SAFPPA Editor Retirees' Association News

Henry Trevino Sends December Letter about Health Fund

TO: FELLOW AND FUTURE MEMBERS

DECEMBER 1, 2021

The first few paragraphs of this report are a reprint of past articles.  I tried writing new words for this end of the year report, however, my thoughts kept returning to these five paragraphs.  

However, this year I would like to add a couple of new paragraphs.  We started the year 2020 with the beginnings of a terrible epidemic that would envelop the whole world.  The Coronavirus spread exponentially encircling the whole world.  As of November 9, 2021, 5,076,531 people have died so far from the Coronavirus outbreak.

Data compiled and analyzed by Worldometer and provided by:

National Health Commission (NHC) of the People’s Republic of China

Health Commission of Hubei Province, China

        The number of people that died due to the Coronavirus epidemic is 5,076,531 as of November 9, 2021.   It’s an immensely large number, however, putting the numbers in perspective to the people that died during the second world war are more than staggering.  75 million people died in the second world war.  Russia itself lost a total of 16,825,000 and China lost a staggering 20,000,000.

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All of us, that are still alive, let’s pause and thank our almighty god for getting us through this pandemonic so far.  Now let’s get to something nicer to talk about.

I would like to take this opportunity to take this last part of the year to wish all of our active Police Officers, Fire Fighters, First Responders and all our retired brethren a very merry and joyous Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.  Again, as in past years, let’s all take pause and thank our God for all the blessings He has given us in the past and for the blessings He will provide us in the future.

We should all take advantage of this time of year to reunite with old friends and neighbors.  Visit and enjoy your family, reminisce and continue to savor the many joyful years long past. Don’t forget about the homeless, the hungry and the forgotten.  

This last month of the year is a time of joy, forgiveness, benevolence and good will. Let’s all take this opportunity to come together and work towards giving our families and friends joy and friendship for all our future years that we may be together. 

We all know that Christmas and New Year is a time to celebrate.  We tend to throw all caution to the wind and over indulge with food and alcoholic drinks.  Please watch what, and how much, you eat. Don’t drive if you over indulge with alcoholic beverages.  We want all our members and loved ones to be with us this coming year.

We as retirees have been blessed with good pensions and health benefits for the rest of our lives.  We have the time to exercise our bodies and enjoy our families, and especially our grand kids.  I often think to myself when I’m a little bit on the down side, a phrase that I sometimes quietly murmur; “if this is bad living, give me more of it.”

Remember to open the packet that the Health Fund sent you through the mail.  If any change is necessary, correct the information; sign the claims form and send it to the Health Fund with the envelope that is included in the packet.   Remember if your claims form is not archived in the Health Fund’s files your medical bills will not be paid. 

Remember that we’re coming to the end of the year.  This is the time to make resolutions on what we are going to do during the year 2022.  Some of us are going to have to catch up with the resolutions we left undone in 2021.   Let’s really make an effort to make resolutions in 2022 and keep them as we promised.  As we make resolutions in 2022 file them in your memory department; this way you won’t have to catch up with the resolutions you made in 2021.      

  Henry Trevino

 WE TEND TO FORGET THAT HAPPINESS DOESN’T COME AS A RESULT OF GETTING SOMETHING WE DON’T HAVE, BUT RATHER OF RECOGNIZING AND APPRECIATING WHAT WE DO HAVE.
(Frederick Koenig)

Moral of the story: Is it human nature that does not allow mankind to appreciate what one has?  Should we be happy with the possessions that we now have or should we keep striving for more?  There is a thin line between appreciating what we have and the desire and ambition of wanting more.  Mankind survives by looking to the future and wanting more and better things.  Can this be a sin or is it a God given right to look at tomorrow and wanting more? 

SAFPPA Editor Retirees' Association News

SAFPPA Meeting Announcement: Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m by Zoom

Stay up to date with the San Antonio Fire and Police Pensioners’ Association on Tuesday November 9 by attending a Zoom Meeting.

Out of an abundance of caution and in view of the delta variant wave of Covid-19 affecting Bexar County, we use Zoom for this meeting. Discussions are underway as to when we can resume in-person meetings in the future.

Registered members will receive Zoom meeting details by email. If you are not a registered member please sign up in our form.

SAFPPA Editor Health Care Fund News

Health Fund Trustee Henry Trevino Reminds Retirees to Open Packets This Month… and Exercise!

TO MEMBERS OF THE FIRE AND POLICE HEALTH FUND

I received an irate call from one of our Health Fund members a couple of weeks ago.  The member could not understand why the doctor’s bills were not being paid by the Health Fund.

        Whenever I get a question like this, I ask the member if he or she had called the staff at the Health Fund office.  Usually the answer is; “No, I have not called the Health Fund.”

        The staff at the Health Fund are the only ones that can view your personal medical account.  Nobody, including the CEO, is privy to your personal medical accounts.  The privacy of our members’ medical accounts is one of the reasons I always ask the members if they have called the Health Fund Staff.

        Back to our irate member: I told the member I would call the staff at the Health Fund and find out why the member’s doctor bills were not being paid.  The problem was quickly solved.  The member had not opened the packet that the Health Fund sends to our members every year in November.

        The member had not opened a packet in three years.  The member had not been to a doctor in three years and had no reason to open the packet.  For our members information, the packet contains vital information about our Health Fund.

        The problem with our member was that the claim’s form had never been signed and returned to the Health Fund.  The claims form is always included in the packet that our members receive every year.  If that form is not signed and sent back to the Health Fund, no medical bills will be paid.    

        The informational packet will be sent out in November; look for it and don’t forget to open it.  Aside from the claims form, other information is included; deductible expenses, out of pocket expenses, children’s rates and changes to medications.  Please don’t put the packet aside and forget it; as soon as you receive the packet, please open it and read it thoroughly.  

        If you have a problem with anything pertaining to the Health Fund, the first call should be to the Health Fund.  You may call me at any time, (210-710-7378).  Still, I suggest that you call the Health Fund first (210-494-6500).

        Let’s go back to exercise.  Getting old is inevitable.  You can pray, you can wish and you can cry; old age will continue to march towards you forever.  You can’t stop old age from taking over; however, you can stall old age by decelerating the speed of old age.  Can this be done: Yes, it can be done.

        As we get older, our bones get brittle, our joints lose the synovial fluid, muscles lose their strength and elasticity, and eyes start to weaken causing people to fall.

        Body movement is the best medicine that helps to decelerate the speed of old age.  Make it a rule to walk around the block at least one time; use light weights every day for at least 15 minutes; do toe raises and leg squats, and when you go to the grocery store, park the car at least 100 yards from the front door.  Good luck!

Henry Trevino