Preventive Care: Keep up to date

There are many things you could do to keep yourself healthy. Eat nutritious foods. Exercise or recreation can help you move your body. Keep your weight under control. Do not smoke or use drugs. Limit alcohol intake. Get enough sleep. But an important part of being–and staying–healthy is getting regular preventive health care checkups. 
So exactly what is preventive health care, and what are its benefits? 

Jeanne Pickerell (registered nurse, Defense Health Agency Preventive Health and Disease Management Division) stated, “Preventive healthcare is the use of recognized proactive screenings and counseling to prevent future disease and treatment.” It takes into account family history, lifestyle, or other risk factors. 

Preventive health visits are key to maintaining good health long term. This includes your mental and emotional well being, as well as your physical health. 

Preventive Care 
Preventive checksups can help to prevent potential health problems from occurring. They can also help in the detection of conditions that you may be at risk for. 

Who can you get preventive care from? It depends on your individual health plan. For more information, see the Getting Prevention Care page. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), preventive healthcare, including blood pressure, cholesterol screenings and diabetes screenings, can help early diagnosis and treatment. This means that treatment can be started early and when it’s most likely will be effective. Regular preventive checks have been shown to lower the risk of serious illnesses or disabilities, such as carcinoma. This can lead to death. 

Preventive Health Services 
Depending on your gender, age, family history, and other risk factors, when you can start health screenings–and how often you have them–will vary. TRICARE provides guidelines to help plan ahead for each covered screening. Your health care provider, who oversees your general healthcare, will tell you when your screenings are due. 

TRICARE covers many types of preventive health care exams and screenings. Many of them are performed in a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention examination. 

All Adults 
It’s important to be aware of when to start preventive medicine screenings, tests, and exams as we age.

• Blood pressure screenings 
• Cancer screenings 
• Cholesterol testing 
• Hepatitis B
• Immunizations  
• Physicals 

Regular prostate cancer screenings should be done by men. Women should get well-woman exams (includes breast exams, pelvic exams and Pap tests) and mammograms. 

Special screenings include a bone density check to check for Osteoporosis and a colonoscopy to assess the health of your colon. For individuals at high risk of colon cancer, a colonoscopy should be performed once every 10 years (CDC). 

These types of non-routine screenings are for patients with signs or symptoms or are at high risk of developing a condition. Some patients may need to be referred or pre-authorized by a doctor. 

Children 
Preventive services can help kids stay healthy. It’s a good habit to instill in your children the importance of regular checkups.

• Well-child exams (includes developmental and behavioral assessments)
• Immunizations 
• Vision screenings 

Preventive Health Services 
The Tricare Costs and Fees Fact sheet explains how TRICARE makes it easy for you to get the preventive care that you and your family require. TRICARE covers all clinical preventive services with no out-of-pocket costs to you if you use a TRICARE network provider. 

You may be eligible for TRICARE Cost-Share if you have TRICARE f r Life. This cost-share can be used to pay for preventive services that Medicare and TRICARE do not cover. Visit Medicare’s preventive coverage and screenings page for more information. 

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Remember, even if you feel well, it’s important to see a doctor regularly to maintain good health, help avoid problems in the future, and detect a condition before it worsens. Get proactive and schedule your preventive exam before the year is over. To learn more, visit TRICARE’s preventive services.