Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. In today’s society, that statement is very true. Millions of dollars are spent in the treatment of diseases. It is definitely more cost effective to do annual screenings and testing than it is to treat a disease that has already manifested.
Once a person has the disease, it becomes very costly. The patient has to go through testing in order to control the disease. They may have to take medication as well. X-rays, lab tests, MRIs, medication and multiple doctor visits all add up and can be costly for the patient as well as for the insurance company. That is why insurance premiums are so high. The insurance companies have to pay out millions of dollars each year for the treatment of diseases. That’s why they are advocates about early detection and prevention.
Insurance companies tend to pay for all wellness visits and any visits they deem as preventative. They pay for annual pap smears, mammograms, bone density scans, flu and pneumonia shots and the like. It is because it is cheaper for them to try and prevent a disease by encouraging their subscribers to take an active role in their health and seek preventative care than to pay the expenses for the treatment of a disease. It is usually when a patient is seeking treatment for an illness that the insurance requires them to pat against their deductible.
Many communities offer free flu shots around the beginning of the flu season. The reasoning is that by getting the shot, people will be able to lessen or prevent the likelihood of them getting sick. People are able to go to their local drugstore or clinic to get their shot for the season. Many people see the doctor because they did not get their shot and are feeling miserable.
An article in the New York Times stated that, “Better preventive medicine and emergency care have already caused a 25