Preventative health measures: How your medical aid plan can help
Preventative health measures are key to preventing or minimising your risk of developing certain chronic diseases or conditions. From routine vaccinations to lifestyle modifications, these preventative health measures are instrumental to individual well-being, saving lives and reducing your healthcare costs. Discover more as we explore the significance and impact of preventative health measures.
What are preventative care measures?
This approach encompasses proactive actions that are aimed at maintaining and improving an individual’s health, preventing illness, and minimising their risk of developing chronic conditions, like cancer or diabetes. These measures include:
- Regular check-ups
- Medical screenings
- Vaccinations
- Healthy lifestyle choices
Additionally, early detection and intervention for health issues, such as cancer screenings or blood pressure monitoring, are key components. By prioritising health, individuals can reduce the likelihood of disease development, and enhance their overall well-being, which minimises the need for costly treatments associated with an advanced illness.
Why preventative care measures are important
Proactive healthcare practices play a critical role in safeguarding individual well-being and avoiding potential health crises. However, access to these essential health services can be a significant barrier for many individuals who don’t have medical aid. This is one way that a medical aid plan can help safeguard your health.
Medical aid plays a key role in promoting preventative healthcare by providing individuals with the means to access services without having to pay out-of-pocket expenses. Being empowered with the financial resources and having access to quality healthcare services allows individuals to prioritise their health proactively, rather than having to react if they were to develop a serious illness or condition. Some of the key benefits of preventative health measures include the following:
- Early detection. Preventative healthcare allows for the early detection of diseases and conditions, allowing for timely intervention and treatment, which can significantly improve outcomes, including a positive recovery or effective medical management plan.
- Cost savings: Proactive healthcare measures can result in significant cost savings by preventing the progression of diseases that would otherwise require costly treatments or hospitalisations.
- Improved quality of life: By focusing on prevention, individuals can maintain better health and enjoy a higher quality of life. Preventing illness or managing conditions effectively will alleviate pain, discomfort, and disability, allowing you to remain active and engaged in your daily life.
- Long-term Health benefits: Adopting habits such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, and avoiding harmful substances like tobacco smoking or excessive alcohol intake can promote long-term health and reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer or osteoporosis.
- Promotion of overall public health: Preventative health measures not only benefit the individual but also contribute to the overall health of communities and populations. Vaccination programmes, public health campaigns, and preventive screenings can help control the spread of communicable diseases and promote health equity among diverse populations.
- Empowerment and personal control of your health life: Engaging in preventative healthcare empowers individuals to take an active role in managing their health and well-being. Once you’re empowered with the right knowledge, you can make informed decisions, adopt a healthy lifestyle or make smart behaviour choices, In doing so, you will gain greater control over your health outcomes and overall quality of life.
How your medical aid assists with preventative health measures
Here are some of the most important preventative care tests and screenings that are advocated by Momentum Medical Aid:
- Annual health assessment. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and BMI are some of the screening tests carried out in the annual health assessment. Individuals receive comprehensive check-ups from healthcare practitioners at participating pharmacies and clinics. These exams assess your overall health status, screen for potential health issues, and provide you with the opportunity to seek medical attention or make lifestyle choices, like choosing to engage in an active exercise programme to lose weight or adopting a more heart-healthy diet to reduce your blood pressure.
- Immunizations and vaccinations. Vaccinations are critical in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protecting both individuals and communities. Government clinics typically cover recommended childhood vaccines, including tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, and polio. However, your medical aid will offer additional vaccinations for other risks, like the flu vaccine and tetanus.
- Screenings for chronic conditions. Your medical aid may cover screenings for chronic conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma and HIV. These screenings help identify any risk factors early, like having a family history of the disease. This allows for timely intervention and management to prevent complications associated with the condition.
- Cancer screenings. Medical aid plans can cover cancer screenings such as mammograms, pap smears and prostate exams. These screenings aim to detect cancer at early stages when treatment is most effective, potentially saving lives and reducing healthcare costs.
- Health Services. Timing is a key factor in treating a disease. Momentum Medical Aid offers the Hello Doctor service, where you can seek medical advice, 24/7. This convenient service helps improve outcomes by providing individuals with medical advice from a trained professional.
- Preventive medications. Certain preventive medications, such as statins for cholesterol management or insulin for diabetes, may be covered by your medical aid plans. These medications are prescribed to individuals at high risk of developing specific conditions.
- Maternity and pregnancy screenings. Your medical aid will cover a range of prenatal pathology tests, like a urinalysis, full blood count and Rhesus factor, to ensure a safe pregnancy journey. It will also cover support care in the form of midwife visits and prenatal scans. Postnatal care is provided in the form of a paediatric consultation and a nurse home visit. Ensuring access to pre- and post-natal care is crucial for preventing complications and promoting the healthy growth and development of your baby.
- Health management programmes. You can benefit from specialised programme services if you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic disease or condition, like HIV, high cholesterol or diabetes. These programmes will help you manage your condition more effectively.
Momentum Medical Aid plans are offered as Evolve, Custom and Ingwe options. Benefits may differ between plans.
Prioritise your health with preventative healthcare measures
Take control of your health. Improve your quality of life. Promote better health outcomes. It starts with preventative health measures and healthy living. Bloom is committed to good health, which is the reason why we encourage members to engage in the preventative screening services and check-ups offered by Momentum Medical Aid plans. Get in touch with one of our expert consultants for a free quote and sign up for medical aid cover for yourself and your family.
