A recent Danish study found routine annual physicals have little benefit for healthy people. Researchers went as far to conclude routine physicals are meaningless and a waste of money and resources.
The study breakdown: Study participants were randomly assigned either to receive a physical or not receive a physical. Participants were given a routine exam, which included screening tests, advice about lifestyle changes, and a physical exam. The results showed both groups were just as likely to die over a nine-year period.
However, I think the study fails to look at the bigger picture. We have recurring expenses for being in poor health, and if we don’t go to the doctor, how will we know where we stand?
The first step is a checkup. It allows a doctor to diagnose emerging issues early, so you don’t become one of those people who need to be subsidized by other people for avoiding care. Ideally, obesity screenings would be done with an annual physical.
Now, the study did point out that going to the doctor for a specific screening or a vaccine is beneficial for everyone, but researchers do not believe it is necessary to have screenings done every year, stating it costs a lot of money and overuses resources.
Here is where I stand: Prevention does cost money—there’s no denying it. But if you look at the costs of the conditions these annual physicals prevent—obesity, heart disease, diabetes—the cost of prevention comes out significantly lower; millions of dollars lower. The cost of diabetes in the United States, for example, has risen to $245 billion in 2012 from $174 billion in 2007, according to the American Diabetes Association. The number is a 41 percent increase over a five-year period for diabetes alone.
These conditions, which are often caused by obesity, are largely preventable. Annual physicals give doctors a platform to easily monitor and predict conditions over time. When patients come in regularly, meaning they keep up with their annual physicals, doctors can recognize health trends and see when a patient’s health took a bad turn, making it easier to pinpoint why and determine the best course of action.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends all adults be screened for obesity annually. As Americans become larger, studies show we eat less healthy than we think. An annual checkup, under the care of a physician, is the most accurate way to monitor your health, and it’s essential these screenings are covered under insurance.
What do you think? Are annual physicals worth the cost?
