There is a common sentiment that men are less likely to visit the doctor than women. Health Care Expert and Senior Vice President of Aflac, Jeramy Tipton, joined Inside South Florida to share why men avoid medical care and why that needs to change.
Recent survey results show that not much has changed.
“In this year's annual survey, we found yet again, men are pressing the snooze button when it comes to physical, mental health, and their checkups,” says Tipton. “Even with all the new options out there such as telemedicine and virtual medicine, less than half the individuals surveyed said they had actually gone to their routine checkup within the last 12 months.”
Cost is another big issue when dealing with health issues.
“40% of the men in the survey said they weren't going due to out-of-pocket expenses, “says Tipton. “25% of those individuals said that they didn't have the right insurance in place to be able to go to the doctor and do that yearly exam.”
Despite the hesitance, going to the doctor can save you from future hardships.
“Yearly checkups are extremely important to prevent serious health issues and costly challenges down the road,” says Tipton.
There are other proactive steps that men whom do not take their health seriously should consider.
“They need to really review their overall portfolio of life and health benefits to ensure that they don't find any gaps within those plans and ensure their families are well protected, “says Tipton. “They also need to check out any supplemental insurance that they might have available to them. Many of these plans pay for wellness exams on a yearly basis to stave off some of those costly effects of not doing so.”
For more information, visit Aflac.com/MensHealth
This Inside South Florida segment is paid for by Aflac.
