Does insurance cover annual physicals?

Usually yes, with fine print that decides whether you see a bill. HealthCare.gov says marketplace plans, and most other plans, must cover a set of preventive services, like screening tests, at no cost to you, meaning no copayment or coinsurance, when provided by an in-network medical provider. That covers the evidence-based core of a physical: the measurements, the recommended screenings for your age, and the counseling. The fine print that generates surprise bills: first, in-network matters, because out-of-network preventive care can be billed normally; second, the visit stops being purely preventive the moment it becomes diagnostic, so if you mention a knee that hurts or a mole that changed, that part can be coded as a regular visit with cost-sharing; third, not every test your doctor might run is on the covered preventive list, so ask before the blood draw if something is standard screening or extra; and fourth, older grandfathered plans can be exempt from the preventive-coverage rules. Medicare has its own version: the free yearly wellness visit, which is planning-focused rather than a hands-on physical. The practical move: when booking, say you want the covered annual preventive visit, confirm the provider is in-network, and ask about costs before agreeing to add-on tests.