Healthcare services when and where you need them

Teamsters is partnering with Color to offer members access to their convenient and easy-to-use healthcare services. Members and covered spouses have access to Color’s Essential Care program for convenient wellness screenings and a confidential genetic health service for a personalized approach to prevention and health management. Learn more about the programs below.

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Claim my Genetics Kit

Essential Care

A more convenient way to access basic healthcare services

The Color Essential Care program provides a simple and convenient way to assess risk factors for a number of chronic health conditions. This program is built to deliver high-quality care quickly using kits shipped directly to you, so you never have to sit in another waiting room. This is because care should come to you, not the other way around.

The Essential Care program is meant to increase access to healthcare services by making the process simpler, faster, and more convenient. Utilization of these services can help to detect and treat preventable diseases, like diabetes and hypertension.

Claim my Wellness Kit

Complete your screening in the comfort of your home

No more waiting rooms or driving to appointments, our kit comes to you

Takes 20 minutes to complete

Designed to be simple so it is convenient for you to complete on your time

Qualifies you for the Fund’s 2023 Platinum Plan

An additional way to meet the Fund’s annual wellness screening requirements*

* Also requires completion of a preventive dental exam.

How Color Essential Care works

The Preventive Health Kit will allow you to collect a blood sample and complete a blood pressure reading from almost anywhere. Tests included in the Color Essential Care program measure cholesterol and blood glucose (sugar) levels, and may help a healthcare provider understand your risk for some common diseases and conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Routinely checking these health measurements are important to maintaining your long-term health and determining if interventions like medication can prevent disease.

This program is offered to members and covered spouses as an alternative option to complete the Fund’s annual wellness screening outside of a traditional Quest visit. Completion of a preventive dental exam with either an in-person visit to a Quest Patient Service Center or an at-home Color Preventive Health Kit will fulfill the Fund’s requirements for benefits under the Platinum Plan.

01

Order your Preventive Health Kit

02

Receive your kit, complete the screening, and return the kit to Color

03

Get your confidential digital results report

04

Receive follow-up care, if necessary

Preparing for testing

Before you activate your kit and begin testing, you are required to fast for a minimum of at least 8 hours. Fasting is required for a healthcare provider to accurately interpret your results. Drinking water is the only exception and is encouraged before sample collection.

You will need about 20 minutes total to activate your kit, complete your health screening, and collect your samples. Followed by an additional 30 minutes after sample collection to let your sample dry before repackaging it.

You must return your kit by mail within 24 hours after activating your kit and collecting your sample. Otherwise, your test will not be accepted at the lab. Make sure you know where to find your nearest USPS mailbox.

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Learn more about the tests

The Preventive Health Kit includes all the materials required to collect a sample which can be run by a lab to measure your cholesterol, blood glucose (sugar), and liver function. It also includes a digital blood pressure monitor to measure your blood pressure. The results from your preventive wellness screening can be used along with other factors to evaluate your risk for certain chronic conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes (high blood sugar), and high cholesterol. These tests will not diagnose any conditions. Only a healthcare provider can provide a diagnosis.

Blood pressure

Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers: systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. The combined number indicates the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. Knowing if you have high blood pressure can help you and your healthcare provider create a plan to manage your risk for heart problems through lifestyle changes and sometimes medication.

Factoid: In a Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, hypertension affects approximately 46% of the U.S. adult population.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is an estimate of body fat, calculated using your weight and height. It is one measurement, combined with blood pressure and blood test results, that help us understand your risk for many diseases. People who have a higher BMI have a higher risk of developing many diseases and health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Lipids

Cholesterol is one of the main types of lipids (fatty substances) that your body uses as a source of energy. There are two main types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol. Having high levels of “bad” cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. Knowing if you have abnormal levels of cholesterol is important because there are actions you can take, such as changing your diet and increasing your physical activity, and sometimes taking medication to help lower your cholesterol.

Blood Glucose

Blood glucose (sugar) is measured using a test called hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). If your glucose levels are high, it may be a sign of diabetes, a chronic condition that can cause serious health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage.

Factoid: In a 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report, >80% of people with prediabetes are unaware that they have elevated blood glucose.

Liver Function

Liver function is measured by testing the levels of two substances in the blood: ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase). Increased AST or ALT levels can sometimes be a sign of liver disease, such as inflammation (hepatitis) or scarring (cirrhosis). Because many factors can influence ALT levels, the test alone cannot identify the underlying cause.

Questions? Get in touch.

Genetic Testing

A personalized approach to prevention and health management

Color’s confidential service helps you better understand your hereditary risks, helping you, and possibly your family, lead a healthier life.

10-15% of most cancers are due to inherited genetic mutations.^1-3 Knowing you have a mutation that increases your risk allows you and your healthcare provider to create a personalized plan designed to prevent or detect cancers like breast, ovarian, colorectal, and pancreatic at an earlier or more treatable stage.

Take a new approach to your health with a test that has actionable results with personalized guidance to help you make better decisions about your health with your doctor.

References:

¹Tung N et al. Cancer 121(1), 2015.
²Pal T et al. Cancer 104(12), 2005.
³Risch HA et al. The American Journal of Human Genetics 68(3), 2001.

Claim a free Color kit for you and an adult dependent today

Teamsters is offering members and 1 eligible adult (18+) dependent complimentary access to Color’s confidential health service to help you personalize your health with genetic insights.

Claim my Genetics kit

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