Well-Child Health Check-ups and Preventive Care

Preventive care includes regular health check-ups, screenings to help your doctor find problems early, and counseling services to detect illnesses, diseases, or medical conditions before they cause problems.

Regular check-ups help you or your child’s doctor look for any problems. Problems can include medical, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, and any substance (alcohol or drug) use disorders.
L.A. Care covers check-ups to screen for problems (including blood lead level assessment) any time there is a need for them, even if it is not during your or your child’s regular check-up.

Preventive care also includes shots you or your child need. L.A. Care must make sure that all enrolled children get needed shots at the time of any health care visit.
Preventive care services and screenings are available at no cost and without pre-approval (prior authorization).

Your child should get check-ups at these ages:

  • 2-4 days after birth
  • 1 month
  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • 6 months
  • 9 months
  • 12 months
  • 15 months
  • 18 months
  • 24 months
  • 30 months
  • Once a year from 3 to 20 years old

Well-child health check-ups include:

  • A complete history and head-to-toe physical exam
  • Age-appropriate shots (California follows the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Periodicity Schedule)
  • Lab tests, including blood lead poisoning testing
  • Health education
  • Vision and hearing screening
  • Oral health screening
  • Behavioral health assessment

If the doctor finds a problem with your or your child’s physical or mental health during a check-up or screening, you or your child might need to get medical care. L.A. Care will cover that care at no cost to you.

These services include:

  • Doctor, nurse practitioner and hospital care
  • Shots to keep you healthy
  • Physical, speech/language and occupational therapies
  • Home health services, including medical equipment, supplies and appliances
  • Treatment for vision problems, including eyeglasses
  • Treatment for hearing problems, including hearing aids when they are not covered by CCS
  • Behavioral Health Treatment for health conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, and other developmental disabilities
  • Case management and health education
  • Reconstructive surgery, which is surgery to correct or repair abnormal structures of the body caused by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors or disease to improve function or create a normal appearance