Important Notice on Hardship Distributions!

The Boston Globe reports on employers choosing Best Doctors to tackle misdiagnoses and related costs!

Blue Cross Urgent Care Locator in Massachusetts

The new Urgent Care Center Locator helps members search for participating Urgent Care Centers in MA. Click here for instructions on how to search the website. https://www.bluecrossma.com

CVS Minute Clinics In Massachusetts

The CVS Minute Clinic is open 7 days a week and no appointment or referral is needed. http://minuteclinic.com/services/ma/

Medication Safety Tips - Up and Away and Out of Sight!

Medicines and vitamins help families feel well and stay well, but children are curious; to keep them safe, parents and caregivers must practice safe medicine storage. All medicines and vitamins should always be kept up and away and out of your child’s reach and sight – every time they are used. The following tips can help:

 

Store medicines in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see.

 

Never leave medicine or vitamins out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you have to give the medicine again in a few hours.

Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If it has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you hear the click.

Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them.

Never tell children medicine is candy so they’ll take it, even if your child does not like to take his or her medicine.

Remind babysitters, houseguests, and visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicines in them up and away and out of sight when they are in your home.

 

Program the poison control center number  1-800-222-1222 into your home and cell phones so you will have it when you need it.

New Year’s Resolutions – Make them happen!

Spend more time with family and friends: Make plans to meet up with friends for an evening at a favorite restaurant or take the family to local attractions that educate and entertain including museums, amusement parks and a world-class zoo and aquarium.  

Fit in fitness: Exercise keeps you healthy and makes you look and feel better. Why not make this the time to start getting in shape?

Tame the bulge: Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program.

Quit smoking:  If you have resolved to make this the year that you stamp out your smoking habit, over-the-counter availability of nicotine replacement therapy now provides easier access to proven quit-smoking aids.

Special Enrollment Opportunity for Young Adults, Young adult eligibility certification form.

Cobra rates effective 3/1/11 - 2/29/12

HealtyLiving - In This Issue:  Multivitamins: What’s Right for You? Create an “Active” Holiday Tradition and Holiday Visits to a Sick Friend.

Health Insurance When You Retire Your IUOE Local 4 Health & Welfare Plan is funded by employer contributions made on your behalf through the collective bargaining agreements. You earn coverage for a future period based on the hours you worked in a prior period.

For example, the hours you worked between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 cover you for the new benefit period that began March 1, 2011. But what happens when you retire and no longer have an employer paying your health premium?

The Health & Welfare Plan provides three options for continuing your coverage until you are Medicare eligible, usually at age 65. This chart summarizes those options. You must notify the Fund Office once you are eligible for Medicare, as your eligibility for coverage through IUOE Local 4 Health & Welfare ends at that point. What if you retire after age 65, or before age 65 and your earned coverage from active work hours continues to cover you past your 65th birthday?

December: What Holiday Stress? Tips for Reducing Stress in Your Life

Sir, You Have Breast Cancer. You never thought you’d hear those words, right? Well, men do get breast cancer. It’s not nearly as common as it is with women, but that’s cold comfort if you’ve just been diagnosed with it.

Facts About Skin Cancer Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types of skin cancer basal cell and squamous are highly curable. However, melanoma, the third  most common skin cancer, is more dangerous. Each year in the United States, more than 53,600 people learn they  have melanoma. Melanoma is becoming more common every year. Read more....Best Doctors Can Help! Call 1-866-904-0910 today!

Congratulations to Louis G. Rasetta on receiving the 2010 Cushing-Gavin Award. Visit the Labor Guild for more information.

The frequency with which IUOE Local 4 participants report musculoskeletal problems is high. Are you a participant with a musculoskeletal problem and confused about your treatment choices? Best Doctors can help. Based on their relationship with the Occupational Health Institute, Best Doctors has developed a network of Best Doctors whose data shows that they have consistently better results than other physicians treating similar types of back conditions. Participants with both acute and chronic back conditions can benefit from having an expert look at their diagnosis and treatment plan.  Call Best Doctors toll-free at 866-904-0910.

Important Notice!  About Your Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare

Boston Business Journal Alongi estimates that Best Doctors provides better than a 2-to-1 return on investment

Get Smart about

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men after skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer in the U.S. this year and 27,360 deaths.

Ovarian cancer is a disease in which malignant or cancerous cells are found in the ovaries. There are many types of tumors that can start in the ovaries. Some are benign, or non cancerous, and the patient can be cured by surgically removing one ovary or the part of the ovary containing the tumor. Some are malignant or cancerous.

24-Hour Nurse Care Line / Blue Care Line

When does your child's slight fever become a serious fever? How can you tell the difference between a sprained ankle and a broken one? Should you be applying ice or heat? Wouldn't it be nice to have a medical professional available at any time to offer  help with questions like these?

Now you can, just by picking up the phone and calling the Blue Care Line toll-free at 1-888-247-BLUE (2583).

With the Blue Care Line, you can speak with a registered nurse* 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Experienced professionals are always available to offer you expert answers to your questions. Simply explain the situation, detail your symptoms, and Blue Cross Blue Shield nurses will tell you whether you should see your doctor, go to the emergency room, or care for yourself at home.

What can you do on evenings, weekends and after hours when you need health care but not emergency care, or when you cannot get a same-day appointment with your doctor?

BCBS Limited Service Clinics provide a convenient and more efficient alternative to hospital emergency rooms for minor medical care. They are staffed by board-certified Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants who are trained to diagnose, treat, and write prescriptions when appropriate. Limited Service Clinics treat a variety of illnesses and conditions such as:

For BCBSMA members, you pay your usual doctor visit copay.

No appointment or referral is needed!