Get On Board! Know About Your Health!

I have often written about the surprises that come with life insurance exam results, from the fairly benign slight elevations in cholesterol to the alarming large elevations in PSA results. The surprise should really come as no surprise because the person who gets annual physicals is today, more the exception than the rule.

We all have busy schedules and for those without health insurance, the idea of “wasting” a few hundred dollars on a physical when we feel just fine just doesn’t seem to make sense. The problem is that the insidious side of health issues is that, quite often, you can feel just fine until you don’t and then it’s too late. Remember, with the big problems like cancer and heart disease, caught early is the key to beating it.

This is where health fairs bridge the gap. I know Colorado is not an exception and that health fairs are held all over the country. Their goal is to offer a way to skirt the excuses and get a health check that could find something early and help save lives. They generally happen on the weekend, away from busy schedules, and they run the gamut from free to cheap for a tremendous amount of information.

Next weekend is the health fair in our area and as always, my wife and I will attend. While I’m not shy about beating up the general population over their willingness to ignore annual physicals, the truth is that I am part of the general population. Our annual health fair has helped me to be more proactive about health where I too would be among those who really don’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars for blood tests.

Bottom line. Feeling good and being healthy aren’t necessarily synonymous. An annual checkup is a great idea and with health fairs, schedules and economics don’t have to be barriers. Don’t get surprised on a life insurance exam when you can be on top of things and know going in what the state of your health really is.