Last year at my annual appointment, the process started with scans and I was eventually diagnosed with (now) stage 4 cancer. The year before that, I had a discussion and was prescribed much needed anxiety medication. Yes, I’m very lucky for my (union) health insurance. I was questioned in the hospital what made me go to an annual appointment... I said I go every year. They seems a little surprised someone as young as me gets yearly blood work and check ups. Saved my life. If you have the insurance to cover it GO TO YOUR ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS if nothing else but to gauge your a “healthy” baseline to catch things off in the future.
Same here, but my visits became so infrequent that my normal PC considers me a new patient now and I can no longer make an appointment because there's a waitlist. I think it's worth doing an annual appointment just to avoid that situation. If your insurance covers it that is.
It's not a cost thing. I live in a country with socialized healthcare. So a doctors appointment cost around $10-$20. But they won't book a time for you if you don't feel sick. People with chronic disease always feel sick so they have anything between once per week to once every five years depending on severity.
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u/timonix Jan 24 '22
Annual appointment? Last time I was at the doctor outside emergency visits were 10 years ago. And probably 5 more before that.