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
What are the acceptable reasons for taking a loan from my Annuity Fund account?
In certain cases, you can take out a loan from your Annuity Fund account. Reasons to take out a loan include:
- Buying or fixing a principal residence
- Medical bills that are not reimbursed by medical insurance
- Educational expenses (tuition) at an accredited school, including vocational school, at any level
- Expenses incurred for the legal adoption of a child
- Funeral expenses incurred because of the death of your Spouse or a dependent child
You are eligible to apply for a loan if you are actively employed by a Contributing Employer, and you have been so employed for at least three years. You may have only one loan outstanding at a time. An outstanding loan balance (active or defaulted) must be paid in full prior to applying for a subsequent loan (except those loans that were defaulted prior to January 1, 1996). The maximum loan amount is the lesser of $50,000 or 50% of your account balance.
For more information, please go to the Annuity Fund section of this site.