Blog
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Suspect Fraud or Abuse? Report It to the Fund!
Most healthcare providers are trustworthy and committed to patient-centered care, but as in any large industry, mistakes can be made, and some providers may even try to take advantage of the system. To help protect yourself and the Fund against fraud and abuse, remember to read your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements carefully when you receive them in the mail (or use My Account to review your claims activity online), and make sure the care you received is billed correctly. If you notice anything unusual on your EOB statements or when you access My Account, such as charges for services you did not receive, or if you believe a provider has misused the Fund’s benefits for any reason, please email our tip line at BenefitFraud@1199Funds.org or call our Fraud and Abuse Hotline at (646) 473-6148. If you wish, you can report suspected fraud anonymously. With your help, we can preserve valuable healthcare dollars and protect all of our members’ benefits.
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Loneliness Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
With busy schedules, some quiet time alone may seem like a welcome break, but growing research shows that chronic loneliness can have negative effects on both our mental and physical health. Conditions such as obesity or diabetes are both serious and widespread, but several extensive studies over the last few years have shown that the potential effects of loneliness on overall health, including depression, heart disease and cognitive decline, can be an even greater hazard to your health. Although most studies of the effects of loneliness have looked only at older people, an analysis of 70 studies that included 3.4 million people of all ages found that loneliness peaks in adolescents and young adults, then rises again as people age, into their eighties and beyond.
One study found that the health effects of loneliness were comparable to the risks associated with smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and obesity. Why? Being in the physical presence of others may affect our levels of cortisol, or stress hormones. Being socially connected to others can also play a protective role, encouraging us to adopt healthy eating habits or engage in pleasing activities while avoiding negative behaviors like watching too much TV.
Of course, most everyone may feel lonely from time to time, but feelings of loneliness that persist are cause for concern. In our fast-paced world, there are many factors that contribute to loneliness, such as feeling overwhelmed, or having erratic sleep schedules or physical limitations that prevent you from socializing. In addition, while there are more opportunities than ever to connect electronically, social media platforms often offer superficial connections that can be isolating, causing many people to become accustomed to only engaging with the world through a screen.
Loneliness can leave you feeling overwhelmed and helpless, but there are small steps you can take to connect with others.
Ease Your Mind with Sleep
Developing a regular sleep pattern—7 to 9 hours per night–can lower stress levels, which can help you feel less anxious about connecting with others.
Reach Out–Slowly
Meeting a friend for a walk, a movie or dinner is an easy way to socialize meaningfully, and gives you the opportunity to strengthen connections and share your thoughts.
Try a New Hobby
Participating in an activity in a group setting, such as a knitting group or a cooking class, allows you to do something you enjoy, while engaging with people with like-minded interests.
Consider Volunteering
Contributing a skill or time to a worthy cause is a great way to clear your thoughts, help others and make an impact in your community.
Sources: WebMD, Heart (BMJ Journals)
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A Healthy Lifestyle Helps Prevent Hypertension
A Healthy Lifestyle Helps Prevent Hypertension
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a dangerous condition that affects about 30 percent of 1199SEIU members. It is often called the “silent killer” because it typically has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people do not know they have it. There’s only one way to know whether you have hypertension—have a doctor or other healthcare professional measure your blood pressure. Your healthcare benefits give you access to quality care, so be sure to have your blood pressure checked at least once a year. Hypertension causes your heart to work harder than it’s designed to, which can damage your blood vessels and, in turn, your heart. Over time, this puts you at higher risk of serious health problems, including heart attack, heart failure and stroke. You’re more likely to develop hypertension if you smoke cigarettes, have a family history of the condition, are diabetic, overweight or obese, or do not exercise. Some things you can do to help prevent or treat hypertension are to stop smoking, exercise regularly, eat a nutritious diet and limit your sodium and alcohol intake.
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Vernice Mitchell from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Vernice Mitchell
Attending one of our Wellness Department’s health workshops gave Vernice Mitchell the nudge she needed to start exercising again, eating healthier–and even meditating.
Attending one of our Wellness Department’s health workshops gave Vernice Mitchell the nudge she needed to start exercising again, eating healthier—and even meditating.
It was a warm Saturday morning last summer when Vernice Mitchell came to Fund Headquarters for a wellness workshop. Little did she know that it would mark the start of her journey to a new lifestyle—one that now includes eating a nutritious diet, walking regularly and practicing meditation every day. It would also be the start of her attending every one of our Wellness Department’s quarterly workshops.
“My mother is also an 1199SEIU member and she asked me to join her at the event, so we went together,” said Vernice, who is a Cardiac Technologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and an 1199SEIU member for some 20 years. “I remember thinking that it couldn’t hurt since I had been having trouble catching my breath at times and I wasn’t doing the things I love anymore, like dancing.”
I’ve lost several inches, so my clothes fit better, but that’s just the beginning. I also have more energy, I sleep soundly at night and I have less stress in my life. I never imagined all this was possible—and I couldn’t be happier!
Cardiac Technologist
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
In fact, the workshop was a turning point for Vernice. A Wellness Department nutritionist told her that if she kept eating unhealthy foods, and not exercising, she was at risk for a host of serious health problems. But the nutritionist emphasized that there were a number of things Vernice could do to change course, starting with improving her diet. “I learned how to read food labels and what to watch out for, like high levels of sodium or added sugar,” Vernice said. “The workshop also taught me healthier ways to cook meals for myself and my two children.”
For Vernice, perhaps the workshop’s most important lesson was the introduction to deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. She was pleasantly surprised by the relief and renewal she felt from just a few minutes of meditation, and since then, she’s made meditation, stretching and yoga key parts of her routine. Combined with a diet that includes more fresh fruits and vegetables, her new, healthier lifestyle has changed everything.
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Students Reach Academic Goals with Joseph Tauber Scholarship Program
The continual rise of college tuition costs presents challenges for many students looking to affordably continue their education after high school. The Joseph Tauber Scholarship Program (JTS) offers scholarships to children of eligible 1199SEIU members to support undergraduate study at accredited universities. The award—which can help pay for tuition, books and personal expenses—is renewable up to the age of 23. See how a few recent graduates have put the program into action below, and learn more about the Joseph Tauber Scholarship Program.
[et_pb_team_member admin_label=”Andre Cheng” name=”Andre Cheng” image_url=”/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Andre-Cheng-Graduation-Icon.jpg” animation=”off” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”text-align:center; max-width: 400px; border: 1px solid #e1e1e1; border-radius: 8px; padding: 20px; background-color:#f7f7f7; box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75); -webkit-box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75);-moz-box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75);}” custom_css_member_image=”border-radius:4px;” custom_css_member_description=”line-height:1.2em;” module_class=”funds-bio-person”]Degrees received: Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University
Andre used his scholarship to pursue his undergraduate degree at Columbia University, and continued on as a medical student. In 2018 he received an MD from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Andre believes the need-based awards he received during his undergraduate work were essential in funding his college education. [/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_team_member admin_label=”Katelynne Bazile ” name=”Katelynne Bazile ” image_url=”/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Katelynne-Bazile-Graduation-Icon.jpg” animation=”off” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_main_element=”text-align:center; max-width: 400px; border: 1px solid #e1e1e1; border-radius: 8px; padding: 20px; background-color:#f7f7f7; box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75); -webkit-box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75);-moz-box-shadow: 2px 2px 5px 0px rgba(193,193,193,0.75);}” custom_css_member_image=”border-radius:4px;” custom_css_member_description=”line-height:1.2em;” module_class=”funds-bio-person”]Degree received: Bachelor of Arts from Newbury College
Katelynne graduated from Newbury College Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology. She was the 2017 recipient of the President’s Award for academic excellence, and was selected to be the student speaker at graduation. Outside of the classroom, Bazile has served as an Executive Admissions Ambassador, Resident Assistant, Orientation Leader and Peer Mentor. She used her JTS award for all four years of her undergraduate degree. [/et_pb_team_member] -
Maria Rodriguez: Member Profile
Maria Rodriguez
With the help of her coverage, Maria Rodriguez received the care she needed and took control of her health.
Hypertension has been a part of Maria Rodriguez’s life for as long as she can remember. The condition runs in her family, with one of her seven siblings suffering a heart attack and another needing two open-heart surgeries. But when Maria’s 55-year-old brother, Raymond, died after a cardiac arrest in 2013, Maria, a Secretary II at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, knew it was time to have her heart checked. On a co-worker’s recommendation, Maria made an appointment with a doctor, and after a physical exam and an EKG test, the doctor told her that the results were concerning. Two days later, Maria suffered a heart attack.
“I’ll never forget the day it happened,” Maria said. She and her husband, Luis, were in bed when she suddenly felt a burning sensation in her chest. Before her checkup, she would have written the pain off as indigestion, but she knew that it could be something more serious. “Going to the doctor when I did saved my life,” Maria said. Her left artery was 99 percent blocked, and she had to have a stent inserted.
The benefits I receive as an 1199SEIU member are amazing. They allowed me to find a doctor who really cared about me and is committed to helping me live a healthier life.
Secretary II
Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx
Since her heart attack, Maria has worked with her doctor to make lifestyle changes to improve her heart health, like altering her eating habits to include more vitamin-rich vegetables to control her blood pressure. Maria has also started walking during her lunch break three times a week, a low-impact exercise that is easy for her to fit into her busy schedule.
“The benefits I receive as an 1199SEIU member are amazing,” Maria said. “They allowed me to find a doctor who really cared about me and is committed to helping me live a healthier life.” Now, she is feeling better and looking forward to seeing her daughter, Diamond, graduate from college: “I’m so grateful for the second chance my benefits have given me.”
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ChoosingWisely.org
When it comes to medical tests and treatments, more is not always better. Although a number of them are commonly prescribed, many are frequently overused and unnecessary. That’s why your 1199SEIU Benefit Funds would like to connect you with ChoosingWisely.org — an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation — to assist you in making sound healthcare decisions for yourself and your family, as well as help stretch valuable benefit dollars.
Being informed — knowing how, where and when to access medical care — can help you protect your health, avoid hassles and recover from illness faster. Helpful resources include lists of tests and procedures that may be overused, questions to ask your physician, and brochures and videos that explain appropriate care recommended by medical specialty societies.
Disclaimer: This website does not provide medical advice. The contents of this website, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material (“Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. -
Episode One: Meet Your Pension Counselor
Meet Your Pension Counselor
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