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From the CEO

Season’s Greetings AFSPA Family,

As we begin to look ahead to the new year, let’s remember to check some things off our list first.

Final Stretch of Open Season

Open Season ends on December 13th. That means you have two weeks to review changes in your plan’s 2022 benefits and premiums to make sure you and your family have the health, dental, and vision insurance coverage needed for the upcoming year.  Remember, you cannot enroll, change your enrollment, or cancel your coverage outside of Open Season unless you experience a qualifying life event. We are hosting several Open Season webinars at various times this month to accommodate members around the globe who still have questions about Open Season and AFSPA offerings. To register for a session that best fits your schedule, visit afspa.org/events.


Don’t Get Caught with the Flu

National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is observed from Dec 5 – 11. According to the CDC, everyone 6 months and older should receive their annual flu vaccine if they have not already. Although most of the media chatter is centered around getting the COVID-19 vaccine, the flu remains a significant public health concern.

Last year, people were worried about a bad flu season on top of COVID, but it didn’t happen because everybody was masking and social distancing. In addition, many things were still closed because of lockdowns. But this year as things have slowly begun to reopen, that concern has returned. Some experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expect the flu season might be even worse because people have not been exposed to influenza recently. But the good news is, there is still time to get a flu vaccine—the only vaccine that protects against flu—to help prevent flu illness and potentially serious complications.

Flu vaccines are covered at 100% for Foreign Service Benefit Plan (FSBP) members when you visit an in-network provider or any provider outside the 50 U.S.

COVID vaccines are covered at 100% at participating and non-participating pharmacies as well as at a doctor’s office. To learn more about FSBP’s COVID updates click here.

Visit vaccines.gov to find the COVID and flu vaccine near you. FSBP members aged 18 and older also can receive a $25 wellness incentive after receiving each vaccine.


AFSPA Launched its Redesigned Website

After months of hard work and dedication, AFSPA officially launched its redesigned website on Thursday, November 4, just in time for Open Season.

Our primary goal during the redesign process was to make it easier for our members to quickly find the information and resources they need when using diverse devices and platforms.

Read our recent blog post to learn more about the features of our new site. We invite you to complete a quick survey to tell us about your experience with our redesigned website. Click here to take survey.


New Year, New Theme, A New and Better You

It is not too early to plan on a healthier you for 2022. This brings me to our NEW theme for next year – Physical Wellness Leads to Better Mental Health – A Link to a Better You! For the past two years, we focused on programs to help with our mental wellness, but next year, I want to shift emphasis to our physical well-being. Read my article in the 2021 Fall newsletter (on page 9) as I go into detail about our new theme, the importance of improving our physical health, and the positive impact it has on our overall wellness journey.

Lastly, stay up-to-date on all things AFSPA through our website, blog, social media, YouTube channel and podcasts. We are excited to share our AFSPA Talks December episodes with you with great discussions about Open Season, staying on track with nutrition and physical health during the holidays, and more.

As we near the end of another challenging year, I want to thank you for your patience and continued loyalty. Please remember that although the deadline to submit biometric screenings is December 1st, you have until December 31st to provide other wellness documentation, such as your Health Risk Assessment, to receive this years’ Simple Steps to Living Well program rewards.  We look forward to serving you in 2022 and wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.

To Your Health,

Paula S. Jakub, RHU
CEO, AFSPA
Executive Director, Senior Living Foundation

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