{"id":19870,"date":"2022-09-13T08:39:16","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T13:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=19870"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:38:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:38:32","slug":"how-much-is-a-physical-without-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/how-much-is-a-physical-without-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Is a Physical Without Insurance?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having a regular primary care provider is essential to keeping tabs on your health. On top of managing your symptoms and recovery when you\u2019re not feeling well, PCPs can help you prevent<\/span> future health problems by identifying risk factors and suggesting lifestyle tweaks. <\/span>Health insurance typically covers the cost of an annual physical. However, around <\/span>31.6 million Americans<\/span><\/a> do not have health insurance. If you\u2019re one of them, here are some tips on how to still get an annual physical without breaking the bank.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

First, what is an annual physical?<\/h3>\n

Generally you can schedule two types of appointments for a yearly check-up with a primary care provider: an annual wellness visit and an annual physical exam<\/a>. While these both aim to prevent health problems, functionally, they\u2019re slightly different. Depending on your health insurance situation, they may incur different costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kate Grooms, chief engagement officer at <\/span>Grooms Benefit Solutions<\/span><\/a>, says an annual wellness visit (also called a preventive care visit) is an assessment of a patient\u2019s overall health. \u201cThe primary purpose is to discuss personalized prevention tactics based on medical or family history,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a wellness visit, your provider assesses your health risk for common preventable health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, then collaborates with you and your healthcare team to create a personalized prevention plan. The appointment offers a space to discuss any health concerns with your PCP, all with the goal of keeping you physically and mentally well.<\/span><\/p>\n

For an annual physical exam, in addition to preventive care planning, your medical provider also physically examines your body, taking your vitals and other measurements. You typically also get some bloodwork done to make sure your body\u2019s in tip-top shape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How much does a physical cost?<\/h3>\n

Charges for a physical depend on a couple of factors, such as what type of physical you have and whether you have health insurance. As you might expect, visiting a doctor for anything is less expensive if you have health insurance. Grooms says insurance providers usually cover annual wellness visits at 100 percent, with no co-pay. This coverage generally includes many of the preventive screenings your doctor may suggest (e.g., blood pressure or cholesterol screenings).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have insurance, you\u2019ll pay the provider\u2019s office visit fee, which Grooms says could be anywhere from $100 to $300, depending on the provider. If that\u2019s not affordable for you, it may be worth calling around different clinics. \u201cMany times, if you share with your provider that you will be paying yourself, they will offer you a discount on their fees,\u201d Grooms says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Annual physical exams are a little different. Usually, anything that happens in an exam room \u2014 for example, listening to your chest or lungs, examining your ears or checking your body mass index \u2014 is included in the cost of an office visit or co-pay. Without insurance, these visits can cost anywhere from $100 to $300; they may involve extra costs at your expense if your provider determines you should have additional testing after the exam (such as blood work to screen for diabetes or a stress test to screen for pulmonary health).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re insured, you\u2019ll likely pay a co-pay or coinsurance. If you don\u2019t have insurance, Grooms says the best way to find the cheapest rates is to ask your provider to write down the specific work you need. Then patients can research different labs and costs online. Labs should be transparent about costs up front. For example, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, which are national labs that offer health screenings, offer complete metabolic panels with urinalysis for wellness for under $200.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In either case, if you\u2019re an insured patient seeing a provider for a $0 annual exam (wellness or physical), pay attention for one more catch: If you discuss \u201csymptoms\u201d or managing an existing health problem, insurance no longer considers your visit a wellness exam. \u201cIt\u2019s considered a diagnostic appointment, and co-pays and deductibles will still apply,\u201d says Grooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ready to book your annual physical<\/a>? Find a PCP<\/a> on Zocdoc.<\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It depends on a few factors. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":19877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[103,22,108],"class_list":["post-19870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-prep","tag-diagnosis","tag-doctors-and-patients","reviewer-dr-nassim-assefi"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Much Is a Physical Without Insurance? - Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Annual physicals are important preventative visits. 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