The Importance of Annual Checkups
By: Saivishnu Tulugu
For many Americans a trip to the doctors office is often associated with sickness, pain, and unnecessary healthcare costs. However, there are a myriad of benefits to annual health checkups that outweigh the perceived disadvantages.
The primary benefit of getting an annual health checkup is early diagnosis of potentially dangerous health conditions such as metastatic cancers, latent stage chronic diseases, and STI’s. When diseases are in their initial stages, they are generally more easily treatable and less likely to elicit permanent damage to an individual. (An et. al) This is especially relevant to cancers that can be removed with surgical procedures with high success rates. Furthermore, annual health checkups allows clinicians to offer suggestions to the patient on how to prevent the course of disease to ensure that further damage does not occur.
Another important benefit of annual health checkups are the long term monetary savings. When an individual is able to prevent/treat a disease prior to its clinical pathogenesis, it can save them money on expensive treatment options, medicines, and doctors visits. According to the AARP, the average cost of chemotherapy treatment in the US is $150,000, a figure almost five times the average US household income of $3,113. (US Census Bureau) Thus it is more cost-effective in the long run to pay for an annual checkup than bear the burden of disease treatment. (Ganguli et. al) Individuals should also be aware that there are many programs and free clinics that offer basic health services to individuals who cannot afford to see a primary care physician. Interested individuals should visit https://content.naic.org/state-insurance-departments for more information.
Overall, it is imperative that individuals should have a yearly health checkup with a primary care physician as it is the best way to gain a snapshot of your health and prevent the onset of potentially dangerous and costly diseases.
Work Cited
The Importance of Annual Checkups
An, S., Choi, Y. J., Lee, H. Y., Yoon, Y. J., & Platt, M. (2018). Predictors of Breast Cancer Screening Among Korean American Women: Is Having an Annual Checkup Critical?. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP, 19(5), 1281–1286. https://doi.org/10.22034/APJCP.2018.19.5.1281
Ganguli, I., Lupo, C., Mainor, A. J., Wang, Q., Orav, E. J., Rosenthal, M. B., Sequist, T. D., & Colla, C. H. (2020). Assessment of Prevalence and Cost of Care Cascades After Routine Testing During the Medicare Annual Wellness Visit. JAMA network open, 3(12), e2029891. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29891
Publishing, H. H. (n.d.). Why your annual check-up is still important to your health. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-your-annual-check-up-is-still-important-to-your-health.
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