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Medical Wealth
Medical wealth is the dimension that underlies everything else. Without your health, no amount of financial success or social connection fully compensates. Yet it's also the dimension that many people defer, assuming healthcare is only relevant when something goes wrong. The reality is the opposite: proactive medical management is the highest-return investment you can make in your future quality of life.
What the Assessment Measures
The Medical Wealth assessment scores four equally weighted domains. Each has three multiple-choice questions and a confidence slider:
- Insurance & Coverage: Your health insurance, dental and vision coverage, and money set aside in an HSA, FSA, or medical fund.
- Emergency Preparedness: Whether your medical information and emergency contacts are documented and shared, and whether you have first aid supplies and training.
- Preventive Care: Annual check-ups, age-appropriate screenings, and everyday habits like exercise, sleep, and diet.
- Directives & Documentation: A health care proxy or power of attorney, an advance directive or living will, and documented organ donor and end-of-life wishes.
Prevention vs. Reaction
The healthcare system in most countries is oriented toward treating illness, not preventing it. Medical wealth is defined by how proactively you engage with your health rather than waiting for symptoms. Conditions caught early (high blood pressure, prediabetes, high cholesterol, certain cancers) are dramatically more treatable and less expensive than conditions caught late.
A single annual physical and recommended age-appropriate screenings represent a small investment of time that can change the trajectory of your health for decades.
The Insurance Gap
Being uninsured or underinsured is a financial risk as much as a health risk. A single unexpected hospitalization can generate five-figure medical bills. Medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in many countries. Even if you're young and healthy, insurance coverage functions as protection against low-probability, high-severity events, the exact scenario insurance is designed for.
If employer-sponsored coverage isn't available, marketplace plans, Medicaid (for qualifying income levels), and other programs can close the gap.
Building a Relationship with a Primary Care Physician
Having a regular primary care physician (someone who knows your baseline health, your family history, and your risk factors) is one of the highest-value healthcare assets you can have. They coordinate your care, catch patterns across visits, provide appropriate referrals, and serve as your first line of defense against emerging health issues.
If you don't currently have a primary care physician, establishing one is the most impactful single action you can take for your medical wealth.
How to Improve Your Score
- Schedule a primary care visit if you haven't had one in the past 12 months.
- Ask your doctor which age-appropriate screenings you're due for (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, cancer screenings).
- Review your health insurance coverage. Understand your deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and in-network providers.
- If you have a chronic condition, ensure you have a current management plan and aren't skipping medications or follow-up appointments.
- Keep a record of your health history, medications, and past diagnoses in one accessible place.
Related guides
Sources
- Contribution of Primary Care to Health Systems and Health, Starfield, Shi and Macinko, Milbank Quarterly, 2005
- A and B Recommendations, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
- Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care, National Institute on Aging
This guide is for informational and self-reflection purposes only. It is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance.