Annual physical

What It Means

An annual physical is a routine checkup, usually once a year, with your primary care doctor or nurse practitioner, where they review your health, check things like blood pressure and recommend screenings and shots for your age. Health plans treat checkups and recommended screenings as preventive care. HealthCare.gov says all Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover a list of preventive services with no copayCopayA fixed dollar amount, such as $20, that you pay for a covered health care service under your health insurance plan. See more or coinsuranceCoinsuranceYour share of the cost of a covered health care service, set as a percentage such as 20%, that you pay after meeting your deductible. See more, even before you meet your deductibleInsurance deductibleThe part of a covered loss you pay yourself before your home, renters or auto insurance pays the rest, set as a dollar amount or a percentage. See more, when an in-network providerIn-networkDescribes a doctor, hospital or other provider that has a contract with your health plan, so you usually pay less for covered care than you would outside the network. See more gives them.

How People Say It

• "I'm due for my physical, it's been over a year."
• "Is the yearly checkup free on our plan?"
• "Bring your medicine list, they always ask at the physical."

The Breakdown

What the rule says. HealthCare.gov says all Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover a set list of preventive services without charging a copay or coinsurance, even if you haven't met the deductible. That no-cost coverage generally applies when an in-network provider gives the service.

Examples from HealthCare.gov's list for adults

That's a few lines of a much longer list. HealthCare.gov keeps the full lists for adults, for women and for children.

Who it applies to. People in Marketplace plans and in the many other plans that must cover the list. Your plan's documents say whether yours is one of them.

What to bring

• Insurance card and photo ID
• A list of your medicines and doses
• Your vaccination record, if you have it
• Your questions, written down

Official source. HealthCare.gov's preventive health services pages, checked October 2026.

Good to Know

No-cost coverage applies to the preventive services on the list, from an in-network provider. If you raise a new problem during the visit or need a test that isn't on the list, ask the office and your plan beforehand how that part will be billed, since your plan's rules decide it. Medicare has its own rules for yearly visits, so people on Medicare should check Medicare.gov.

Related Terms and Categories

• In-network

  Describes a doctor, hospital or other provider that has a contract with your health plan, so you usually pay less for covered care than you would outside the network.

• Health insurance

  A plan you pay a premium for that covers part of your medical costs, while you pay your own share through a deductible, copays and coinsurance.

• Copay

  A fixed dollar amount, such as $20, that you pay for a covered health care service under your health insurance plan.

• Health insurance deductible

  What you pay on your own for covered health care before your health insurance plan begins sharing the cost.

• Emergency medical info

  The key health details someone would need to help you in an emergency, such as allergies, medicines, conditions and emergency contacts, kept where responders can find them.

Planning and life admin