Preventive examinations: how the right health insurance can save your life

Since childhood, doctors have been telling us how important it is to prevent the transition of the disease to a late stage, and therefore they advise to regularly undergo preventive medical examinations. We all seem to understand this, but in the end, most go to the doctor only when they have completely pressed. Someone is justified by being busy, someone is saving, someone is simply unpleasant atmosphere of the hospital. But in the end, all these excuses can turn into a disaster that could be easily avoided. As a result of the Month of Women's Health, which recently concluded in the United States, we decided to share how health insurance that covers preventive examinations can help women maintain their health and a high level of quality of life for a long time.

Photo: Shutterstock

In a famous New York insurance company Fidelis care noted that in addition to the usual reasons for refusing preventive examinations, the COVID-2020 pandemic made its negative contribution in 2021-19. Overcrowded hospitals, tough precautions and quarantines did nothing to make people want to see a doctor for a routine check-up. This was especially pronounced among women. According to survey, published by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in March 2021, since the start of the pandemic, women have missed preventive medical check-ups more than men. The annual check-up or routine examination was missed by 38% of women and 26% of men.

В Fidelis care emphasize that the pandemic should not be a reason to refuse preventive examinations. If you are unsure how to get an appointment under increased precautions, contact your doctor, make an appointment and find out if a consultation using telemedicine is possible for you (sometimes a routine examination is possible in this format).

Fidelis Care noted that most insurance plans cover the cost of preventive examinations. But, unfortunately, not all insured people know about it. Specialists will help you to choose an insurance plan that suits your needs, as well as to make sure that it provides the preventive measures you need. Fidelis care. Phone: (347) 642-2993, e-mail: [email protected]. Consultation in Russian is possible.

Is prevention as important as it is talked about?

Let's figure it out with statistics. Take, for example, three dangerous diseases that are easy to miss in the early stages. Moreover, if they are detected early, then the treatment will be effective, and if you miss the moment, then these diseases can become a sentence. Two of them affect either exclusively or predominantly women, the third is quite common among both sexes.

Breast cancer

According to Statistics, 12,9% of women in the United States (that is, one in 8) will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their life. Among women in the United States, the death rate from breast cancer is higher than from any other cancer except lung cancer.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American women. About 30% of all diagnosed cancers in women are breast cancer. Every year, this disease claims the lives of more than 40 thousand American women.

At the same time, the chances of defeating breast cancer are quite high and directly depend on the stage of its detection. So, if the tumor was detected at an early stage (it is localized in one place), the chances of emerging victorious in the battle with cancer are 99%... If the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the chances of recovery are 85,8%, but metastatic cancer in the last stage is defeated by only 29% of patients.

It is worth noting that at an early stage this insidious disease does not manifest itself in any way, so if you avoid preventive examinations with a mammologist, relying on the absence of unpleasant symptoms, you can wait for the moment when the chances of survival are sharply reduced.

Most insurances in the US include preventive health services, which are 100% covered. Their list often includes a mammogram: once a year for women over 40, as well as an appointment with a doctor for a checkup for signs of cancer. Some plans may include ultrasound, etc.

You can find out more about preventive health services and their options in different insurances at Fidelis care. Phone: (347) 642-2993, e-mail: [email protected]

Uterine cancer

Statistics suggests that 3,1% of women in the United States will be diagnosed with uterine cancer at some point in their life. This type of cancer is less common than oncological neoplasms in the breast, but the threat of death is more significant.

Moreover, in the case of uterine cancer, the chances of recovery are also very much dependent on the stage at which it was detected. At an early stage, when the tumor is localized, the probability of defeating it is 94,9%, if the tumor has caught the nearest lymph nodes, then the disease after treatment recedes in 69,3% of patients. End-stage uterine cancer (with metastases) is curable only in 17,8% of cases.

Gynecological check-ups are also included in most insurance plans in the United States. More information about options can be found in Fidelis care. Phone: (347) 642-2993, e-mail: [email protected]. Consultation in Russian is possible.

Skin cancer

This disease affects both women and men and is becoming an increasingly common problem in the world. The growth of solar activity and other harmful factors have made it one of the main threats of our time. Melanoma included in the top five most common cancers in America. Statistics suggest that 2,3% of US residents will be diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma at some point in their life.

The insidiousness of this disease lies in the fact that it can begin very unnoticed. Firstly, we do not always pay attention to how our moles change or what new spots appear on the skin, especially if they appear on the back or, for example, behind the ear. Secondly, the loss of hair by a mole or a slight change in its color or size, even on a clearly visible part of the body, does not always attract attention. Therefore, the development of such cancer at the initial stage is very easy to miss, especially if you are not a specialist. But during an examination, a professional doctor can very quickly notice points on the skin that need additional checks and promptly eliminate the threat, if any. And in the case of melanoma, this is a matter of life and death.

Identifying this type of cancer at an early stage provides a recovery probability of 99,4%, at a late stage with metastases - 29,8%.

To prevent this disease, you need to undergo a preventive examination by a dermatologist once a year or once every six months (depending on your age and the number of moles on your body), and also constantly use sunscreen - they do not guarantee that you will not get skin cancer, but there is a risk significantly reduced. How to choose the right sunscreen is described here.

These three common diseases (and not only them) are easily treatable in the early stages, but only a specialist can notice them at the very beginning of development. Preventive medical examinations by a mammologist, gynecologist, dermatologist and other doctors (depending on your history) can, without exaggeration, save your life.

These examinations may be part of your health insurance: if you choose the right insurance plan, then you can have preventive checks with doctors in your network without spending a cent of your personal funds.

The company will help you choose the insurance plan that suits your needs. Fidelis care. Phone: (347) 642-2993, e-mail: [email protected].

Read also on ForumDaily:

Technology vs health: how to effectively control the use of electronic devices by children

Three important things that people who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid should know at the same time

Secrets of longevity of Americans: how to accustom themselves to physical activity

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.