Are you having a sneezy spring?

Try these tips to control your allergies

The weather is getting warmer, and flowers are blooming everywhere. That can only mean one thing…spring is finally here!  But sometimes spring brings some less-than-pleasant things too, like watery eyes, a runny nose, sniffles or sneezing, and/or a scratchy throat.  Unfortunately, springtime is also a prime season for allergies. 

Over 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal or year-round allergies, which can be caused by pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and more. Luckily, there are steps you can take to reduce the effects of allergens, as well as limit your exposure to them in your home. Health Advocate offers the following tips that can help you better manage your allergies:   

Check the pollen count. If flowers and trees make you sneezy, check out the local pollen count in your area. Go to http://www.pollen.com/allergy-weather-forecast.asp to see the local and national allergy forecast, and plan to stay inside as much as possible during times when the pollen count is high.

Shut the windows. On days when the pollen count is high, keep the windows closed. 

De-pollen yourself. If you’ve been out and about, consider changing your clothes or taking a shower when you arrive home—this can help you remove any pollen that may have fallen or blown onto you while you were outside.

Drive sneeze-free. Replacing the car’s cabin air filters can help you reduce the amount of dust and other allergens that come in through the vents. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for how often you replace your filters.

Dust often.  One of the best ways to control indoor allergens is by getting rid of dust. Dust mites are the most common trigger of asthma and allergy symptoms inside the home. It’s best to use a damp cloth when dusting to avoid scattering too many allergen particles into the air. For an extra layer of protection, try wearing a mask while you dust—it can help prevent you from breathing in dust that is kicked up as you clean.  

Vacuum frequently. Vacuuming in areas that accumulate dust, such as carpeting and around, under, and behind furniture, can help control allergens in your home.  Consider choosing a vacuum with a HEPA filter to help trap dust mite particles, pet dander, pet hair and more.

Wash thoroughly. Dust mites tend to live in bedding, pillows and throw rugs. Try and wash your bedding in hot water at least once a week and dry them in a hot dryer to kill the dust mites. To reduce the effects of dust mites, purchase mite-proof covers for your mattress, pillows and box spring.

Keep Fido out. If you’re allergic to pet dander or pet hair, it might be a good idea to not let your furry friend sleep in your bed.  To avoid breathing in pet allergens all night long, shut the bedroom door (and if you’re an especially nice pet owner, consider buying your pet a bed of their own, which can be kept in a room other than your bedroom).  Also, vacuuming your home and washing your pet often are two good ways to reduce pet hair or pet dander around the house.

Talk to your doctor.  Ask your primary care physician or your allergist if any of these common allergy remedies would be right for you: Antihistamines, decongestants, saline nasal sprays, eye drops, and/or allergy shots.

If you have more questions about how to manage your allergies, make sure to talk to your primary care physician or your allergist.  If you don't currently have a doctor lined up, call Health Advocate or Health Proponent, who can help you locate an in-network, accredited physician in your area.

A Healthier You: Adding More Fruits and Veggies to Your Diet

One easy way to healthify your meals and snacks is by adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet. According to Harvard School of Public Health, eating plenty of vegetables and fruits may help you ward off heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure and prevent some types of cancer. The latest dietary guidelines call for five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, depending on one’s caloric intake. But many of use aren’t getting the recommended dietary intake.

Health Advocate offers some tips on how to add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Consider trying these ideas:

Get a healthy start. A healthy breakfast can help keep your energy levels up for the rest of the day. Try adding some antioxidant-rich blueberries to plain yogurt; mix in a little honey and granola. Or, add sliced bananas and strawberries to a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk or a non-dairy alternative like almond, rice or soy milk. 

Shake and serve. Make a homemade shake in your blender. Blend yogurt, skim milk or a non-dairy substitute with fresh fruit, such as sliced peaches, mangoes or bananas, or a handful of berries.

Buy and freeze. Frozen vegetables are quick and easy to prepare.  Just pop them in the microwave or steam/ boil them on the stovetop. Choices include, but are certainly not limited to, peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli or a mixed medley…there are so many choices!

Pick ready-made options. Pre-cut, pre-washed salad in a bag can make preparing a meal very easy. Just add some protein to the salad—such as grilled chicken or low-sodium tuna—for a quick, healthy meal.  

Make healthy snacks. Cut up some fresh veggies and bring them to work for a nutritious afternoon snack—carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers or celery are healthy, easily portable choices. Or place a bowl of fresh fruit (such as apples, oranges, clementines, and/or bananas) on your desk so that healthy fare is always at hand.

Try something new.  Give your sandwich a new twist by adding cucumbers, sprouts, avocado, red and green peppers, apples, strawberries, melon slices or pears. With so many different combinations to choose from, you won’t be eating the same sandwich every day. 

Choose a healthier side. When you’re dining out, opt for a healthy salad as a side dish instead of choosing a fried side such as French fries or onion rings.

Add some zing. Make a refreshing drink by infusing sparkling water with fresh fruit (try berries or citrus fruit).

Interested in learning about more ways to add fruits and vegetables to your diet? If you have access to a wellness coach through a service like Health Advocate, give your coach a call and ask them for ideas. Or check out the following websites to learn more about nutrition: 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): This site gives basic facts about nutrition. Go to   www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/index.html

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) published Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provides advice on good dietary habits. Go to: www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines

What to Look for When Choosing a Health Plan

Have you looked at your health insurance policy lately? Maybe it’s worth checking over the details of your plan to see if it suits your needs. A recent article in Insureme.com discussed tips on how to dust off your insurance policies this spring.

Health Advocate provides the following advice on what to look for when selecting a health insurance policy. Keep in mind that with an employer-sponsored plan, once you are enrolled, you will not be able to make changes until the next annual open enrollment period. However, you can make changes if you have a life-changing event such as a divorce, job change, marriage, birth of a baby or adoption of a child.

Choosing a plan.  To pick the best coverage, first calculate your healthcare costs from recent years and try to estimate what your costs might be for the coming year. Don’t forget to include the cost of doctor’s visits, daily medications and any medical procedures you might need.

Do you really need all the bells and whistles? Some people have a tendency to think, “It’s a health insurance policy--I want the best.” That often translates into the most expensive plan. You may be paying too much if you choose a policy with a low deductible. Low deductibles are good if you frequently need medical care. However, if you’re young and healthy, it may be wiser to choose a high deductible plan. That way you’re covered for catastrophic illnesses without paying high insurance premiums.

Picking a robust plan. If you have a serious medical condition, you may want a health insurance plan that gives you several options for care, even if it costs more. You may not want to keep a plan that restricts you to doctors within a single healthcare system or requires referrals to see specialists.

Double-check the plan. Does the plan have prior authorization requirements? A prior authorization is an extra step that some insurance companies require before they decide if they want to pay for a medical service or a prescription medication.

Check into whether your doctor is in the plan’s network. You will pay more to visit healthcare providers outside the plan’s network, so it’s best to make sure your doctor is covered under your plan.

Understand who is covered. Check to see if your spouse or dependents are covered. If you recently got married or had a baby, you may want to add the new members of your family onto your plan. Some plans cover dependents, while other plans do not. Be sure to find out about whether stepchildren are covered. Some plans have a time limit for adding a spouse or newborn. For example, some plans require you to add your baby within the first 30 days following birth. Other plans will waive the additional premium for the first 31 days if you enroll within 31 days following birth. If you recently got married, some plans allow you to add your significant other within 30 days of the event.

 Find out if your medications are covered. If you take prescription medications, check them against the insurance plan’s formulary. Some prescription medications have higher co-payments than others and they might vary from plan to plan. Mail-order options might be available for maintenance drugs at a lower cost.

Budgeting your expenses.  If your employer offers you the option of a healthcare spending account, whether it is a flexible spending account (FSA) or a health savings account (HSA), take a good look at it. These tax-free accounts can help you save money on qualified medical expenses that aren’t covered by your healthcare plan, such as deductibles and co-insurance. Each account has a different set of rules about how and when you can spend the money, but each is worth considering because the savings you’ll see can add up quickly.  

Prepare for the unexpected.  Everyone needs to be prepared for the unexpected, including job loss, divorce, or other life-changing events. Be sure you know what the benefit plan costs might be if you need to pay for it under COBRA. COBRA requires that most employers with group health plans must offer employees the opportunity to temporarily continue their group health care coverage under their employer’s plan.

How Health Advocate can help

If you are a Health Advocate member and have questions about your health insurance policy, call us to speak to a Personal Health Advocate.  Your Personal Health Advocate can help you with many insurance-related concerns, including but not limited to:

·         Explaining the difference between a high-deductible and a traditional health insurance plan

·         Finding out whether your current doctor is in-network in your new insurance plan

·         If your current doctor is not in-network, finding you a new, in-network doctor—plus transferring your medical records and help schedule an appointment for you

·         Evaluating your health insurance plan to see if it has prior authorization guidelines

·         Looking into whether your spouse and/or dependents are covered under your health insurance plan

·         Researching which prescription medications are on your health insurance plan’s formulary

·         Explaining the benefits of a flexible spending account or a health savings account, and tell you what is a “qualified medical expense” that you can pay for from these accounts

·         Helping you understand any insurance-related terminology that you find confusing

·         Helping explain COBRA and go over your options with you

Health benefits can impact your overall financial well-being, so making well-informed decisions about the type of coverage you currently require will help you reduce costs. If you are a Health Advocate member, we can help you be better informed about your health insurance policy, which can help you—and your bank account—stay healthier!

Confused by your Explanation of Benefits (EOB)? Health Advocate can help!

When you or your family member goes to the doctor for a checkup, lab work, or other medical tests or procedures, you should receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in the mail. An EOB is not a medical bill. It is an itemized statement that includes the healthcare service you received, how much was charged for the service, what was paid by your insurance carrier, and what you are expected to pay out-of-pocket.

When you first look at an Explanation of Benefits, you may feel a little intimidated by all the information listed there.  Even if the document confuses you, don’t ignore or discard it.  It’s important to take steps to understand your EOB.  Here is a list of the most common information you will find on your EOB statement and how to read it.

Member: This will include your contact information or the contact information for a member of your family who received care. The group number on your insurance card will also appear here. 

Summary of services. This lists the medical services that you or your family member received. This will also list any charges that you may owe and that were not paid for by your insurance company. If you do receive a medical bill, it’s important to compare the bill to the EOB. You’ll want to make sure that you are being billed for the correct services that you or your family member received.

Summary of deductibles and copayments. This column shows you how much of your copays and deductibles you’ve paid to date.

Details of services. This explains what type of care was received, the date of the appointment and the provider’s name. This is very important information to keep on hand. If you receive a medical bill, make sure the healthcare provider on the bill, as well as the date and the type of service received, match the same information on the EOB. Errors are not uncommon, and it’s possible that the bill and the EOB may not match. In order to notice and handle billing errors quickly and efficiently, you should always keep your EOB on file so that you can compare it to your bill.

Allowed amount: This is the contracted amount of payment a provider has agreed to accept for a service, treatment or product from an insurer.  In network providers can collect up to this amount, but out of network providers may balance bill up to their charges.

Balance.  This is the amount that you owe the provider for any deductible, co-insurance, co-pay and non-covered services. You may have paid some of this (for example, your co-pay) at the time the services were provided.

Still feeling a little confused about your EOB? If you are a Health Advocate member, call us—a Personal Health Advocate can help you better understand your EOB.  If necessary, your Personal Health Advocate can also help you resolve any errors you may find on your EOB or medical bill.

Get Up from Your Desk and Keep Moving

Did you know that sitting less could be good for your health?  An article on CNN.com cited a recent study in the journal Diabetologia that suggests reducing your sitting time could be more important than exercise when it comes to lowering your risk of diabetes.  The new results, however, should not replace standard recommendations for exercise, and more research is required, according to the authors. But still, this information could be a good reason to get up and get moving!

For many people who have desk jobs, your ability to move around during the day can be limited. But the good news is that even if you spend most of your time behind a desk, there are many ways you can take brief breaks to incorporate some mild activity into your daily office routine.  Health Advocate offers the following tips on ways you can be more mobile during the workday.

Don’t sit during your whole lunch break. Instead of sitting for your allotted lunch hour, take some time to eat for the first half and then squeeze in a short walk during the second half. Walk outside if the weather is pleasant, or take a walk inside the building. Consider taking a few trips up and down the stairs, too.

Don’t use the elevator. If you’re headed to a meeting on another floor, use the stairs.

Split up office errands. If you have to give a file to someone in accounting or you need to drop off a package to be shipped, make several trips throughout your day instead of doing all of these errands at once. This gives you more reasons to get up and move around.

Tag along with a colleague. Take a stroll to the break room with a buddy. This is a quick and easy way to incorporate more physical activity in your day. 

Substitute walks for email. Instead of emailing colleagues, walk over to colleagues and talk to them.

Stretch it out. Get up from your desk and take a stretch break. Try shrugging your shoulders to release neck and shoulder tension, or stretch muscles in the upper body by doing a torso twist.

Fit in more steps.  Do you drive to work?  If so, park farther away from your office door so that you have to do a little more walking from your car to your building.

You don’t need long periods of time to fit in more mobility during your workday.  Short bursts of activity are better than the alternative—no activity at all.  If you are a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching service, give us a call!  A Wellness Coach can give you more advice about how to stay active during your workday, plus answer other questions you might have about getting started with exercise, eating healthier, reducing stress, and much more.