Your most important meeting may be with your doctor | Coverage and Care

Listen to this article

Routine preventive care checkups and screenings can help you stay well and catch problems early.

• When conditions like diabetes and heart disease are diagnosed and managed early, the risk of complications and long-term suffering is reduced.
• When cancers such as breast, colorectal and cervical are caught early, survival rates are higher—often exceeding 90% for early-stage disease. When diagnosed later, those odds can drop .

Yet too many people aren’t getting recommended or routine checkups, which can delay detection and increase the likelihood of more advanced diagnoses, more complex care, and higher costs for individuals, families, and employers.

For business leaders, this is a clear opportunity. Preventive care is one of the most effective ways to improve health outcomes and help control rising health care costs over time. It can start with a simple step: the annual wellness visit.

Annual wellness visits: The front door to prevention

Preventive care doesn’t begin with a test, a scan, or a diagnosis. It begins with a conversation.

Annual wellness visits are the foundation of good health. These visits create a chance to:

• review medical history
• discuss healthy lifestyles
• review family risk factors
• monitor blood pressure and cholesterol
• review medications
• assess mental health, and more.

Yet across age groups, we know it can be easier said than done.

Busy schedules and competing priorities – often due to work and caregiving demands – can unintentionally push routine care aside. Some may assume visits aren’t necessary if they “feel fine,” particularly when time is limited. These are missed chances to detect risk early — when intervention is easiest and outcomes are best.

What to check for and when

During your checkup, your doctor can also help you stay on track with recommended screenings and immunizations.

Over the past several years, updated research and health outcomes data reviewed by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) have prompted them to lower some of the suggested screening ages, most notably for breast and colorectal cancer.

Here are recommended starting ages for certain screenings:

• Breast Cancer Screening – Get a mammogram starting at age 40 or sooner if recommended by your health care provider.
• Cervical Cancer Screening – Anyone with a cervix should start getting Pap tests at age 21 and continue every three years if results are normal.
• Colorectal (Colon) Cancer Screening – Start screening at age 45 or sooner if recommended by your health care provider.
• Skin Cancer – This is the most common cancer in the United States. People – especially those at higher risk – should talk with their doctor about skin changes, prevention and whether evaluation is appropriate.

Talk to your health care provider about what screenings are appropriate for you and options available based on your health history and risk factors.

Preventive care missed

We are seeing a common pattern among people in their 40s – an age when demands at work and at home are often at their peak.

Among members of our health plan:

• About half of adults ages 46 to 50 are being screened for colorectal cancer, even though screenings are now recommended beginning at age 45.
• Nearly 30 percent of adults ages 40 to 50 are not getting recommended breast cancer screenings.

Later detection can mean more invasive treatment, longer recovery, greater cost, and in some cases, poorer outcomes.

What this has to do with the workplace

When employers think about supporting employee health, rising health care costs or workforce productivity, preventive care may not feel like the most urgent lever. But it may be one of the most effective.

Late diagnoses can lead to poorer health, longer absences and more intensive treatment. Chronic conditions that go unmanaged don’t just affect individuals — they affect their families, workplace teams and productivity.

Preventive care coverage

Most employer‑sponsored health plans already cover preventive services — annual wellness visits, cancer screenings, immunizations — at no additional cost when delivered in‑network.

Check with your insurance plan on coverage for screenings and preventive care wellness visits.

The role of workplace culture

Many organizations make it clear that preventive care is part of a healthy workforce. They normalize annual wellness visits. They encourage flexibility for appointments. They equip managers to support wellness conversations.

These cues matter more than most leaders realize.

An employee who feels supported in prioritizing an annual wellness visit is far more likely to follow through — not just this year, but every year. Over time, that consistency adds up to better health and a more resilient workforce.

For help supporting your employees, access our preventive care toolkit at excellusforbusiness.com/resource/get-proactive-with-preventive-care. The toolkit includes handouts, ready-to-send emails and posters on the importance of your annual wellness visit.

Early detection saves lives and strengthens businesses

Many cancers — breast, cervical, colorectal, and skin — are highly treatable when caught early:

• Early‑detected breast cancers are typically smaller and less likely to have spread.
• Cervical cancer can often be prevented or treated through routine screening and vaccination.
• Precancerous colon polyps can be removed before they ever become cancer.
• Skin cancers, detected early, may require far less invasive treatment.

Every avoided late‑stage diagnosis is not just a personal victory. It’s fewer extended absences, lower long‑term healthcare costs, and a healthier, more resilient workforce.

A call to business leaders

Supporting annual wellness visits is one of the most tangible ways organizations can invest in the long‑term wellbeing of their people. When we help people stay healthier, we also help slow the growth of health care costs for everyone.

It’s a small action that can make a meaningful difference over time.

Paul Valley is senior vice president, commercial group markets, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.