The one thing we can all do today

March 13, 2023

nurse-consulting-patient-on-couchWhen we feel healthy, we wish for many things like money, success and travel. When we are sick we wish for only one thing, and that is to feel better. Every time we or our family members experience an illness, it becomes glaringly obvious that our health and is the most important thing in life. But doing all the things that keep us healthy — like physical activity, eating well, managing stress and getting enough sleep — can feel like an impossible task. If we step back for a moment and focus on the one thing that is the most important to support our health, it may be our annual preventive exam. You may think “I don’t have time” or “I don’t feel bad, so why should I go to the doctor?” And you are not alone! Many people do not schedule their annual preventive exam. There are many reasons why people do not make time to go to the doctor.

Here are a few reasons why this is an incredibly important step toward building and maintaining our health:

Prevention is key 

Your annual exam can:

  • help you to understand your current health status and the behaviors that are driving it and
  • allow you to see yearly trends in your health history, so that you can make necessary changes before it’s too late. 

Chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are more likely to develop as we age. The good news is that if we visit the doctor regularly, we can prevent or effectively manage our conditions. Even better news, under our health plans you get an annual exam at no out-of-pocket cost. If you’re in a HealthSelect of Texas® plan and are not eligible for Medicare, you must see an in-network PCP for the annual exam to be covered at no additional cost to you. HealthSelect Secondary doesn’t require a PCP, preventive services are covered at no cost to the participant for in-network providers and for out-of-network providers, balance billing may apply. 

How do I schedule an appointment?

If you haven’t already, schedule an appointment today with your primary care provider (PCP) for your annual preventive exam. If you don’t have PCP yet, and are covered by a HealthSelect of Texas plan, you can select one through the HealthSelect of Texas website or by calling a BCBSTX Personal Health Assistant toll-free at (800) 252-8039 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT, and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT. 

I hope you will join me in a proactive approach to making a difference in your own life and in the overall health of our state’s workforce and retirees. Let’s find a way to do the one thing — our annual exam — to support what’s most important to us all: our health.