A letter arrived in my mailbox from a company that does preventive health screenings. They set up a mobile ultrasound lab at a local church, and offer tests to help patients determine their risk of stroke, aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease or osteoporosis.

My first reaction was – why not? If I am worried about my chances for any of those health challenges, I can take an hour of time and gain some peace of mind for $129.

But then my more skeptical healthcare consumer voice kicked in. "Wait! Not so fast! What benefit will I get from my $129? And, let’s be honest, if I really am at risk for those problems, wouldn’t my doctor recommend those screenings?"

So I looked behind the invitation to learn more. I called the company that performs the ultrasounds, I reviewed some anti-screening articles on the Internet, and I asked two local healthcare professionals for their opinions. Here’s what I learned:

Medicare covers one of the tests for one at-risk segment of the population, but otherwise, insurance and Medicare won’t pay for them unless the patient has symptoms.

I wondered then, if they aren’t covered, whether we really need them. In most cases, we do not. But it turns out that eight out of 100 people screened need a follow up visit to their doctor. Some are truly at risk of a life-ending stroke or aneurysm but have no symptoms. Their lives may be saved by this type of screening.

There are some risks. There may be false positives, meaning the patient is warned of a problem when one doesn’t really exist. A false positive might lead to an unnecessary procedure or surgery.

But the overall risks and benefits are more about your wallet and less about your veins, arteries and bones. The biggest risk might be that you could have spent that $129 on something else.

The biggest benefit to most is peace of mind.

A wise patient understands the importance of being a smart healthcare consumer, as well as an empowered patient. If you think peace of mind is worth $129, then a screening may be money well spent.

TOP