Preventive Care

Preventive health encompasses a set of health services meant to screen and possibly identify health issues before symptoms develop. Preventive healthcare can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Adult preventive healthcare typically includes screenings for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as counseling for smoking cessation and balanced eating habits.

For children, preventive healthcare includes yearly checkups, vaccinations, and screenings for conditions like autism and lead poisoning.

By making healthy choices, you can reduce your chances of getting a chronic disease and improve your quality of life. Avoiding chronic conditions, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, can also lower your risk of severe illness from some infectious diseases, such as the flu and COVID-19.

Get Regular Medical, Vision and Dental Checkups

Regular checkups are separate from any other doctor’s visit for sickness or injury.

• Find out more about Vision Coverage
• Find out more about Dental Coverage

Know Your Family Health History

Family health history is a record of the diseases and health conditions in your family. You may also have behaviors in common, like what you do for physical activity and what you like to eat.

If you have a family history of a chronic disease, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or osteoporosis, you’re more likely to get that disease yourself.

You can use My Family Health Portrait to keep track of family history information. Be sure to update this information regularly and share what you’ve learned with your family and your doctor.

Stay Up-to-Date on All Health Screenings

Screenings help find health problems early on, when they are easier to treat, and should be a part of your preventive care.

TRICARE covers screenings on vision, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes and for many other conditions/symptoms.

Vaccination

Vaccines offer some protection in different ways, but they all help your body remember how to fight a specific infection in the future. It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to build up that protection.

On-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages.

Routine Vaccinations

See the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and the Adult Immunization Schedule for more information about recommended routine vaccinations.