It’s the perfect time to schedule your annual physical 

If you haven’t already started scheduling your preventive care visits for this year, it’s the perfect time to start. For employees on the State Employee Health Plan, many of these preventive care visits will earn you Wellness Rewards that you can redeem through the ActiveHealth portal. But in addition to these rewards, preventive care visits can give you essential knowledge to take care of your health, give you peace of mind and save you money. For example, did you know that: 

• Of the millions of Americans that have diabetes, approximately 1 in 5 don’t know that they have diabetes and 1 in 8 don’t know that they have prediabetes. 
• Only half of the over 90 million adults in the United States that are at high risk for vision loss visited an eye doctor in the last year. A comprehensive eye exam can help to detect over 250 serious health conditions, including cancer. 
• A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic found that patients with pre-existing conditions like diabetes and coronary artery disease saved hundreds of dollars annually on their medical plans when they visited the dentist at least once per year. 
• Increasing colorectal screening prevalence to 80% in the United States could help to reduce deaths related to colorectal cancer by over 30% by the year 2030. 
• For women age 50 to 74, screening for breast cancer every two years (when compared to no screening) reduces breast cancer deaths by over 25%. 
• It’s estimated that by the year 2030, the Hepatitis B vaccine could help save approximately 14 million lives and the Measles vaccine could save approximately 19 million lives worldwide. 

Not sure where to start?

The annual physical is a great way to kick off your preventive care appointments. During an annual physical, your healthcare provider will check some key health indicators by collecting measurements such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and family history. These measurements provide valuable information about your current health and can help identify potential health risks. And not only are annual physicals always covered 100%* by the health plan for eligible employees and their spouses, but you can also earn $200 in Wellness Rewards for completing the appointment and submitting the required form. See the full steps below:  

1. Schedule an appointment with your Primary Care Provider for your Annual Physical with lab work. If you don’t have a Primary Care Provider, you can find one by logging in to anthem.com or through the Sydney Health mobile app and selecting Find Care. 

2. Print the Annual Physical Results form and fill in Section 1. Bring the form to your appointment and have your doctor complete Section 2. 

3. You are responsible for submitting your completed form. Follow instructions on the form to submit it via fax or upload it. Please note, it can take up to 4 weeks for the forms to be processed and you will receive a confirmation email that your form has been submitted. Your form is considered processed when the ActiveHealth portal Rewards Center shows the activity as complete. 

4. Results must be visible in the ActiveHealth portal by December 31, 2024, to earn the gift card. 

*If non-preventive care is provided at the same time as the annual physical, there could be out-of-pocket costs. 

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