What is Preventive Care? 

Preventive care includes things like check-ups, screenings, flu shot, immunizations, and other tests that are designed to prevent the onset of a variety of health problems. Federal law requires that most healthcare plans fully cover the cost of preventive care services. This law covers both healthcare plans provided by employers and those privately bought. Nevertheless, to get full cover, doctors must be in-network. 

What are the Benefits of Preventive Care

Preventive care benefits not only the individual but also the country as a whole as well. With $4.1 trillion spent on healthcare in the U.S. in 2020, that works out at $12,530 per person annually. Many of the conditions treated in the U.S. are chronic and preventable conditions. By taking advantage of preventive care, this huge spend on healthcare would likely drop substantially. 

Additionally, those who take the time to invest in preventive care are more likely to live longer. The more screening an individual has, the more chance there is of catching any illnesses early. The best outcome for those with a condition such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes comes with early diagnosis. 

Most healthcare plans include full cover for preventive care. Those who do not take advantage of these services are much more likely to suffer health conditions later in life. This will mean higher premiums because of the higher cost of treatment. For those without healthcare insurance, paying for preventive care now could help to save on the cost of disease management in later life. 

Preventive care also increases the chance of you living a much more active life as you get older. Getting to retirement for example, should mean being able to do all the things that a full-time job prevented. But if you are infirm by the time that you reach retirement age, you will find it difficult to enjoy your new-found freedom. 

What is Covered Under Preventive Care? 

Preventive care services mean those which are designed to prevent medical problems before they develop or become serious. Nevertheless, according to the experts at Find-A-Code.com (https://www.findacode.com/), there is often some confusion regarding what is classed as preventive care and what comes under the heading of diagnostic care. For example, a routine mammogram is classed as a preventive care service but should a doctor request another mammogram because of something that was highlighted on the first one, the second mammogram would not be classed as preventive. 

The first mammogram would be coded under preventive care but for the second, the medical coder would need to use a diagnostic code lookup instead. 

Can You Implement Preventive Care Yourself? 

Preventive care does not just include those services provided by healthcare professionals. For example, you can implement measures yourself, such as managing your weight. This might include eating a healthy diet and including more exercise in your daily routine. You can also cut down on alcohol and stop smoking. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends cutting down on sugar and salt and reducing your intake of harmful fats. 

It is also important to keep your brain active to prevent the onset of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. This could include doing crosswords and other brain puzzles such as Sudoku.

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