Preventive Care Saves Lives
For many people, the new year will mean making a fresh list of New Year’s resolutions — some may want to spend less money, others will decide to become more organized or maybe spend more time with family.
The most common New Year’s resolutions often focus on becoming healthier. We plan to lose weight, stop smoking or eat less fast food. Why are these types of resolutions so popular? When we maintain a healthier lifestyle, we can increase our longevity and overall happiness.
And how do you get started on making your resolution a reality?It begins with preventive care.
The goal of preventative care is to avoid disease and illness through things like annual check-up, screenings, exams and vaccinations. The first step is to visit your primary care physician (PCP) once a year for a wellness exam.
Your PCP will recommend screening tests based on your age and gender, as well as discuss general healthy measures to incorporate into your daily life.
Here’s why all of that matters. The best way to stop an illness is to prevent it. The Fund’s PREVENTIVE CARE BENEFITS can help you and your family stay healthy and avoid high medical bills.
Annual physicals and screenings can help detect and prevent many chronic conditions and diseases like cancer. Early detection gives you a much higher probability of a better outcome and can also help you and the Fund avoid more expensive treatments in the future. The Fund’s PREVENTIVE CARE BENEFITS include coverage for:
- Annual Physicals and Wellness Exams
- Bone Density Screenings
- Cholesterol and Other Blood Tests and Lab Work
- Colonoscopies
- Dental Exams and Preventive Care
- Diabetes Screenings
- Fecal Occult Blood Tests for Colon Cancer
- Immunizations
- Pap Smear Lab Tests
- Preventive Mammograms
- Preventive Vision Care
- PSA Blood Tests
- Sigmoidoscopies
- And More!
FAQs
I recently married. How do I add my spouse to my coverage?
You must provide a copy of your marriage certificate within 90 days of marriage to enroll your new spouse with the applicable date (date of marriage). If you fail to do so, within the applicable 90-day period, dependent coverage will not be available under the Plan for your new spouse until the first of the month following the date in which you provide the Fund Office with the required documentation or any other verifying information requested. A Coordination of Benefits Form (COB) must be completed if your spouse has other coverage. You should also visit the Life Events page on this site to see what you need to do for your other benefits.