| Stay a step ahead of stress
PPO deductibles
Flu shots
When headaches signal danger
Who gets headaches?
Don't forget to update your beneficiary
Planning to retire?
Basic life insurance
Stay a step ahead of stress
Step out the door and stroll away stress.The simple act of walking has the power to calm jangled nerves and improve bad moods. Research has proven that a brisk 20- to 30-minute walk can have the same calming effect as a mild tranquilizer. Tests found that people with a couch-potato lifestyle were about 55 percent more likely to report feeling stressed and unhappy and 30 percent more likely to feel frazzled than those who walked each day.
Walking triggers the release of endorphins, potent brain chemicals that relieve pain and stimulate relaxation. The higher your level of endorphins, the greater your sense of calm and well-being. No wonder walking makes you feel good. To reap the stress-busting benefits of walking, you don’t need to pound the pavement or push yourself really hard.
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PPO deductibles
The PPO in-network has a $200 individual calendar-year deductible. The PPO out-of-network has a $400 individual calendar-year deductible. The out-of-network deductible also applies to services received in-network. However, the in-network deductible does not apply to services received out-of-network.
In 2006, if you first obtain services out-of-network and pay $175 toward the deductible, then receive services in-network, the $175 will apply to the $200 in-network deductible and you will owe only the $25 balance of the in-network deductible. But, if you first obtain services in-network and pay $175 toward the deductible, then receive services out-of-network, the $175 will not apply to the out-of-network deductible. You will still owe the $400 out-of-network deductible.
If a participant in the PPO plan does not reach the calendar-year deductible before October of that year, eligible expenses incurred from October - December will be applied to the deductible for the next calendar year. This applies whether or not the participant meets the deductible with eligible expenses during that period.
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Flu shots
The medical plans cover flu shots. In the HMO, the $20 copayment applies when the patient sees a doctor. The copayment is $30 in the PPO in-network and, 40 percent after the deductible in the PPO out-of-network. Both TexanPlus and Texas HealthSpring cover pneumonia and flu vaccines with no copayment.
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When headaches signal danger
In rare cases, headaches can indicate a serious underlying problem in the brain. For example, they may signal hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a ruptured blood vessel; cerebral aneurysm, or bulging blood vessel; severely inflamed artery (temporal arteritis); or infection (meningitis). Headaches can also mean a brain tumor – typically, the worst fear of many headache sufferers. But other tumor indicators, such as seizures or partial paralysis, are usually apparent long before the headache starts.
Seek prompt medical attention if you experience unfamiliar headaches that:
• Are sudden and severe or last longer than 24 hours
• Get worse over the course of days or weeks
• Get worse whenever you exercise
• Are accompanied by weakness of a limb, loss of balance, changes in vision or slurred speech
• Are accompanied by nausea or vomiting, fever or disorientation
• Are “blindingly painful,” unlike any headache you’ve had before
(Source: Consumer Reports on Health, January 2005.)
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Who gets headaches? |
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Don’t forget to update your beneficiary
Whenever a life event occurs, such as marriage, divorce, death, adoption or birth of a child, members are encouraged to review and, if necessary, change their beneficiary designations.
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Planning to retire?
Employees planning to retire at age 65 should apply for Medicare at least 90 days before their 65th birthday. Medicare will become effective on the first day of the month of their 65th birthday. The health plans require Medicare-eligible retirees to be covered under Medicare Parts A & B.
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Basic life insurance
• Retirees may elect to retain $5,000 of life insurance coverage for a minimal cost. When an employee retires, the employee may convert coverage in excess of $5,000 to an individual policy. Dependents are ineligible for coverage after an employee retires.
• Full-time and part-time employees scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week have basic life insurance coverage equal to their annual base salary. $500 is rounded up to $1,000.
• Covered persons may designate a beneficiary to receive their life insurance. However, the life insurance company will not pay benefits to a minor under age 18. The company will hold the money until the child is 18, unless an adult obtains financial guardianship for the minor.
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