A thorough medical check up is a valuable tool to keep tabs on one's health. It might seen costly on the face of it but the fact remains that it prevents many diseases and confers early diagnosis for costly diseases like cancer and diabetes which are expensive to treat over the long term. Its the secret behind the longevity of some in the affluent sections of society and it should be done only once a year. Personally, I am yet to go for one.
While I was working our office had this arrangement and the office paid for it. Now I still do it specially blood checks which I feel is the best way to see whether all is well. The tests include to see sugar levels, hemoglobin levels and a lipid profile that tells me if I am ok with my cholesterol levels. With this information one does not even need to go to a doctor but take remedial measures themselves.
I went to the doctor's regularly when I had insurance. I have not been to the doctor in a while now and I am looking forward to finally going to get some problems taken care of. It is expensive to go to the doctor's but in the long run finding out about your health can cut down on costs in the future. Like you said diseases like cancer and diabetes can be very expensive to take care of in the long run.
