18-07-2025
Essential preventive health screenings guide
Preventive screenings check for signs of various medical conditions, such as cancer or heart problems. They are available for many conditions and people of all screenings are an important part of healthcare as they allow doctors to detect signs of a health condition as early as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for the best possible outcome for many professionals recommend that some people have preventive screenings, such as the Pap test, from early adulthood. They recommend other screenings, such as for lung cancer, later in on to learn more about the types of preventive screenings, when doctors recommend them, and importance of preventive screeningsPreventive screenings are important for people of all ages. They can help doctors identify some conditions early, which can sometimes make them easier to are many different preventive screenings. Some are essential in childhood to help identify developmental delays and provide any necessary screenings are important in adulthood, especially as many conditions become more common later in life. Screenings can help to detect early signs of:cancercardiovascular diseaseproblems with bone mass, which can lead to conditions such as osteoporosis or osteopeniaPreventive screenings for cancerThe main preventive screenings for cancer include:Breast cancer screening, or mammogram: Typically performed every 2 years for people assigned female at birth who are ages 40 to 74 years with an average risk of breast cancer screening: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) recommends that people have a Pap smear from age 21 years, and the HPV test from ages 30 to cancer screening: Recommended for people between ages 50 to 74 cancer screening: Recommended for people between 50 and 80 years with a history of cancer screening: Recommendations indicate that people consider screening from age 50 years.»Learn more:Does Medicare cover Pap smears?Preventive screenings for heart healthPreventive screenings that can help with heart health include:blood pressure tests, which a person will usually require at least once a yearcholesterol tests, which a doctor may recommend from around age 20blood glucose tests are usually recommended for individuals over 45 years or with overweight, particularly if they have an additional cardiovascular risk factor»Learn more:What blood tests does Medicare not cover?Preventive screenings for infectionsDoctors may recommend preventive screenings for infections, including:hepatitis B screenings for people from countries where there is a hepatitis B prevalence of more than 2% and people born in the United States who did not receive the vaccine as an infanthepatitis C screening at least once during a person's life after age 18HIV screening at least once during a person's life between the ages of 15 and 65 years, as well as during pregnancysyphilis screenings for adults at higher risktuberculosis (TB) screenings for adults at high risk but without symptoms»Learn more:Hepatitis vaccination, screening, and other prevention tipsPreventive screenings for babies and childrenSoon after birth, newborns will receive a range of screening tests to assess their overall health and check for signs of underlying conditions. These include:bilirubin concentration screeningblood screeningshearing screeningssickle cell disease screeninghypothyroidism screeningsphenylketonuria (PKU) screeningsSome preventive screenings for infants and children include:autism screenings for children at ages 18 and 24 monthsdevelopmental screenings for children under 3 yearsdyslipidemia screening between 9 and 11 years, as well as between 17 and 21 yearshearing screenings throughout childhoodanemia screenings at around 9 to 12 monthshepatitis B screenings in adolescents at high riskHIV screening for adolescents at high risklead screening for children at risk of lead poisoningvision screenings, from as early as 6 to 12 months, as part of a well-child examSpeak with the baby's or child's pediatrician for more information about the preventive screenings they require and at what ages they require them.»FIND CARE:Find a pediatrician in your area coverage for screeningsThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires health insurance to cover the cost of a range of on an individual's age, their insurance may pay for preventive screenings such as:blood pressure testscholesterol testscancer screeningsscreenings for babies and infants as part of their well-baby and well-child checksA person can speak with their insurance provider to find out what preventive screenings they cover.»Learn more:Does Medicare cover cholesterol tests?Overcoming barriers to screeningsSome people face barriers to preventive screenings. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) explains that some of these barriers can include:the cost of preventive carenot currently having a primary care provider or not living near a providerbeing unaware of the recommended preventive screeningsHealth insurance providers are required to cover the cost of many preventive screenings. A person can speak with their insurance provider to find out about the screenings they a person does not currently have a primary care provider, they may wish to look into the doctors near them or consider a Telehealth appointment. Finding a doctor before the age at which a person requires preventive screenings can help make it easier to attend the screenings when the time doctor can also recommend certain screenings and advise people on how to reduce their risk of various conditions if they have an increased risk.»LEARN MORE:Learn about Medicare's annual wellness to contact a doctor People can contact their doctor to find out when they might recommend preventive screenings based on their circumstances. The doctor can also help arrange the screenings, which might involve referrals to a a person has had a preventive screening, they can also speak with their doctor to ask follow-up questions or to find out about the next steps. The doctor will be able to advise on the test results and explain whether they recommend further asked questionsSummaryPreventive screenings are important in healthcare as they can identify signs of conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and tests can look for types of cancer such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, and prostate preventive screenings can also look for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, and TB. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose tests can help monitor heart professionals recommend preventive screening tests for people at different ages. While most occur in adulthood, newborns and children require some preventive screening. These include hearing and vision screenings, infection screenings, autism screenings, and health insurance will cover necessary preventive screenings. Consider speaking with a doctor about potential preventive screenings, when they recommend them, and what the tests involve.
