Re: IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN REQUIREMENT

Dear Participant,

The Trustees of Iowa Laborers District Council Health & Welfare Fund understand the difficulties that the past two years have presented due to the ongoing pandemic.  As your communities return to a more normalized way of life the Trustees are reinstating the requirement to visit your Primary Care Physician (PCP)on an annual basis.

An essential component of your health care is having a primary care physician (PCP) that provides preventive care, monitors existing conditions, and coordinates care with specialists.  A large number of participants in the group are still not engaging with a PCP and are relying on Emergency Rooms for treatment.  This type of health care is more costly to the Fund and does not promote a relationship between doctor and patient. The trustees feel it is important for members to regularly see their PCP to promote their overall wellness and for earlier detection of new medical issues.

The trustees understand that you may feel seeing your (PCP) on an annual basis is inconvenient but feel it is necessary to ensure the long-term health of Fund participants. They hope that by providing ample time to visit the doctor that you will be able to benefit from this program. The $20 office visit co-pay will not be applied to participants receiving a Wellness Exam.  You will be expected to see your PCP on an annual basis.

Please set up an appointment with a Primary Care Physician and have the enclosed primary_care_physician_reporting_form.pdf for you and your spouse completed and returned to BMGI by October 31, 2022. This requirement applies to all Fund Participants and their spouses.

Failure to see and establish a Primary Care Physician will result in the Emergency Room Co-Payment to increase from $200 to $1,000 starting January 1, 2023.

If you need help finding a primary care physician that will accept new patients, call Wellmark at (800) 524-9242 or go to Wellmark’s website https://www.wellmark.com/finder.  For any other questions regarding this letter please call the BMGI at the Fund Office (319) 365-2810.

Sincerely,

The Board of Trustees

Iowa Laborers District Council Health & Welfare Fund