November 4, 2025
Breaking Down Preventive vs. Diagnostic Care
Podcast discusses how nuances in care impact your medical costs
Isn’t preventive care supposed to be free? Then why did you get a bill after your screening? In the latest episode of “Under the Coverage,” Nova explains the difference between preventive and diagnostic care, and why asking one extra question at your checkup might change what ends up on your bill.
In “I Went in for a Free Screening, Why Did I Get a Bill?” hosts Sara Fluskey, Nova chief marketing & communications officer, and Jolene Myers, manager, marketing, discuss how by law, certain services are covered at no cost by most health plans. These include well visits with your primary care provider (PCP) and screenings for conditions like colorectal cancer, diabetes and depression. But there are instances where a screening starts with preventive care but winds up including services that are considered diagnostic. For example, you go in for your well visit with your PCP and mention you have been feeling heart palpitations, and they run an EKG.
“It’s possible that a free visit can turn into a visit with a bill or a co-pay because you are now getting diagnostic care on top of a well visit,” explains Fluskey.
Tune in to this episode so you can walk into your next doctor’s appointment prepared.
How to Listen
New episodes – each 15 minutes or less! – are added regularly and are available on SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube Podcasts, iHeart and TuneIn. You can also listen via digital assistants like Alexa, Google and Cortana.
Have an idea for a future episode or a question you’d like answered? Find Under the Coverage on X @UndrTheCoverage or email podcast@novahealthcare.com.