Wellness benefit tailored for a healthier U

A wellness benefit available to employees who have Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance through UNMC or UNMC Physicians has been beefed up to annually cover $250 in physicals and lab tests without deductibles and co-pays.

The benefit – called the “Healthy U” Wellness Benefit — is designed to better allow employees to manage their overall health by consistently monitoring common health indicators.

Employees must see a UNMC Physician to fully maximize the benefit, which covers an annual “Healthy U” physical and lab tests such as complete blood counts, lipid profile, metabolic panel, prostatic specific antigen and pap smears.

Health link Visit https://info.unmc.edu/healthyu to see more information about the wellness benefit. This information has been corrected following a campuswide e-mail sent Monday with an inoperable link to the Healthy U Web site.

“I cannot overstate the importance of receiving an annual physical for your health,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “An annual physical is key to preventing diseases and conditions, or at the minimum detecting them at their earliest stages, when they can be treated with maximum success.

“I think this is a terrific benefit for you, our employees, and I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity.”

UNMC and UNMC Physicians hope the benefit will foster a healthier, happier and more productive workforce at the medical center, said Deb Thomas, assistant vice chancellor of business and finance.

“Our employees are the backbone of our organization and our success depends upon their health,” Thomas said. “We want to do everything we can to provide these valuable people what they need to maintain their health and wellness.”

The wellness benefit also covers routine mammography screening, well-child care and immunizations for children younger than 6.

When scheduling a physical and or/lab test, employees must inform their physicians of their desire to use the “Healthy U” Wellness Benefit and fill out a form that can be accessed by clicking here.

Here is more information about some of the tests covered by the benefit:

• Complete Blood Count (CBC) is a broad screening test to check for such disorders as anemia, infection and many other diseases;
  
• Lipid Profile is a group of tests used to determine risk of coronary heart disease;
  
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) gives doctors important information about the current status of a patient’s kidneys, liver and electrolyte and acid/base balance as well as blood sugar and blood proteins. Abnormal results, and especially combinations of abnormal results, can indicate a problem that needs to be addressed; and
  
• Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) is a test aimed at prostate cancer in men. The test helps determine if a biopsy is needed.

Visit https://info.unmc.edu/healthyu to see more information about the wellness benefit. Call benefits specialist Jo Watkins at 559-4340 or UNMC Wellness Manager Jayme Nekuda at 559-8448 if you have questions about this benefit.