4-minute read
The best defense against a long list of health problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place.
That’s why preventative care is so important.
Routine preventative care can help detect, prevent, and treat healthcare issues.
Without preventative care, you are more likely to suffer from preventable diseases, overlook the early signs of disease, neglect opportunities to treat or reverse diseases, and miss work or quit due to health issues.
By staying on top of your preventative care, you can protect yourself from avoidable illnesses, and shield yourself from the cost of treating them.
Here are 6 facts about preventative care that everyone should know.
1. There are three categories of preventative care.
Primary prevention includes the steps you can take to avoid developing diseases. This would be things like getting vaccinated, avoiding tobacco and excessive drinking, and participating in weight loss programs.
Secondary prevention aims to prevent diseases from spreading beyond the early stages and can include screenings for breast cancer, colon cancer, and other conditions.
Tertiary prevention focuses on minimizing the progression of existing diseases.
Prioritizing wellness is important for building healthy habits and can be a great form of primary prevention. Some important things to think about are making sure you drink enough water throughout the day, using your breaks to go for a walk, or participating in fitness activities near you. You should also take advantage of any routine health screening opportunities that are available to you.
2. One in four Americans with health insurance didn't get a routine checkup last year.
Research published by Health Testing Centers found that one in four Americans with health insurance didn’t get a health checkup last year.
Regular checkups are often our first step to preventing illness. When people have regular access to affordable preventative care, any chronic conditions are more likely to be discovered and managed. This reduces the chance of both emergency room visits and more expensive treatment for diseases that have progressed past regular management.
As for flu shots: Although the CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine, only one-third of insured Americans got one last year. Did you get a flu shot last year? Do you know if it was offered to you for free through your health insurance? Make sure you do some digging and take advantage of all the healthcare services available to you.
Dental care is another area where Americans don’t really get the preventative care they need. And this is costly: One in five children (age 6-11) and one in four adults have untreated cavities. Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems eating, speaking, and learning.
On average, 34 million school hours are lost each year because of unplanned emergency dental care visits.
You can take advantage of preventative dental care:
By taking time to go to the dentist (or taking your kids to the dentist).
By scheduling an annual dental appointment.
By using Paytient* to spread the cost of any dental care needed.
It’s important to understand why people don’t get the preventative care they need. The main reasons are lack of health insurance, no doctor, and problems with healthcare delivery, such as wait times in clinics or doctors’ offices, as well as the overall cost for any care.
However, untreated issues can lead to bigger problems (and bigger costs), and preventative care can stop them in their tracks or prevent them from getting worse. Paytient lets you get the care you need, when you need it, with an interest-free payment plan* to fit your budget.
5. Nearly 64% of patients reported they have delayed or not received care in the past year because they have not been able to pay.
The cost of preventative healthcare often stops people getting the care they need. In one survey, 64 percent of patients reported that they have delayed or not received the care they need in the past year because the medical expenses were too high. Along those lines, 61 percent of patients said they have no money saved for high medical expenses. That’s where Paytient can step in.
6. Paytient makes preventative care more affordable.
Paytient provides different payment options and payment plans without interest* to suit different circumstances. With access to early screenings, routine checkups, and other necessary care, people can deal with their health and well-being when they need to, rather than not getting the care they need or getting themselves into increasing debt through mounting interest.
* Subject to approval
The Paytient Visa Credit Card is issued by Commerce Bank, Member FDIC.