You all have heard that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but in the world of healthcare, it is an ounce of prevention that could potentially save thousands of dollars. At InstantUC, we see every day how the proactive management of health has the power to change lives – not to mention, it can save lots of money. Let’s look at how.
What Is Preventive Care?
When you think of preventive care, think of changing the oil in your car. You do this before there is a problem to avoid a costly breakdown. In the healthcare world, preventive care is made up of:
- Screenings: blood pressure checks, cholesterol checks, mammograms, colonoscopies
- Vaccinations: flu shots, COVID boosters, childhood vaccines
- Counseling: nutrition counseling, smoking cessation, mental health support
Preventive care is different from diagnostic care meaning, diagnostic care is for symptoms that exist while preventive care is work to prevent illness before it starts or to catch illnesses early enough where treatment is easier and less expensive.
5 Ways Preventive Care Saves You Money
1. Prevents Costly Emergencies
Heart attacks can cost over $100,000 to treat, while a blood pressure check can be $0 with insurance. If you can treat blood pressure before it causes a cardiac event, you can use medications and early lifestyle choices to help avoid emergencies.
Real Savings: A recent study showed that preventive care can lower ER visits by 40% and inpatient stays by 33%.
2. Prevents The Domino Effect of Chronic Diseases
Certainly, the majority of healthcare spending in the U.S. is spent managing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. 90% of the $4.1 trillion we spend annually is on healthcare.
- Early intervention and treatment of chronic diseases (such as diabetes): Routine blood sugar testing can identify and treat early-stage diabetes and prevent the need for kidney transplantation (an average of $90,000/yr for dialysis).
- Cancer Screening tests help identify and treat cancers at earlier stages – we can potentially save over $300,000 when someone gets a routine colonoscopy.
3. Reduces Your Insurance Premiums
Insurance companies not only promote prevention, but they reward it. Many companies will offer a discount for completing wellness visits or screening visits. The fewer claims they have to process, the better.
Just remember this too, every company must cover the ACA preventative services; over 100 services that have no out of pocket expense.
4. Increases Your Productivity
Sick days cost employers $530 billion in lost productivity every year. Preventive care protects income and keeps you at your job.
- Vaccinations help prevent flu-related absences (3 – 5 days lost work/year)
- Managed chronic conditions means fewer sick days.
5. Reduces Future Spending
As a reference point, a study from Johns Hopkins found that every dollar spent on prevention saves an average of $5.60 on future spending on healthcare. Here’s a sample of statistics we can illustrate:
- For childhood vaccines, every dollar spent saved $10 in illness spending.
- For smoking cessation programs, the programs had an average savings of over $7,000/person for 10 years.
Reasons People Don’t Use Preventative Care:
While preventative care shows many benefits, only 8% of adults in the U.S. receive all preventative recommended services. The following are a few barriers:
- Myths about costs: 47% think preventative care costs money, when in fact the majority of ACA health plans cover preventative services completely.
- Access issues: Clinics in rural areas, and transportation for low-income families who want to use preventative care.
- Knowledge of screenings: A majority do not know what screenings they need.
Simple Steps to Start Saving (and Protecting) Your Health
| If You’re: | Do This: | Potential Savings |
| Under 40 | Yearly physical + flu shot | Avoid $2,000+/year of illness costs. |
| 40–65 | Cancer screenings + cholesterol tests | Avoid $50k + of heart disease costs. |
| Managing diabetes | Do this: Biannual screening A1C testing + nutritional counseling. | Avoid when you gently manage, deteriorating 60% of your costs when developing complications. |
| Uninsured | Do this: Community health center (sliding scale fee + discounts) | Screenings + clinic visits are 80% lower than ER fee |
- Make The Most of Your Insurance: Use your ACA preventative exams with zero co-pay.
- Know Your Family History: If you require earlier tests or more often, let your provider know.
- Explore Telehealth: Many plans cover talking with your doctor on your concerns via video.
- Small Habits, Big Savings: Engage in daily exercise, it reduces heart disease risk by 50%.
The Bottom Line
If you choose preventive care, you transform yourself from a “cost reactor” into a “cost avoider.” It’s the difference between:
- $200 today for a cholesterol screening.
- or $200,000 for an emergency bypass surgery when you’re older.
We’ve seen patients go from sickness to health (and improve their finances) by focusing on prevention. Get that check-up, and use your insurance benefits. Your future self (and wallet) will thank you for it.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a same-day telehealth visit to get started with a preventive care plan.
Read also:- What is Preventive Care? A Guide to Staying Healthy