Does Health Insurance Cover Preventive Check-ups?

Our lifestyles these days tend to be hectic and stressful. To keep up with our gruelling schedules, most of us have incorporated sedentary and unhealthy habits into our lives that have an adverse impact on our physical well-being. However, this impact is gradual and does not happen overnight.

Therefore, it is important to prepare ourselves for any unforeseen medical emergencies. One of the easiest ways to do so is by buying a suitable health insurance policy and undergoing preventive health check-ups at regular intervals.

What’s a Preventive Health Check-up?

Preventive health check-ups are a series of medical tests that are conducted to analyse the status of an individual’s health. These medical examinations are carried out to identify any diseases or infections before they develop into an advanced stage.

In addition to the above, preventive check-ups help identify specific habits and behaviours that can lead to medical issues, sometimes with unnoticeable symptoms. These check-ups can also help your doctor understand the measures they need to take to prevent the growth of an illness within your body.

Preventive check-ups are conducted as a precautionary measure to check if every organ and system in your body is functional and healthy. The main aim of these check-ups is the timely identification of an existing or potential health issue. Therefore, it is recommended that you must get a preventive health check-up done at least on an annual basis to stay aware of your bodily health.

Benefits of Preventive Health Check-ups

Here are some benefits of undergoing a preventive health check-up on a timely basis:

1. It helps in the timely diagnosis of a harmful disease.
2. It may motivate you to work towards improving your physical well-being and protect yourself from diseases.
3. It may encourage you to inculcate healthy habits such as exercising, eating healthy, and sleeping for at least 8 hours every day, etc.
4. It may help you realise the impact of unhealthy habits on your body.
5. It may motivate you to follow a more holistic approach to life instead of a stressful one.
6. It allows you to get the necessary medical attention to treat an existing disease or prevent a potential one.

What is Covered Under Preventive Health Check-ups?

A preventive check-up involves a series of medical tests for an individual. The tests involved are different for different age groups. Here’s a glimpse at the test for individuals from various age groups.

• Children upto ten years of age:

• Newborn jaundice;
• Auscultation;
• Ophthalmic exam;
• Hearing test;
• Palpitations;

• Individuals between 11 and 19 years of age:

• Hepatitis B;
• Tuberculosis;
• Eye examination;
• Hepatitis C;
• Lipid profile;
• Obesity;
• Anaemia;
• Blood pressure;
• Chlamydia;

• Individuals between 20 and 30 years of age:

• Blood pressure;
• Lipid profile;
• Eye Examination;
• Diabetes;
• Pelvic examination (for women);
• Hepatitis C;
• Breast Cancer (for women).

• Individuals between 30 and 40 years of age:

• Blood pressure;
• Diabetes;
• Eye examination;
• Lipid profile;
• Dental examination;
• Cancer screening;
• Breast cancer (for women);
• Pelvic examination;
• Hepatitis C;
• Testicular examination (for men);

• Individuals between 40 and 60 years of age:

• Diabetes;
• Blood pressure;
• Heart disease screening;
• Cancer screening;
• Cholesterol screening;
• Osteoporosis screening;
• Breast cancer screening (for women);
• Cervical cancer screening (for women);
• Prostate cancer screening (for men);
• Eye examination;
• Dental examination;
• Pelvic examination;
• Bone mineral density check;
• Testicular examination (for men).

• Individuals above 60 years of age:

• Blood pressure;
• Cancer screening;
• Diabetes;
• Cholesterol screening;
• Eye examination;
• Breast cancer (for women);
• Prostate cancer (for men);
• Pelvic examination;
• Bone mineral density check;
• Aneurysm test;
• Hearing test.

Do Medical Insurance Plans Cover Preventive Health Check-ups?

Yes, numerous health insurance plans in the country include the benefit of preventive health check-ups. Your health insurance policy will cover the cost of preventive medical examinations undergone by you. The results of the test do not have an impact on the health insurance policy premium.

A preventive health check-up can help you determine whether you need to enhance the coverage of your medical insurance plan at the time of renewal. If the test detects a critical illness, you can make plans to financially prepare yourself by choosing critical illness insurance.

You can learn more about your health insurance policy’s preventive health check-up coverage by carefully reading the policy document. Along with this, it is also crucial to read what is not covered in your health insurance plan as it can help you understand the policy and its coverage better.

What is Not Covered By a Health Insurance Plan

While the exclusions in a health insurance policy differ for different insurance companies, certain exclusions are common for all insurance companies. Here are certain medical conditions that are not covered in medical insurance plans.

1. Plastic or cosmetic surgery: Unless necessary as a part of the necessary treatment by an attending Medical Practitioner for the reconstruction of the body after an accident or burns, these treatments are not covered under a health insurance plan.
2. Treatments based on rest and rehabilitation: Different cures like sanatorium treatment, rehabilitation, private duty nursing, long-term nursing care, etc., are not covered in a health insurance plan.
3. Hospitalisation for enteral feedings: If you are hospitalised for enteral feedings, the associated expenses are not covered by a health insurance plan unless they are certified by a Medical Practitioner as being part of a treatment covered under the plan.

You must go through your policy document carefully to learn about all the exclusions in the health insurance plan.

Conclusion

Undergoing preventive health check-ups on a timely basis is one of the best ways to keep track of your body’s medical condition. Such a test can help in the early detection of various diseases, including critical illnesses, and help you seek the necessary course of treatment in time. Preventive health check-ups are, therefore, an effective way to stay one step ahead of any potential illnesses or diseases.