Carpenters Trusts of Western Washington News Updates

Primary care can mean better care

Carpenters know planning is critical to the success of small- and large-scale construction projects. Costs go up and quality declines when materials, machines and a skilled workforce are not effectively coordinated.

Risky Business: Using out-of-network providers

When choosing a health care provider, your best choice is a provider from the First Choice Health network. Here's why...

Retiree Health Plan: No Out-of-Country Coverage

Services or supplies from any provider received outside the United States are no longer longer covered by the Retiree Health Plan. This applies for dates of service on or after January 1, 2012 for retirees and dependents who are on or who are eligible for Medicare.

Make a plan to quit tobacco on Nov. 17

If you can quit tobacco for a day, you can quit for life. Get ready to quit with millions of others during the American Cancer Society reg; Great American Smokeout reg; on Thursday, Nov. 17. By day's end, you'll realize you do have the ability to regain control over your health.

Medco Pharmacy offers free smartphone app

A free smartphone app from Medco can help you keep track of your medications and take them as prescribed. The app is available for iPhone, Android, or Blackberry smartphones.

Mayo Clinic releases "know your numbers" music video

Mayo Clinic last week launched a heart health awareness campaign featuring a parody of the 1982 hit song "867-5309/Jenny."

The Rewards of a healthy, stress-free life

Are you overweight or obese? Do you have high blood pressure or diabetes? Are you depressed? Whatever you do, don't stress about it. Stress not only makes these conditions worse; it might well be the root cause.

Get moving now to get your Rewards

Carpenters Rewards is the incentive program that awards points for doing activities that promote healthy living. When you achieve 1,000 points you can redeem them for a $100 Hallmark gift card-but not for much longer.

Add years to your life, $200 to your pocket

No one likes being sick, but when you have a chronic health condition, sickness is part of everyday life.

Have you completed your online health assessment?

Many costly health conditions can be prevented or identified in their early stages with the aid of health assessments and routine screenings.

Power tools for improving your health

There's no shortage of prevention and wellness information on the World Wide Web. But identifying credible sources of well-researched and unbiased information can be very challenging. That's why the Carpenters Health and Security Plan provides unlimited access to the Mayo Clinic's EmbodyHealth website.

Don't forget the nurse line

When an injury or illness occurs, call Ask Mayo Clinic, your 24-hour nurse line.

How will you spend your $100 gift card?

Improving and maintaining your health is even more rewarding with a $100 gift card.

How fit are you? See how you measure up

Ready to start a fitness program? Measure your fitness level with a simple four-part test. Then use the results to set fitness goals and track your progress.

Quit for Life: It could happen to you

Difficult to quit? Yes. Impossible to quit? Not quite. More than 1,000 carpenters, spouses and dependents have become tobacco free through Quit For Life. If it worked for them, it just might work for you.

More rewards for wellness: A $100 gift card

Have you heard about Carpenters Rewards? As part of the Carpenters Wellness Program, it offers a $100 gift card for participating in activities that promote better health and wellbeing. In other words, you get rewarded for doing stuff that's good for you anyway.

Take the call, make the call, for Nurtur health coaching

Does the name "Nurtur" look or sound familiar? You may have seen it on something received in the mail. You might have heard it mentioned by someone trying to reach you by phone. If you're wondering what Nurtur is all about, read on.

Is Your Information Current?

The convenience and features of today's cell phones make it easy for people to make their "mobile" phones their "home" phones. Many people are saving money by disconnecting home telephone service altogether. That makes good sense as long as you remember to update your contact information so the plan can reach you. Just complete a Change of Address form and submit it to the Trust Office. If you've recently moved, that's one more good reason to update your contact information. Contact Participant Services with any questions.

Carpenters Care March Newsletter

This edition of the Carpenters Care newsletter looks at the Walk to Wellness, steps to better health, exercise tips for busy people, and more. Click here for the complete newsletter.

Earn a $100 Gift Card With the New Wellness Incentive

Arriving today in mailboxes for eligible participants (non-Medicare, 18 and older), this letter provides a quick introduction to Built to Last, the new Carpenters Wellness Program, and Carpenters Rewards, our new approach to our gift card incentive program. These programs are endorsed by the Board of Trustees as ways to help you become more aware of our wellness offering, more involved in using these resources wisely, and more appreciated for taking an active role in improving your health.

Healthcare Reform Effective 1-1-2011

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is effective January 1, 2011 for the Carpenters Health and Security Plan of Western Washington. This new law was designed, in part, to increase the number of insured Americans and to keep those insured individuals covered longer. To this end, the Carpenters Health and Security Plan was required to make several eligibility and benefit changes to comply with the new law. These changes are effective on January 1, 2011 as described in the latest Carpenters Care Newsletter. The BenefitTabs, the Employee Health Plan SPD and the Retiree Health Plan SPD have also been updated to reflect these new changes.