Do you or someone in your family:
•
Wheeze sometimes?
•
Feel chest tightness?
•
Have an early morning or bedtime cough?
•
Seem out of breath when it’s not expected?
Tese may be signs of asthma, a long-term lung disease.
If you have asthma, you have it all of the time – even
when you do not have symptoms. If you learn what to
do and get help from your PCP or doctor, you can help
make your asthma attacks a thing of the past.
How to manage asthma
You can take control with three key steps:
1
Know what things make your asthma worse
and avoid those triggers
. Triggers are diferent for
diferent people. Common triggers include:
•
Smoke (including tobacco and secondhand smoke)
•
Air pollution
•
Dust mites
Checkups for all ages
Don’t let illness sneak up on you. We have
a chart that lists the checkups, shots and
tests you need at all ages, from child to
adult. The chart is called Preventive Health
Care Guidelines. To see the chart, just go to
anthem.com/ca
.
❯
❯
Under
Other Anthem Websites
, click
State Sponsored
.
❯
❯
Choose
Medi-Cal
.
❯
❯
Choose
Preventive Health Care Guidelines:
Medi-Cal and L.A. Care
.
Member grievance time frames
Have you received a Notice of Action from us? A Notice of Action is a formal letter telling you that a medical service has been denied,
deferred or modifed (changed). If, as a member, you receive a Notice of Action from us, you have three options:
•
•
You have 90 days from the date on the Notice of Action to fle an appeal of the Notice of Action with Anthem Blue Cross.
•
•
Within 90 days, you may request a state hearing from the Department of Social Services regarding the Notice of Action.
•
•
You may request an Independent Medical Review (IMR) from the Department of Managed Health Care regarding the Notice of Action.
You can fle an appeal with us regarding a Notice of Action and request a state hearing regarding that Notice of Action at the same time.
However, you may not request an IMR if you have already requested a state hearing for that Notice of Action.
You also can fle a grievance that is not about a Notice of Action. You must fle a grievance within 180 days from the date the incident or
action occurred which caused you to be dissatisfed.
Expecting? New mom?
Make it count!
Are you pregnant? If so, we have a program that supports
you during your pregnancy. It’s called
Healthy Habits
Count for You and Your Baby
.
The program comes at no cost to you if you’re a new mom
or are expecting a child. It’s part of your health benefts
and includes:
•
•
A booklet to help you learn about pregnancy
and childbirth.
•
•
A screening to fnd out if there are risks to you or your
baby while you’re pregnant.
•
•
24-hour phone support from registered nurses who can
help with any health concerns.
•
•
Reminders to see the doctor for a checkup after giving
birth. It’s so important that if you see the doctor again
within 21 to 56 days after you have a baby, you can get
a reward.
Call us at
1-800-407-4627
to enroll in this no-cost
prenatal program as soon as you know you are pregnant.
•
Cockroaches and their droppings
•
Furry pets
•
Mold
2
See your PCP or doctor and take prescribed drugs
in the right way at the right time
. Be sure you take
prescriptions exactly as your doctor tells you to.
3
Create an action plan with your PCP or doctor
to control your asthma
. Tis plan should be
reviewed when you see your PCP to make sure
it stays up-to-date. Go to
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
health/public/lung/asthma/asthma_actplan.pdf
for a sample action plan. Look on the back for a list
of possible asthma triggers and ways to avoid them.
Take control of your asthma. You’ll fnd you can breathe
a little easier and enjoy life!
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: CDC.gov;
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website:
Asthma Action Plan
(April
2007): www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/asthma_actplan.pdf
Could you have asthma?
Take action so you can breathe easier!
My Health
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