To you, the loyal readers of this newsletter, we’re grateful for your ongoing support and hope you not only enjoy this month’s edition but gain value from reading it.
More importantly, we thank you. Your generosity of insight, ideas and time continues to be critical in not only setting the future direction of the various Benefit Plans but also to protecting and preserving them.
Signs of spring are all around us. But no finer a sign of Springs arrival exists than that of UCONN making it to the NCAA final four – AGAIN! GO HUSKIES!
In this edition, we:
Share the findings of a new study we thought fascinating about gut microbiomes.
A new study in the 2024 Cell Host & Microbe Journal shows that the human gut microbiome has an interesting role in maintaining homeostasis. (By the way, homeostasis is just a fancy medical term for being in a state of being healthy and balanced.) Anyway, the microbiome is where some of the body’s good bacteria live.
The Dali, a Singaporean flagged container ship, struck the Frances Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing it to partially collapse on March 26th, 2024. Six construction workers lost their lives.
As tragic as that is, the loss of life could have been a lot worse for the reason that the Frances Scott Key Bridge is a major corridor of traffic around the City of Baltimore.
Another tragedy. 133 people were mowed down by machine gun fire at a concert venue in Moscow, Russia.
Sadly, but not surprisingly, Russian leader, Vladmir Putin dismissed intelligence warnings from the United States about a likely ISIS-K attack on Russian soil.
Because Teladoc will cease being the Funds telemedicine service provider on May 1st, 2024, the Fund has taken the liberty of updating your medical identification card so as to eliminate any confusion as to what entity you are to call when you have a telemedicine, second opinion or need assistance finding a highly rated medical physician on and after May 1, 2024.
These cards are scheduled to arrive at your residence in the third and fourth week of April.
CALL 2 ACTION!
ATTENTION ALL ACTIVE AND EARLY RETIRED PARTICIPANTS OF THE HEALTH AND BENEFIT FUND
Teladoc will cease being the Fund’s telemedicine provider at midnight April 30th, 2024. This is neither bad news nor a daunting prospect for those that have paid attention and already enrolled with its successor, Included Health.
The Fund Office is pleased to inform you that thus far the upcoming change from Vanguard to Empower is progressing as planned.
With that said, in the near future you will start to receive some notices from Empower. Please make certain that you open and read each correspondence as they contain important information and federal notices about the upcoming change and when they will occur.
Last month’s article about the Care Management benefit caused a bit of consternation amongst the loyal readers of this newsletter. It wasn’t that it was not well received or that it wasn’t informative, it was …., on both counts. But several of you made the case that another article about the misuse of the HRA debit card would have been a better choice for the simple reason that it may stop the incorrect and incessant jobsite prattle of those who have chosen to disenfranchise themselves from learning about how that benefit works.
March. Already.
How is everyone doing with those New Year Resolutions? Are they still intact? Did you even start? Come on, be truthful.
I think you would all agree that with the exception of a few days of negative temps, this winter has been quite comfortable.