6 Top Barriers to Annual Physicals and What Employers Can Do About Them

Annual physicals are one of the simplest ways to identify health concerns early, manage chronic conditions, and support long-term wellness. Yet many employees continue to skip preventive care each year. While it is easy to assume employees simply do not prioritize their health, the reality is more complicated. Time constraints, cost concerns, confusion about preventive services, and healthcare access barriers all contribute to delayed care.

Source: HealthJoy

For employers, understanding these barriers is important because untreated conditions often become more costly and disruptive over time. Fortunately, many of the obstacles preventing employees from completing annual physicals are addressable.

Barrier #1: Employees Don’t Think They Need One

Many people feel healthy and assume that if they do not have symptoms, there is no reason to see a provider. Unfortunately, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and many chronic diseases often develop silently for years before symptoms appear. By the time symptoms become noticeable, the condition may already be more advanced.

What Employers Can Do

Employers can reinforce the importance of preventive care through regular education, awareness campaigns, and reminders throughout the year. Annual physicals should be framed not as something employees do when they are sick, but as an important tool for staying healthy and preventing larger problems later.

Barrier #2: Lack of Time

According to the CDC,  one of the most common reasons employees skip annual physicals is simply that life gets busy. Between work schedules, caregiving responsibilities, family obligations, and everyday demands, preventive care often gets pushed aside until symptoms are serious enough to demand attention.

What Employers Can Do

Organizations can help by encouraging employees to use preventive services, offering schedule flexibility, and making healthcare easier to fit into the workday. Leaders can also normalize taking time for healthcare just as they would encourage taking time for safety or professional development.

Access to healthcare isn’t just about cost.

In 2022, more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults delayed or went without needed medical care because of nonfinancial barriers, such as being too busy, unavailable appointments, scheduling conflicts, insurance compatibility issues, or travel time. The chart below highlights the most common reasons adults postponed or missed care.

Source: CDC

Barrier #3: Cost Concerns and Fear of Unexpected Bills

Even when preventive services are covered, many employees worry about surprise costs. Cost-related barriers continue to prevent many Americans from accessing healthcare. Employees may avoid annual physicals because they worry the visit will lead to expensive testing, specialist referrals, or unexpected out-of-pocket costs (KFF Health System Tracker).

What Employers Can Do

Clear communication matters. Employees often do not understand what preventive services are covered or how to access them. Providing education around benefits and helping employees understand what is included can reduce anxiety and encourage participation. Employers can also emphasize that identifying concerns early is generally far less expensive than treating advanced disease later.

Barrier #4: Difficulty Navigating Healthcare

Scheduling appointments, finding providers, coordinating referrals, and understanding benefits can all become barriers to care. According to BenefitNews, many employees delay annual physicals because healthcare feels inconvenient or difficult to navigate. Healthcare systems can be fragmented, and even motivated employees may postpone care because it simply feels overwhelming.

What Employers Can Do

Simplify healthcare access whenever possible. Regular communication, benefit education, and employee navigation support can help remove confusion and make preventive care easier to use. Employers should assume that many employees do not fully understand available healthcare resources and need ongoing reminders rather than one-time education during open enrollment.

Barrier #5: Lack of Incentives and Engagement

Only 17% of employees planned to complete an annual physical despite rising chronic disease and complex health needs (HealthJoy). Employees often focus on urgent priorities and may not recognize the long-term value of preventive care.

What Employers Can Do

Incentives can help improve engagement. They do not necessarily need to be large financial rewards. Recognition programs, wellness challenges, premium reductions, HSA contributions, and team competitions can all encourage participation (WebMD Health Services). Employers should also ensure wellness programs remain compliant with privacy requirements and applicable regulations (SHRM).

Barrier #6: Employees Don’t Connect Preventive Care to Productivity

Many employees view healthcare as something separate from work performance, but health and productivity are closely linked. Chronic conditions, untreated stress, fatigue, poor sleep, and unmanaged risk factors all affect energy, absenteeism, engagement, and overall well-being. As we discussed in our articles Improving employee health: Four actions to take today and Boosting Employee Screenings: A Strategic Guide to Elevating Workplace Productivity, preventive care supports earlier intervention and helps address health concerns before they evolve into more serious and costly issues.

What Employers Can Do

Organizations should position preventive care as an investment rather than simply another benefit. Encouraging annual physicals can help support healthier employees, reduce disruptions from chronic illness, and improve long-term workforce wellness.

Healthcare should be viewed as infrastructure, not just insurance.

How WeCare tlc Helps Remove Barriers

At WeCare tlc, our onsite, near-site, shared-site, and virtual care models are designed to address many of the barriers that keep employees from completing annual physicals.

Convenient access helps reduce scheduling challenges and time constraints. Relationship-based care helps patients feel more comfortable engaging with preventive services. Health coaching, chronic disease management, and coordination of care support long-term health beyond a single annual visit.

Most importantly, easier access helps shift healthcare from reactive to proactive. By making preventive care more convenient and approachable, employees are more likely to address concerns earlier, build relationships with providers, and stay engaged in their health over time.

References

• WeCare tlc. “Boosting Employee Screenings: A Strategic Guide to Elevating Workplace Productivity.”
• WeCare tlc. “Improving Employee Health.”
• KFF Health System Tracker. “How Does Cost Affect Access to Care?”
• AANP. “New Poll Shows a Large Number of Patients Are Not Getting Health Screenings.”
• CDC National Health Statistics Report No. 207.
• BenefitNews. “Employees Skip Annual Physicals Nationwide.”
• HealthJoy. “The Preventative Care Crisis.”
• WebMD Health Services. “Well-Being Incentive Ideas for Employees.”
• SHRM. “Workplace Wellness Programs and Health Care Privacy Compliance.”