This moment, brought to you by preventive care

A day that feels steady and uninterrupted. The kind where you have the energy and focus to work, spend time with family, keep your routines and do the things that matter to you.

Preventive care can help protect moments like these. By design, this care helps spot potential issues early, when they're easier to manage and less likely to interrupt your life.

Preventive care includes annual preventive exams, age-appropriate screenings (such as blood pressure, cholesterol and cancer screenings), routine lab work and vaccines that help prevent illness.

While screenings and regular checkups can help identify risks early for conditions like diabetes, coronary artery disease, and cancers of the breast, colon, cervix and prostate, not every condition has a routine screening. For those — including pancreatic, kidney, uterine and brain cancers — regular exams help establish your personal baseline (what's normal for you) and can alert your provider to early warning signs. That baseline is key to spotting changes sooner, when care is simpler and less disruptive.

Preventive care also reinforces healthy lifestyle choices — such as eating nutritious food, getting regular movement, and avoiding tobacco — that play a critical role in long-term health and well-being.

Whether you're building a foundation for long-term health or continuing routines you've already put in place, staying consistent is key. Your UC Blue & Gold HMO¹ covers preventive care at no cost to you, removing any financial barrier and making it easier to take advantage of prevention to empower and protect your energy, routines and independence.
 

Tips for taking care of your health now to protect what comes next

Primary care provider

Think of your primary care provider (PCP) as a long-term partner in health — someone who knows your history, what's normal for you and how to help you stay ahead of health issues. That ongoing relationship supports more personalized care and helps reduce stress, cost, worry and disruptions to your life.

PCPs include family medicine and internal medicine providers, pediatricians (for infants, children and teens), OB-GYNs for women's reproductive healthcare, and geriatricians for older adults. A PCP may be a doctor (MD or DO), physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP).

Your PCP specializes in preventive care — checkups, screenings and vaccines — and provides care when you're sick or injured. This approach helps maintain your well-being and prevent future health issues.

Choose a PCP you like

Finding a provider you feel comfortable with can be challenging. If you're still searching for the right doctor, Health Net can help. Use the Health Net member portal to find providers, or call a Health Benefit Navigator at (800) 539-4072, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Habits that support your life

Small actions you take today — like following treatment plans, keeping up with recommended screenings and medications, and using telehealth when it fits your schedule — help protect the energy, routines and independence you want tomorrow.

¹ The UC Blue & Gold HMO plan is offered by Health Net of California, Inc.

Sources:

World Health Organization, Primary health care
UC Davis Health, What is primary care? Learn why you should partner with a provider for your health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Are you up to date on your preventive care?
American Cancer Society, Pancreatic Cancer Risk Factors