelling: when disease is detected early, treatment is more likely to be effective and quality of life is usually better.
Your health care provider can help you understand what you are at risk for and what you can do about it - if together you make time for those “routine tests” and a health exam.
This article was last reviewed on September 17, 2008.
This article was last modified on April 8, 2009.
The review date indicates when the article was last reviewed from beginning to end to ensure that it reflects the most current science. A review may not require any modifications to the article, so the two dates may not always agree.
The modified date indicates that one or more changes were made to the article. Such changes may or may not result from a full review of the article, so the two dates may not always agree.
