So what does a visit to a doctor in a walk-in clinic cost?
Average cost in the US is $60 a visit.
For healthy young people, how much preventive care is necessary?
Here's the current recommendation for women:
Screening Tests: What You Need and When
Screening tests, such as mammograms and Pap smears, can find diseases early when they are easier to treat. Some women need certain screening tests earlier, or more often, than others. Talk to your doctor about which of the tests listed below are right for you, when you should have them, and how often.
The Task Force has made the following recommendations, based on scientific evidence, about which screening tests you should have, for women.
* Mammograms: Have a mammogram every 1 to 2 years starting at age 40.
* Pap Smears: Have a Pap smear every 1 to 3 years if you have been sexually active or are older than 21.
* Cholesterol Checks: Have your cholesterol checked regularly starting at age 45. If you smoke, have diabetes, or if heart disease runs in your family, start having your cholesterol checked at age 20.
* Blood Pressure: Have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years.
* Colorectal Cancer Tests: Have a test for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you.
* Diabetes Tests: Have a test to screen for diabetes if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
* Depression: If you've felt "down," sad, or hopeless, and have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things for 2 weeks straight, talk to your doctor about whether he or she can screen you for depression.
* Osteoporosis Tests: Have a bone density test at age 65 to screen for osteoporosis (thinning of the bones). If you are between the ages of 60 and 64 and weigh 154 lbs. or less, talk to your doctor about whether you should be tested.
* Chlamydia Tests and Tests for Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Have a test for Chlamydia if you are 25 or younger and sexually active. If you are older, talk to your doctor to see whether you should be tested. Also, talk to your doctor to see whether you should be tested for other sexually transmitted diseases.
ahrq.gov
Current recommendation for screening tests for men:
Screening Tests: What You Need and When
Screening tests, such as colorectal cancer tests, can find diseases early when they are easier to treat. Some men need certain screening tests earlier, or more often, than others. Talk to your doctor about which of the tests listed below are right for you, when you should have them, and how often. The Task Force has made the following recommendations, based on scientific evidence, about which screening tests you should have.
* Cholesterol Checks: Have your cholesterol checked at least every 5 years, starting at age 35. If you smoke, have diabetes, or if heart disease runs in your family, start having your cholesterol checked at age 20.
* Blood Pressure: Have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years.
* Colorectal Cancer Tests: Begin regular screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you. How often you need to be tested will depend on which test you have.
* Diabetes Tests: Have a test to screen for diabetes if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
* Depression: If you've felt "down," sad, or hopeless, and have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things for 2 weeks straight, talk to your doctor about whether he or she can screen you for depression.
* Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Talk to your doctor to see whether you should be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV.
* Prostate Cancer Screening: Talk to your doctor about the possible benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening if you are considering having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal examination (DRE).
ahrq.gov
Bottom line, if you're reasonably healthy, and young, health insurance really doesn't make economic sense, unless you're in an accident, or come down with a disease at an unusually early age. Of course, this can happen, but most people pay their insurance premiums to provide care for other people.
The ones who don't have made a rational choice.
Universal health insurance doesn't make young healthy people healthier, it just forces them to subsidize older people and unhealthy people.
(Also, if you're worried about your blood pressure you can buy a blood pressure gauge at Walmart for around $50, and a jar of 50 urine dipsticks for sugar and protein for around $20. Again, much cheaper than a doctor visit, and far cheaper than health insurance.) |
