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Health Plan Seminar I would first like to thank
the membership for the opportunity to attend the Health Plan Seminar. While I won’t say that a trip
to Las Vegas was all work, there were a number of classes, and I learned quite a lot about the benefits of
both plans the APWU offers.
If you would like to compare your current plan to the APWU’s plans, there are two online tools
available. www.OPM.gov/insure has a “compare plans” button that allows you to select up to 4 options to compare.
If you’d like more detailed information, www.plansmartchoice.com lets you enter costs, number of office visits, etc, then will tell you which plans are
a better deal for your specific condition, and it will give you an estimated out of pocket costs for each
plan. Both websites should have
the info for 2012 available by the time this issue of the Postmark is published and The Health plan will also have a special
open season hotline 1-800-PIC-APWU (1-800-742-2798) available beginning October 31st. I’ll be at the Health Fair at the Eagan plant on December 2nd
from 7-10 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. Stop by and I’ll try to answer any questions about the APWU plans you
may have.
Also, a quick reminder of retirement is on your mind, you HAVE to have carried Federal Health insurance
for 5 uninterrupted years at retirement. Even if you are covered by your spouse’s insurance, you
may want to carry something to protect your ability to get insurance in retirement. (APWU’s Consumer Driven is only
about 8 bucks a pay period!) With the trend towards early retirements, it’s good to think ahead to
make sure you have options available to you. Again,
thank for you for the training opportunity, and remember Open Season will run from November 14th through December
15th.
If you plan on making a change this year, make sure you have your Lite Blue
password handy and try not to wait until the last day!
Jane Masterman
Office Admin
Open Season
is Coming Soon, November 14- Dec 15th.
If you haven't before, take a look
at your union's plan offerings! There's a reason that the APWU has one of the fastest growing plans.
High Option Summary - Family $ 82.57, Self $ 36.52
The High Option plan is very competitive on premiums, and offers free diabetes
care, free hypertension care, free tobacco cessation program and a new free
weight management program. The Plan also includes 2 dental visits per year,
and pays 70% of charges for fillings and simple extractions.
The High Option plan uses the Cigna network of doctors, making it very easy to find in-network
care anywhere in the country. This is a great benefit for those kids you may have headed
off to college!
The plan has a 275/550 deductible (self/family),
offers free preventative care, and and low $18.00 office visit copay.
Prescriptions are $8 for generics, or 25% for
brand names for a 30 day supply through the retail network. For maintenance prescriptions,
the plan works with Medco mail order, and generics are $15 for generics (for a 90 day supply) or 25% for brand names.
The Plan offers a great hearing benefit as well. If you need hearing
aids, the plan pays $1500 every three years. We also offer discounts on the hearing aids through American
Hearing Benefits, making that $1500 go a bit further.
Consumer
Driven Option Summary – Family $18.53, Self $8.24 (for APWU bargaining unit members,
who’ve belonged to the union for at least one year) Yet again, the Consumer Driven Option is one of the better deals you can find anywhere. The plan offers free diabetes care, free
tobacco cessation program, free in-network preventative care, free healthy back program.
The Consumer Driven plan starts you out with a “PCA”
(personal care account) of $1200 for self, $2400 for family. All your preventative
care (things like yearly check-ups, child and adult immunizations, mammograms, etc) are FREE.
Should you go to the doctor because you are ill, those costs would
be paid completely out of your PCA. Once your PCA is spent, you
are responsible for the next $600 (self) or $1200 (family) in medical and prescription costs.
While
this may sound like a big expense, add up the difference in the premium between the plan you currently have and the consumer
driven plan. Then add your current plans upfront deductible. How close does that amount
come to the CDO’s 600/1200 expense? Is it even more that the CDO’s out of pocket? Should you spend all of your PCA (and 70 % of enrollees don’t), and spend
all of your co-insurance (the 600/1200 amount), “traditional” insurance kicks in, with the CDO plan paying 85%
and the member paying 15% of most in-network medical expenses.
Prescriptions are 25% in-network.
The Consumer Drive Plan uses the United Health Care Network of
doctors, and is easily accessible anywhere in the country, again, making it easy to find a doctor when you travel, or for
those kids headed off to college. Which
ever plan you chose, both plans support YOUR UNION rather than kicking back profits to shareholders. Both
plans use union employees, both at APWU Health Plan headquarters, and with our vendors. There will be a Health Fair at the Eagan Plant on December 2nd, from 7-10 am and
6-9pm. Stop by with any questions you may have, or you can call Jane at the Union Office on Waters Dr.
(778-1637). Starting 10/31, the APWU Health
Plan will have a special hotline available to answer any questions you may have. Just call 1-800-PIC-APWU (1-800-742-2798).
Hypertension:
The Silent Killer Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a complication, which
if not monitored and controlled, can cause permanent damage to the body. Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on
the vessel walls. There is a limit, which the body can handle and anything over that causes the vessels to narrow and harden
making the heart work harder than it should. This can lead to heart damage, which can lead to damage of other vital organs.
There are no apparent symptoms to hypertension giving it the nickname "The silent killer". Blood pressure
is expressed as two numbers. These numbers represent the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels as the blood moves
through them. Systolic pressure is when pressure is highest in the arteries and occurs when the heart contracts. Diastolic
pressure is the moment of minimum pressure in the arteries and occurs when the heart relaxes. Normal blood pressure is less
than 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic), typically written as 120/80 mm Hg (read 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury). Hypertension
can be the result of a variety of factors. Family history, poor diet and exercise habits, stress and other prescription medications
can all lead to hypertension. The best course of action, if you have an issue with blood pressure, is to consult your doctor
and make modifications to your lifestyle to reduce your blood pressure back to normal. This could include medication, a fitness
program, or dietary changes. Here are a few steps you can take to reduce your blood pressure:
Refrain from overeating Exercise at regular intervals Reduce salt in the diet Limit alcohol intake
Take high blood pressure medication as prescribed by your physician 33% of people with
hypertension don’t know they have it so remember to get screened often. Early recognition can help to reduce long-term
damage to vital organs. For more articles on your health visit: apwuhp.com/hpr.html Open season is coming,
stay tuned for more about APWU Health Plan’s new and exciting changes. This information is not intended
to take the place of medical advice from your physician. Please consult your provider if symptoms persist. For an in-depth
explanation of what APWU Health Plan offers please refer to the Plan’s Brochure (RI 71- 004). APWU Health Plan is dedicated
to helping you Live Life Well
 Did you pick the APWU?
Open Season is now closed and your new insurance is in effect. If you selected the APWU Health
Plan, you should have received your new membership card. The card has contact information on it for the Plan itself,
as well as the various vendors, such as ValueOptions (Mental Health, Substance Abuse, etc) and Medco (pharmacy benefits)
If you didn't receive a card, or if you have any questions about the Health Plan, call the Plan at 1-800-222-2798.
Open Season 2010The
Road to Good Health
Open Season November
8th- December 13th
Experience the APWU Difference
Open Season is here and
if you are not already a member of the APWU Health Plan it's time to see what you are missing. The APWU Health Plan has been
providing innovative health plans to America's Workforce since 1960. We were the first in the FEHB Program to introduce
a Consumer Driven Option and are the first to administer value-based benefits to give our members financial incentives to
get the care they deserve with no out-of-pocket costs. We have two distinct options to suit whatever your healthcare needs
may be.
The Consumer Driven
Option is as versatile as ever offering 100 percent coverage for routine preventive care, a personal care account, no
upfront copays or deductibles and the freedom to choose how your healthcare dollars are spent.
What's new for 2011:
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for Smoking Cessation
· Diabetes Management Program is enhanced to include zero copays for lancets, pen
needles, syringes, Insulin Pumps and supplies
Highlights:
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for Diabetes Care
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for in-network preventive care
· Hearing Aid Benefit
· Choice of doctors, no referrals
· Healthy Back Program
· Healthy Pregnancy Program
The High Option
remains a premier health plan within the FEHB Program, with low copays, deductibles, and comprehensive coverage.
What's new for 2011:
· Zero copays for routine examinations in-network
· Additional free in-network screenings
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for Smoking Cessation
· Added Cancer Centers of Excellence (COE) to be paid at 95 percent
· There is no separate deductible for mental health and substance abuse.
· Diabetes Management Program is enhanced to include zero copays for lancets, pen
needles, syringes, Insulin Pumps and supplies
Highlights:
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for Diabetes Care
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for Hypertension Care
· Zero out-of-pocket costs for in-network preventive care
· Weight Management Program
· Routine Dental
· Hearing Aid Benefit
· Choice of doctors, no referrals
As a non-profit organization
our goals and purpose is different then some of the other carriers in the FEHB Program. We are constantly enhancing
our benefits to give our members the absolute best care at an affordable premium. The premium for our Consumer Driven Option
has not increased in four years and remains one of the best values in the FEHB Program. The High Option premium increase
has been under the FEHB Program average for 10 straight years.
At the APWU Health Plan
our dedication is to our members. We work with our members to resolve issues and treat them with the respect and dignity
they deserve. We will always go that extra step to ensure they are happy with us as an organization. Come experience
the APWU difference.
For more information
on the APWU Health Plan and our products and services as well as a copy of the 2011 federal brochure, please visit us at our
website:
www.apwuhp.com
Open
Season Hotline:
High
Option:
800-PIC-APWU
(800-742-2798) 800-622-2511 (TDD-Hearing Impaired)
Consumer
Driven Option:
800-718-1299
The
Hotline is available 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday
For more information on rates and benefits, check out the
APWU Health Plan’s website at apwuhp.com
There will be a Health Fair at the Warren E Burger Federal Building November 17th from 11-2:30, and
another at the New Eagan Facility (3232 Denmark Ave, Eagan, MN) from 7-10 a.m. and from 2-5 p.m. Please stop by and check out the APWU’s rates and benefits.
Remember, the APWU Health Plan is 100% Union and offers some of the best rates available to our Members.
The High Option
plan will again feature a Dental Benefit, paying 70% of the reasonable and customary charges for office visits, xrays and
simple fillings.
Click Here for More info on APWU's Open Season Options!
The Importance of Mental Health
Living a healthy life is more than just staying physically healthy it also encompasses the head, more specifically your
mental health. Life has it’s up and downs, when things are going well an individual is beaming with confidence and their
state of being is great, but as life has a habit of doing, things can turn for the worst. Generally, over time individuals
tend to get better. But every once in awhile a little help is necessary to get your mental health on track.
Mental health is just as important as your physical well-being, In the United States it is estimated that about one in
four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause
of disability in the U.S. and Canada for ages 15-44. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.
Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related
to comorbidity.
As a member of the APWU Health Plan, both Consumer Driven and High Option, you are entitled to coverage for mental health
and substance abuse issues through our partnership with ValueOptions. If you feel that you may want to talk to someone about
an issue, or you just feel like the walls are closing in on you, give them a call. ValueOptions will help you locate a provider
in your area and help you through the process. Seeing a provider for mental health or substance abuse issues is like seeing
a medical doctor, with comparable co-pays and coverage.
For more information please visit our website at www.apwuhp.com/links.php and click on the ValueOptions link.
You may have noticed that the APWU Health Plan website has undergone a massive overhaul. In our ongoing effort to serve
our members we have redesigned the website to be easier to navigate as well as bring you up-to-date information on all topics
related to the Health Plan and your health. Visit www.apwuhp.com and see the difference.
Live Life Well
Diabetes: The silent epidemic.
Americans across the nation are dealing with a deadly epidemic,
diabetes. This epidemic is silently affecting millions of adults and children throughout the US regardless of race or social
class. Long-term effects of diabetes include, kidney failure, blindness,
heart disease, and nerve damage. If controlled the effects of diabetes can be managed and individuals can live long healthy
lives.
Diabetes is when the body has issues producing or using
insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Diabetes has two major categories.
Type 1 diabetes
is a result of the body’s inability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes,
the most common form, is when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t recognize the insulin being produced
by the body and as a result the blood glucose level will be abnormally high. Both types of diabetes can lead to hypoglycemia,
low blood sugar, and hyperglycemia, high blood sugar.
Complications
· Heart Disease and Stroke
· Kidney Disease
· Eye Complications
· Oral Health and Hygiene
· Neuropathy and nerve damage
· Foot Complications
· Skin Complications
· Gastroparesis and Diabetes
· Depression
Controlling Diabetes
Although diabetes is a serious threat to an individual’s
livelihood, simple lifestyle changes can drastically reduce the long-term effects of the disease. Simple blood monitoring, consistent physical activity, and a focused diet will all help to manage blood
sugar levels allowing for a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. Always consult
a physician when striving to control diabetes.
Know the Symptoms:
Lack Of Energy
Excessive Thirst
Weight Loss
Frequent Urination
This information is not intended to take the place of medical advice from your physician. Please consult your provider if symptoms persist.
For an in-depth explanation of what APWU Health Plan offers please refer to the Plan’s Brochure (RI 71-004). APWU Health Plan is dedicated to helping you Live Life Well.
The APWU Health Plan has MOVED!! Their new address is:
APWU Health Plan
PO Box 1358
Glen Burnie, MD 21060
Phone #: 1-800-222-2798
For More Health Plan Info:
www.apwuhp.com
Or you may call Jane at the union office, 651-778-1637
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