What tests should a man have every year?
Fewer than most men expect. On the USPSTF grade A and B list, the one screening that is yearly for an average-risk man is a blood pressure check from age 40. Most of the rest are on a longer cycle or done once, and the PSA test is a choice rather than a standing order. (USPSTF, A and B list)
The schedule, grouped by how often
Each row is a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force grade A or B screening that applies to men. "Ages" is the range the grade covers.
| Screening | Ages (who) | How often |
|---|---|---|
| YearlyYearly only in some cases: blood pressure from 40 (or earlier with added risk), a stool test if that is the colorectal test you pick, and a lung scan if your smoking history qualifies. | ||
| Blood pressure | 18 and older | Every year from 40 or if at higher risk; every 3 to 5 years for adults 18 to 39 with normal readings and no added risk (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Colorectal cancer | 45 to 75 | Depends on the test: stool test every year, stool DNA-FIT every 1 to 3 years, CT colonography or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, colonoscopy every 10 years (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Lung cancer | 50 to 80, if you have a 20 pack-year history and smoke now or quit within 15 years | Every year (USPSTF, 2021) |
| About every 3 years | ||
| Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes | 35 to 70, if you have overweight or obesity | Every 3 years may be reasonable if results are normal (USPSTF, 2021) |
| One time (repeat only if risk continues) | ||
| Abdominal aortic aneurysm | 65 to 75, if you have ever smoked | Once (USPSTF, 2019) |
| Hepatitis C | 18 to 79 | Once for most adults; repeat if risk continues (for example, injection drug use) (USPSTF, 2020) |
| HIV | 18 to 65 | At least once; repeat testing is reasonable for people at increased risk (USPSTF, 2019) |
| Asked about at visits, no fixed schedule | ||
| Depression | 18 and older | No set interval; screen if not screened before, then use clinical judgment (USPSTF, 2023) |
| Anxiety | 18 to 64 | No set interval (USPSTF, 2023) |
| Unhealthy alcohol use | 18 and older | No set interval (USPSTF, 2018) |
Not sure about your smoking history? The pack-year calculator works out the number the lung screening criteria use.
Where the PSA test fits
The prostate test is not in the table above because its grade is C, not A or B. For men 55 to 69, the USPSTF says the decision to be screened "should be an individual one," and for men 70 and older it "recommends against PSA-based screening." (USPSTF, 2018) Medicare is broader than that advice: Part B covers a PSA blood test once every 12 months for men over 50. (Medicare.gov) Benefits and harms in numbers: prostate cancer screening by age.
Cholesterol
The USPSTF does not list cholesterol as its own screening, but men reach the more frequent checks earlier than women in the NHLBI schedule: every 5 years for younger adults, every 1 to 2 years for men 45 to 65, and every year after 65. (NHLBI) Details and fasting: cholesterol test by age.
Paying for the checkup
- Private plans: HealthCare.gov lists the preventive services for adults that are "generally" covered "at no cost to you when provided by an in-network medical provider," and adds that "$0 cost isn't guaranteed in all cases." The list is made of screenings, counseling and vaccines; unlike the list for women, it has no line for a yearly visit itself. (HealthCare.gov)
- Medicare: a Wellness visit once every 12 months, built around a written prevention plan rather than a full exam. (Medicare.gov) More on screenings after 65.
Tests the USPSTF does not recommend for men without symptoms, such as a testicular exam or an ECG. (USPSTF, 2011) (USPSTF, 2018) More: screening tests you may not need and ECG at a checkup.
What usually happens at a checkup and which tests are blood tests: what tests are in an annual physical. Item-by-item costs: preventive screenings covered by insurance and Medicare.
By age
men over 30, men over 40, men over 50, men over 60, men over 65, men over 70, men over 75. For women: what tests should a woman have every year.
Questions people ask
Does a man need a PSA test every year?
Not by default. The USPSTF calls PSA screening for men 55 to 69 "an individual one" to decide with a clinician (grade C), and recommends against it from 70 (grade D). If you do choose it, Medicare Part B pays for one PSA test every 12 months for men over 50.
Which screenings are yearly for men?
For most men, only a blood pressure check from 40. Two others are yearly for some men: a low-dose CT lung scan for men 50 to 80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history who smoke or quit in the last 15 years, and a stool test (FIT) if that is how you do colorectal screening from 45.
What blood tests should a man get every year?
None of the USPSTF screening blood tests is yearly for an average-risk man. A diabetes test (35 to 70, if overweight) can be every 3 years; hepatitis C and HIV tests are usually done once. NHLBI suggests a cholesterol check every 1 to 2 years for men 45 to 65 and every year after 65.
Is there a screening only men need?
Yes: a single ultrasound of the abdominal aorta for men 65 to 75 who have ever smoked (100 or more cigarettes in their life). It looks for an aneurysm and is done once.
Does insurance pay for a yearly physical for men?
HealthCare.gov lists the screenings themselves (blood pressure, cholesterol, colorectal, diabetes, hepatitis C, HIV and others) as preventive services that are generally covered at no cost in-network. Its list for women names a well-woman visit; the list for all adults has no separate well-man visit, so ask your plan how it bills a checkup. With Medicare, a Wellness visit is covered once every 12 months.