| Urgent-care facilities
Moving?
Want to fight germs? Wash your hands
No smoking zone
Dreamed about your retirement lately?
Making the most of your doctor visits
Urgent-care facilities
Houston:
Beamer Urgent Care
10851 Scarsdale Ste 130
Houston, TX 77089
(281) 481-9595
Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday.
Mediclinic
6604 Southwest Frwy
Houston, TX 77074
(713) 783-1913
Hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
St. Luke’s Minor Emergency
2727 W. Holcombe
Houston, TX 77025
(832) 355-7525
Open 24 hours
St. Luke’s Minor Emergency
5749 San Felipe
Houston, TX 77057
(713) 267-7100
Open 24 hours
Outside Houston:
Northeast Minor Emergency
7120 FM 1960E
Atascocita, TX 77346
(281) 852-0655
Hours: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
Patients must be there by 8 p.m. for treatment.
Mediclinic
3401 W. Davis St.
Conroe, TX 77304
(1- 936) 441-3718
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday
Kingwood Minor Emergency
2300 Green Oak Dr. Ste 150
Kingwood, TX 77339
(281) 358-0655
Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Patients should be there by 8 p.m.
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Moving?
If you move out of the HMO service area and want to keep your city-sponsored health-care coverage, you must enroll in the PPO plan. The HMO service area includes 220 of the 254 counties in Texas. The PPO service area covers all counties in Texas and 49 states. Montana does not have a PPO network.
The HMO Blue Texas Away from Home Program is available to members who have covered dependents temporarily living outside the HMO service area. The program allows covered dependents to receive HMO health-care and pay the same co-payments that are required in the Houston HMO service area. Contact HMO Blue Texas, (888) 522-2396.
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Want to fight germs? Wash your hands
The old adage is true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Twenty seconds of vigorous hand washing with regular soap and water does wonders for stopping the spread of disease-causing bacteria. Kill those invisible health-snatchers before they get inside you. An easy way to keep track of the time is to sing “Happy Birthday” twice to yourself.
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No smoking zone
The HMO and PPO plans cover prescription drugs for smoking cessation. The benefit is $185, limited to one course of treatment annually.
If you do not cover tobacco users under your HMO and PPO plans, you can participate in the Voluntary Disease Prevention Discount Program. This program allows employees to pay a discount of $25 per month for health-care coverage. Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, Bidis, Kreteks and pipe tobacco.
If your tobacco user stops using tobacco for 60 consecutive calendar days, you may complete a Voluntary Disease Prevention Discount form to stop paying the additional $25 per month. The form has to be completed within 31 days after the 60-day tobacco-free period or during the annual open enrollment in the spring.
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Dreamed about your retirement lately?
You can make your dreams of tomorrow come true with a little planning today by taking advantage of the increasing contribution limits for your 457 Deferred Compensation Plan in 2006.
The minimum contribution you may defer from your salary remains $15 per pay period, but the new 2006 maximum has increased to $576.92 per pay period, allowing up to $15,000. Anyone over 50 may contribute an additional $5,000. Those within three years of normal retirement are allowed to “catch-up” for contributions that could have been made, but didn’t while a city of Houston employee.
In addition, you may be eligible for a tax credit for the amount of money you contribute to the plan if you meet the IRS guidelines. This tax credit is due to expire after 2006.
For more information, contact a Great-West Retirement Services account representative at (713) 426-5588.
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Making the most of doctor visits
You and your dependents should visit your doctors prepared to participate in your health-care decisions. Tell your doctor about life events: death, marriage, divorce, separation, accidents or job loss. Ask your doctor about generic drugs.
This checklist below will help patients and doctors maximize their time together.
Bring a list of questions and a pad to write down the answers. And be sure to have with you:
• A current insurance card and a valid picture ID
• A list of symptoms and concerns
• A log of when symptoms occur: morning, night, after strenuous activity, after eating certain foods, after a stressful situation, etc.
• A list of life events: marriage, birth, death, divorce, separation or catastrophic accident
• A list of the medications you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements
• Doctor’s referrals and personal medical records.
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