Hi everyone, welcome to your stories a podcast series on how Costco benefits are changing the lives of Costco employees I’m your host Martha Craig, and I’m excited to present you were the first podcast in our series.

Today we’re chatting with Marilynn Thurtle, welcome Marilynn thank you for joining us today.

Thanks for letting me join you.

Great.

Well, we’d like to get to know you better can you tell us a little about yourself for example of what do you currently do for Costco?

I work in the Costco Benefits department.

And which location do you work at?

At the home office?

How long have you been to Costco?

I am in my 37th year.

Oh my gosh, well what do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?

Oh my goodness, I love seeing movies with friends, sewing and making jewelry.

Aha, that’s fantastic, so what kind of movies do you like.

Mostly action marvel. Ah, okay.

Well Marilynn, I’d like to Segway to the 2023 pledge. The health and well-being of employees is a top priority for Costco. It’s why we provide employees with valuable benefit programs.

One way to familiarize yourself with the benefit programs that are available to you and your family is by participating in the we’re in this together pledge.

When you take the pledge, you take an important step to become familiar with your benefits and discover how they can help you improve your emotional financial physical well-being.

So, tell me have you had a chance to take the 2023 we’re in this together pledge?

The first day it was offered I took it.

Oh, that’s fantastic. What motivated you to take the pledge.

Well-being in the benefits department I get to see how benefits affect our employees in every aspect of their lives and the pledge gives me the opportunity to get those articles in that information emailed to me, so I know when the when the information available.

Ah huh.

Each month the well-being website supports employees with new information promoting benefit resources that can help you improve your emotional, financial and physical well-being. For example, this month we’re highlight of the importance of preventive care, such as scheduling, age related, screenings, and exams, which are covered at 100% for you and your covered family members.

With preventive care being covered at 100% are you planning on scheduling an annual exam.

Oh yes, I get my annual mammograms and the female checkups, my flu shots I get as much of the preventive care as I can in each year.

That’s great.

Have you found inspiration learned something new, or discovered a benefit resource by reading an article on the well-being website?

One of the articles that came through on the pledge site earlier just earlier in 2022 was about alcoholism and how it affects your family and since I don’t drink, reading that article helped me understand more about the family members that do drink and you know, what motivations and maybe some encouragements to maybe not drink so much.

That’s great, thank you.

What Costco benefits are you currently using, or have you used in the past?

Well in the past the live healthy team is one of the most important parts for me because in 2011, my husband has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS. And within two weeks Aetna had assigned us a live healthy coach, a registered nurse, who called us each time there was something new that was progressing with Rob’s disease or if there was a medication. She even talked to us about getting into national research studies and things like that and then as Rob progressed through the disease, and we got to the end stages of his life they assigned us a compassionate care coach who helped us decide the end-of-life decisions that you have to make.

When Rob did pass away, they assigned me a behavioral health specialist that helped me with the bereavement process, and a social worker to help me close up his social security and his Medicare. So, they helped me every step of the way.

And i can tell you it would’ve been much much harder to go through without them.

What was your emotional reaction to that especially after Rob died.

It was a long process that, umm. It’s not something you get over right away I’ve been married 28 years at that point so when Rob passed away, I really felt like half of me was gone. And the live healthy team and the behavioral health support that we get through the Costco benefit makes a huge difference in that recovery process and the bereavement.

So, you felt supported through that process?

Every step of the way.

Ah that’s fantastic.

What Costco benefits are you currently using?

I’m using alternative care.

I see a chiropractor, chiropractor, pretty regularly for migraines, and some neck pain of course, and doing my annual checkups I see my general practitioner as often as possible. and if needed, i go specialists which hasn’t been that much lately. I will be getting knee surgery soon, so I’ll be using that.

And what advice do you have for your fellow Costco Employees about using your Costco benefits?

That’s a great question because I am in the benefits department it gives me a lot of insight as to all of the benefits and I can tell you as an employee and as a benefits a coordinator that it’s really important to take the pledge and have the opportunity to learn about their benefits because the benefits that I needed to use may not be the benefits that other employees need and use.

But learning about all those benefits which probably about 50 percent of our benefits are free, we don’t have to pay co-pays or deductibles or co-insurances. So, it’s really important to call or go online. Look at that look at that pledge site. Look at the Costco benefits.com information to learn about what’s available to you as an employee and what you can use to make your life better.

Fantastic.

Well, we appreciate your time today and all the great information you provided. Thank you, Marilynn for joining us for first podcast until next time stay well be safe and remember we’re in this together.