surgical lessons part 2

What benefits do you have that you don't know about?
I learned recently that my insurance company offers benefits I didn't know about. For example, when we signed up, we were told that we would receive a phone call from a nurse, employed by United Healthcare, following any hospital stay. "Okay, whatever," I thought. Then she called me.
The first time I talked to Pat, I was two days post-op, had a killer sore throat (intubation sucks!) and was still a little hazy. She was friendly and just checking to make sure I had been trated well in the hospital. Did I have any questions about the insurance? Actually, yeah. In my drug-induced haze I remembered a major pre-op procedure had been denied and the paperwork had been waiting for me when I got home. She'd look into it, she said. We hung up and I went back to la-la land.
This week, she called again, delighted to hear my sore throat was gone, I was walking my two miles a day, and feeling good enough to return to work. She HAD looked into that denied calim, gotten it reprocessed and PAID! Then she started in on what I presume is her REAL job - keeping me healthy. "Have you had your flu shot this year? They'll still give you one if you contact your primary care physician. Anesthesia and surgery could make youmore prone to illness for a while. Do you get your annual physical? Pap? Mammogram? Are there any health concerns you have?" I told her I couldn't wait to get back to the gym because I had a serious plan to drop some excess weight this year and next. "Well did you know we offer a dietician and personal trainer who will consult with you by phone?"
Wait a minute. What? My insurance company offers a dietician? and a personal trainer? Free? Holy cannollis. Where do I sign up?
So Pat hooked me up, and I can't wait to hear what she has to say during our next phone call. After all, she says, it's in the best interest of both my insurer and my employer to keep me healthy - and working!
What benefits do you have that you're not taking advantage of? It's January. If you have dental and vision, schedule checkups for the entire family now. How long has it been since the entire family had a physical? (dad, too!) This is the best time to not only change your smoke detector batteries, but to check out your own batteries.
--Misty