This is something new. My new insurance company sent a Dr. and a supervisor to my house to do a health assessment. I’ve never heard of that.

The tests were the usual - BP (158/90, a bit high but it’s been the same for as long as I can remember), reflexes, listen to heart and chest, height and weight (used to be 6’2, now 6’).

New tests too - memory, draw a clock, timed walk of some 10 ft, and one for PAD, which I’ve never heard of. I guess they give these tests to old people (sigh!).

Lots of questions as far as medical history, family medical history, current condition, etc. A good baseline, I think. They seemed surprised that I’m not in any medications except Tylenol for arthritis. Maybe I’m doing better than I thought.

Recommendations were about what I expected - cut weight, less drinking, get a physical, shingles shot, colonoscopy (last one was 7 years ago), join a gym, get a sleep study. These all sound like great ideas and now that we’re mostly settled in I’ll get on it.

They’re going to do this every year. Does your insurance company do this?

Ours (through Steve’s work) does a twice a year wellness check, but it’s blood pressure, height weight and blood tests and flu shots. (And it’s not required)

They asked about a flu shot but I’ve already gotten one. I wonder if they would have given me one if I was due.

The checkup you got sounds pretty much like the annual wellness exam at the doc's office that Medicare covers without deductible. Haven't been to see him since (I kind of know what my Achilles heels are and am good about watching them on my own, so I don't go to the doctor very often), but I think it's what they do every year for the free exam.

I'm on Medicare, with a BCBS of Illinois Plan G Medigap policy. No annual home health assessment option that I'm aware of. But if you have their Medicare Advantage policy, the home assessment is available.

https://connect.bcbsil.com/med...me-health-assessment

Hypertension is one problem in my family so I tend to watch my BP, which can trend up if I'm not careful. Doctor told me my upper boundary before he would start pushing for BP meds is 140/80, which is higher than other doctors and guidelines I've seen. He tends not to be super-aggressive in his treatments. I really like him because he treats the patient, not the lab results. He's also willing to take the time to work on ways to get good results without prescription drugs. He's a geriatrician and I think he sees the roller coaster that people can get on with being on lots of meds.

I measure my BP three or four times a week. I've implemented some pretty basic changes and I manage to get mine down in the 125/60 without meds; it was definitely higher before I took action.

Similar, but different...

My former benevolent employer started doing "health screenings" several years ago. They were "voluntary", but if you didn't "volunteer", you got charged an extra hundred bucks a month for your health insurance. The "tests" kept changing over the years, and in the second or third year, about half of the "tests" became optional -- but they didn't clearly communicate this, so most people did the entire battery. The core stuff included BP, height, weight, and an abbreviated lipid panel. The optional stuff included some gizmo that was supposed to assess the percentage of your mass that is fat. As you might be able to tell, I am a tad skeptical of the whole thing.

Over the years, they included a web-based survey with questions about how much you smoke, drink, exercise, and use your seatbelt. Unlike the more in-depth survey that my HMO used to do, it did not ask if you have access to guns.

Then, instead of doing the tests, the survey just asked for your stats as long as they were taken within the last six months.

Mrs pj noted that the past-years' stats that they had for her were *not* what she had reported.

After all this, the survey would tell you what your "red flags" were, and a couple weeks later, you'd get a call from a "health coach" to talk about making changes to your lifestyle. The site said that if you politely decline the "coaching" they won't call you back. I found that to be not true.

In all, I thought the entire process was more annoying than helpful. The first time, when I went for the "screening", my BP was high. The pasty-faced kid working the sphygmomanometer said, "your BP is kinda high". I said "if your employer told you you had to submit to a heath screening by strangers you neither know nor trust or else pay another $1000 a year for health insurance, your BP would probably be kinda high, too."