It’s never too early to start thinking about your future. Organizing your finances and making sure you have reliable healthcare coverage are important parts of retirement planning. Learn about the benefits available to you as a retiree and find out whether you are eligible to receive supplemental health coverage in these 2-part videos.
It’s never too early to start thinking about your future. Organizing your finances and making sure you have reliable healthcare coverage are important parts of retirement planning. Learn about the benefits available to you as a retiree and find out whether you are eligible to receive supplemental health coverage in these 2-part videos.
Explore common myths about supplements, probiotics, and herbs, presented by a Wellness-Member Assistance Program Health Educator. Gain a clearer understanding of their benefits, risks, and how to make informed health choices.
Effective April 1, the Benefit Funds are offering a comprehensive health-management program, in partnership with FlyteHealth, for eligible members and their adult dependents. FlyteHealth physicians, nurse practitioners and registered dietitians help participants with weight loss and managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Using the FlyteHealth patient mobile app, participants meet with a care team to develop a personalized treatment plan with regular check-ins to monitor progress. To qualify, members and their adult dependents must receive medical and prescription drug coverage through the Benefit Funds;* have a current or previous body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or have a current or previous BMI of 27 or higher in addition to a related health condition; and reside in the U.S. Please encourage your eligible patients to visit FlyteHealth’s website for more information.
Effective May 1, the Benefit Funds are partnering with Ochsner Digital Medicine, which uses technology to help 1199SEIU members living with hypertension and/or Type 2 diabetes better manage their conditions. Eligible members and their dependents age 18 and older who enroll in the program will receive a free blood pressure cuff and/or glucometer that transmits readings to the Ochsner care team. The team then prescribes medications and coordinates with participants’ primary care physicians to help ensure they receive appropriate treatment and dosages. Additionally, participants use Ochsner’s app to track their progress, receive alerts and reminders from their care team and access professional health coaching and lifestyle resources. Please encourage your eligible patients to visit Ochsner’s website for more information.
To ease providers’ administration of drug benefits for their 1199SEIU patients, effective March 1, EviCore is managing the Benefit Funds’ non-medical oncology specialty drugs program in addition to its medical oncology specialty drugs program. EviCore reviews specialty drug authorizations for certain medications that are bought, billed and administered in an outpatient setting, as well as gene therapies in an inpatient setting, and reviews claims for appropriateness of units billed. For specialty drug prior authorizations, visit EviCore’s website or call (888) 910-1199. For more information, including registering for an EviCore online orientation session, visit the EviCore providers’ page.
Effective February 1, the Benefit Funds are using Cotiviti to review claims for diagnosis-related group (“DRG”) inpatient hospital stays and hospital readmissions. For more information, refer to the Care Management Programs section of the Benefit Funds Provider Manual and visit the Cotiviti Frequently Asked Questions page.
CVS Caremark has been the Benefit Funds’ pharmacy benefit manager since July 1, 2024. Please review the CVS Caremark 1199SEIU Preferred Drug List (also known as a formulary) in searchable and print-friendly PDF formats, including the clinically appropriate preferred brand-name medicines, or call (833) 250-3273. We encourage you to prescribe medications for your 1199SEIU patients from this list to avoid having members incur additional out-of-pocket costs beyond their standard co-pays; to seek prior authorization when required; and to comply with the medical exception process as needed.
To avoid long wait times on the Benefit Funds Provider Relations Call Center phone line, please use the following self-service options to verify eligibility and check claims status:
Dear Retired Members,
Summer is officially here and I’m so happy about that—I love the warm weather! I find myself looking forward to being outside, moving more and celebrating the season with family and friends.
Before we dive into the exciting news and information you’ll find in this newsletter, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate our new 1199SEIU President Yvonne Armstrong. I am thrilled to welcome her in her new role. In these pages you can read her first column, outlining her commitment to you and to our Union. Many of you may already know her as a lifelong labor leader and proud 1199SEIU member, who began her career as a frontline healthcare worker. Before becoming President, she was Senior Executive Vice President of Long-Term Care—Home Care and Nursing Homes, supporting workers and leading successful contract negotiations. President Armstrong has been with 1199 for 49 years, including 35 years on staff. Please click the link on the right to read President Armstrong’s message.
Here at the Benefit Funds, our goal is to support your health journey as well as your “Retired…but active” lifestyle.
This promises to be a busy summer, so please take a moment to look at the three-month class, event and chapter meeting schedule inside. You can also visit the Retiree Events page for updates. In addition, we update our Healthy Living Resource Center often, so if you haven’t visited lately, you may want to check out what we’ve added to our Healthy Eating section. Visit the Healthy Eating page to see the latest information.
I am so proud to be a part of the 1199 community, both active and retired, and I’m excited to share that our Health Is the Key podcast is going strong with over 32,000 downloads! Tune in to get the latest information from our own leading medical experts, mental health professionals and other health industry leaders. You can listen to our most recent episode, plus all our previous episodes by visiting the Health Is the Key page. We have a fantastic lineup of guests scheduled for the rest of this year, so subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear new episodes!
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I’m grateful to be making this journey with you—and I look forward to our next steps!
In good health,
Donna Rey, EdD
Estimados miembros jubilados:
El verano ya está aquí oficialmente y estoy muy feliz por eso, ¡me encanta el clima cálido! Me siento con ganas de estar afuera, moverme más y celebrar la estación con familiares y amigos.
Antes de meternos en la información y las novedades emocionantes que encontrarán en este boletín, quisiera tomarme un momento para felicitar a nuestra nueva presidenta de 1199SEIU, Yvonne Armstrong, estoy encantada de darle la bienvenida a su nuevo cargo. En estas páginas pueden leer su primera columna, que resalta su compromiso con ustedes y con nuestro sindicato. Muchos de ustedes probablemente ya la conozcan como dirigente y orgullosa miembro de 1199SEIU de toda la vida, que comenzó su carrera como trabajadora de la primera línea de atención médica. Antes de convertirse en presidenta, fue vicepresidenta ejecutiva senior del área de Atención a largo plazo (atención en el hogar y residencias para adultos mayores), desde donde apoyó a los trabajadores y condujo exitosas negociaciones contractuales. La presidenta Armstrong ha sido parte de 1199 durante 49 años, incluyendo 35 años como miembro del personal. Diríjanse a la página 7 para leer el mensaje de la presidenta Armstrong.
Aquí en el Fondo de Beneficios, nuestro objetivo es apoyar su camino hacia la salud, así como su estilo de vida de “Jubilados…pero activos”.
Este promete ser un verano muy ocupado, así que tómense un momento para mirar el cronograma incluido de tres meses de clases, eventos y reuniones de sección. También se puede visitar eventos para jubilados para ver actualizaciones. Además, actualizamos con frecuencia nuestro Centro de recursos para una vida saludable, por lo que si no lo han visitado últimamente, podrían ver lo que hemos agregado en nuestra sección de alimentación saludable. En HealthyEating se puede ver la información más reciente.
Estoy muy orgullosa de ser parte de la comunidad de 1199, tanto de miembros activos como de jubilados, y me alegra compartir con ustedes que nuestro pódcast Health Is the Key (La salud es la clave) también continúa firme, con más de 32.000 descargas. Sintonícenlo para obtener la información más reciente de los principales expertos médicos, profesionales de la salud mental y otros líderes de la industria de la salud. Pueden escuchar nuestro último episodio, así como todos los episodios anteriores, en Health Is the Key. ¡Tenemos un fantástico elenco de invitados para el resto del año, así que suscríbanse dondequiera que escuchen los pódcasts para escuchar nuevos episodios!
Sé que lo he dicho antes, pero lo diré otra vez: me siento agradecida de poder recorrer este camino con ustedes y ¡espero con ansias nuestros próximos pasos!
En buena salud,
Donna Rey, doctora en Educación
