Three Big Ways a Health Savings Account Can Help You Save Money

Perhaps you’ve heard of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or even a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), but what about a Health Savings Account (HSA)? If your employer offers high-deductible health insurance policies, you may have run across this acronym. As more employers offer high-deductible health plans, HSAs are gaining popularity.

So what is an HSA? A Health Savings Account is a tax-free way to save for health expenses.  In order to be eligible to open an HSA, you must have a health insurance policy with a deductible of at least $1,200 for single coverage or $2,400 for family coverage. That deductible is generally how much you have to cover out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in.

There are many advantages to an HSA, and it can be a great investment medium for many people. If you’re curious about opening an HSA, read on—Health Advocate provides the following reasons why an HSA may be beneficial for you:

1.       It’s a triple threat.  With an HSA, the amount you contribute is a part of a triple tax advantage: tax-free contributions, tax-free withdrawals and tax-free interest earned on savings.

2.       No penalties. Money used for qualified medical expenses can be withdrawn tax-free for you and your dependents, and earnings inside the accounts also grow tax-free. There are no penalties or taxes for using the funds for qualified medical necessities.

3.       Interest earned. HSA funds can roll over from year to year, which means that if you don’t use all the money for healthcare expenses, you can keep it. The funds sit in your account, collecting interest over time. This is one way an HSA is different from a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), where you would lose the money at the end of the year if you don’t use it.

Keep in mind that an HSA may have many potential advantages; however, you do have to think about your anticipated healthcare expenses.  If you are in relatively good health and want to save for future health expenses, an HSA can be a good option. If you are chronically ill or have a lot of healthcare expenses, you may either need to budget your health expenses or find out if your employer offers a traditional lower-deductible health plan.

To learn more about HSAs, speak to your human resources department or benefits team. Or if you have an HSA (or want to get one started), and you are a Health Advocate member, give us a call.  Our Personal Health Advocates can help answer your questions about HSAs and help you understand what types of services and purchases typically count as qualified medical expenses.

Is a Prostate Cancer Screening Right for You?

According to the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men. Prostate cancer usually grows slowly, and initially remains confined to the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm.  A simple cancer screening test—like the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which looks for signs of prostate cancer—could save your life.

Prostate cancer screening tests are not appropriate for everyone. Current recommendations for prostate cancer screening are largely based on a man’s age and risk factors. The American Urological Association’s guidelines are as follows:

• PSA screening in men under age 40 years is not recommended; routine screening in men between ages 40 to 54 years at average risk is also not recommended. Additionally, routine PSA screening is not recommended in men over age 70 or any man with less than a 10-15 year life expectancy.
• Shared decision-making is recommended for men age 55 to 69 years that are considering PSA screening, and proceeding based on patients' values and preferences.
• To reduce the harms of screening, a routine screening interval of two years or more may be preferred over annual screening in those men who have participated in shared decision-making and decided on screening.  

Health Advocate offers the following resources so you can learn more about prostate cancer and early detection:

The Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC) can help you locate a screening facility near you. Go to http://www.prostateconditions.org/screening-site/. Many hospitals offer periodic free cancer screening. Check with your local hospital to see if they offer this service.

The American Cancer Society provides information about early detection for prostate cancer and who may be at greater risk. To learn more, go to http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/moreinformation/prostatecancerearlydetection/prostate-cancer-early-detection-finding-prostate-cancer-early

The Prostate Cancer Foundation provides information about the disease, treatment options, clinical trials, information for families and caregivers, and much more. To learn more, go to http://www.pcf.org/site/c.leJRIROrEpH/b.5814039/k.9645/For_Families_and_Caregivers.htm

The National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health offers what you need to know about prostate cancer staging tests, treatment, and questions to ask the doctor. Visit http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate

There are also prostate cancer support groups that offer a variety of resources to men and their families. For example, Us TOO http://www.ustoo.com/ helps men and their families make informed decisions about prostate cancer detection and treatment through support and education.

Talk to your doctor about whether getting a prostate cancer screening test is right for you. Don’t have a doctor lined up? If you’re a Health Advocate member, call us today to speak to a Personal Health Advocate who can help you locate an in-network, local, primary care physician, plus help you schedule an appointment and/or transfer your medical records.

Fitness Ideas for a Rainy Day

Indoor fitness to help you stay active

Summer is here, and for many people, this means taking workouts from the crowded gym to the great outdoors. Things like hiking, biking, swimming, jogging and walking are all great outdoor activities to promote a healthier, happier you. But what about those rainy days and sweltering heat waves that make you think twice about leaving your house?  Don’t let the weather be an excuse to take a day off from being physically active. There are many different ways to break a sweat and get your heart rate up, all from the comfort of your own home. Try these easy, inexpensive, indoor fitness ideas for when it’s too hot or too wet outside:

Couch Calisthenics

You don’t need a gym to get your body in shape. There are a number of exercises you can do –like sit-ups, elevated push-ups, and jumping jacks –all in your living room. Why not exercise during the commercial break of your favorite TV show? Also, check with your cable provider –many of them now offer on-demand exercise videos that are included with your cable subscription.

Beat Your High Score

Many video game developers are getting couch potatoes off their feet and getting them in shape with a variety of sports, dance, and motion arcade games designed to create a workout. You don’t need to break your bank, either; many of these games can be rented or checked out from your local library.

Get Squeaky Clean

There are so many cleaning-related activities–vacuuming floors, doing the laundry, washing dishes, changing the sheets/making the beds, moving from room to room to dust various surfaces –that can get you up and moving around. This not only gets your house cleaned, but it burns calories as well!

Align Your Chi

Meditative workouts like yoga and tai chi can be a great way to stay in shape and also reduce any stress your body may be holding onto. Rent a yoga DVD or see if your cable provider offers on-demand yoga or tai chi videos. Invite some friends over for fun and make it a party. Namaste!

As always, when you’re thinking about starting any new fitness regimen, talk to your doctor first. Don’t have a doctor lined up? If you’re a Health Advocate member, call us today to speak to a Personal Health Advocate who can help you locate an in-network, local, primary care physician.  Also, some Health Advocate members may have access to our Wellness Coaching program—call today to enlist the help of a Wellness Coach in meeting your fitness or healthy eating goals, and more!

Be Good to Yourself: Stress-Fighting Tips

Traffic jams during your morning commute made you late for work, you can’t seem to get ahead of the growing stack of papers on your desk, and your bill payments are almost due. Does your regular routine leave you feeling stressed out at the end of each day? Life is full of stressors, big and small, and if not properly managed it can affect you physically as well as emotionally, causing potential health issues like headaches, insomnia or, in severe cases, even a heart attack. Try these useful solutions to help you better handle stressful moments:

• Learn to recognize stress. Stress can manifest itself physically in many different ways. A common sign of holding too much stress can be feeling tightness or soreness around your neck, shoulders, and back. Stress could also cause headaches, giving you a pounding sensation around your eyes or temples. However, physical pain may not always be the sole indicator of too much stress. Stress can manifest itself in other ways, too, such as diminishing your focus or productivity, or making you feel less calm.
• Talk to someone who listens: A simple, quick stress reliever can be talking to someone about the things that are making you feel stressed.
• Consider massage. Seek out a local massage therapist and schedule an hour-long appointment.  Or, see if your workplace has options that can help you—some offices bring in massage therapists who, for a nominal charge, can give you a brief (usually 10 or 15 minutes long) stress-reducing massage.  Research from the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami reported that massage therapy has been effective in reducing stress and improving performance for employees who have received massages at their workplace.
• Get in touch with your inner yogi. Yoga combines stretching of the body and meditation of the mind, which can help reduce tension and promote relaxation. But yoga’s potential benefits don’t stop there—it can also improve posture and stimulate weight loss.
• Just breathe. Breathing therapy is free and can be done anywhere! It involves integrating meditation, movement, breathing, and body awareness all at once; these exercises promote a relaxing mind-body connection that can help lessen stress and tension.
• Think happy thoughts. Don't underestimate the power of positive thinking. Studies have shown that optimism and eliminating negative thoughts can reduce your stress level and promote well-being.
• Walk it out. Taking a walk is a healthy activity that can also allow relief from a stressful situation. If you can, try walking outside to engage your senses in experiencing the sights, smells and sounds of nature.
• Get giggly. Laughter has proven to reduce the levels of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine, while increasing levels of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins. So tune in to comedy channels on TV, or your favorite jokesters on the radio, and start laughing!

Want more help reducing stress? Consider talking to a counselor who can help you work through some of the issues that may be causing you to feel stressed.  If you are a Health Advocate member and need help finding a counselor who’s in-network with your insurance plan, local to you, and has hours that are convenient to your schedule, talk to one of our  Personal Health Advocates—they can help you find a counselor that meets your needs. Another way to seek counseling is by calling your workplace's EAP number.  Some Health Advocate members have access to our EAP+Work/Life service (talk to your benefits department or login to your member website if you are unsure which Health Advocate benefits you have).Your EAP may have telephonic counseling that you can access right away, free of charge.

Please note: Before engaging in any physical exercise or massage therapy, we recommend consulting your doctor to verify that these types of activities are right for you.

Is Your Child Overweight? Try Focusing on Healthier Eating

Childhood obesity is on the rise, according to a study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association, and has more than doubled in the past 30 years. Obese youth are more at risk to develop health issues like cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of youth ages 5 through 17, 70 percent of obese youth had at least one risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease, according to the Journal of Pediatrics.

Eating healthier can be the biggest preventative step against fighting childhood obesity. However, getting your child to eat healthy foods can be a big challenge. Forcing or tricking your children to eat fruits and vegetables may seem like a good idea at first, but educating them on healthy eating can promote longer-lasting eating habits. Health Advocate offers the following tips to help get your child on track to a healthier lifestyle.

·         Make meals fun. Spend time creating menus with your kids. Shop for the food and prepare it together. Have your kids take care of some of the easier steps, like washing fruits and vegetables, shredding lettuce with their hands, shucking corn, or snapping string beans. Try to engage your kids in the whole meal preparation.

·         Grow a garden. Plant a garden this summer. Choose from a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and cucumbers. If kids can watch what they planted grow, they may be more likely to be interested in, and willing to accept, these foods.

·         Take a trip. A simple online search can help you locate organic farms in your area that grow produce and will take you and your family on a tour of their fields, allowing everyone to pick fresh fruits and vegetables. Go for apple picking in the fall, or blueberry and peach picking in the summer. You can also bring the kids to your local farmer’s market to have them help you choose fresh fruits and vegetables. Then take your fresh produce home and prepare a nice treat together!

·         Check out recipes. Go to the library or a bookstore and look for some kid-friendly cookbooks. Let your kids choose recipes they would like to make. Have them write the list of ingredients needed, accompany you to the grocery store to buy the ingredients, and then make the recipe together.

Talk to your child’s pediatrician about more ways to get them to eat healthier foods. Don’t have a pediatrician? If you’re a Health Advocate member, call us today to speak to a Personal Health Advocate who can help you locate one. Some Health Advocate members may also have access to our Wellness Coaching service—if this is one of your Health Advocate benefits, you can also speak with one of our Wellness Coaches, who can help you and your family reach healthy goals such as improving your diet or increasing your fruit and vegetable intake.

Not a Health Advocate member?  Check out these websites to help you get your kids eating healthier food:

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) – Educates people on the health benefits of adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. www.pbhfoundation.org

http://www.foodchamps.org– This site offers fun games for kids of all ages about eating healthy.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/main-recipes- This site offers a database of over 1,000 healthy recipes that involve fruits and vegetables.

Be Kind to Your Eyes: Ways to Shield Them from the Sun

Most people already understand the need to protect one’s skin from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays, but did you know that our eyes also need protection as well? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, spending long hours in the sun without eye protection can contribute to cataracts, skin cancer around the eyes, and macular degeneration. This can especially happen during the summer months when the level of ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB) is three times higher.

These tips can help you protect your eyes and minimize sun damage while still enjoying fun outdoor activities during the summer:

·         Choose proper sunglasses. Wear labeled UV protective sunglasses that block 99-100% of UVA and UVB rays. Larger sunglasses and wrap-around sunglasses offer the most protection. (Also, remember that sunglasses aren’t just for adults—kids need sunglasses, too!)

·         Wear a wide-brimmed hat. Even though a hat doesn’t always protect you from the glare and light reflections from other surfaces, it will still reduce the total amount of sun radiation that can damage your skin and eyes. For maximum protection, also wear sunglasses..

·         Wear UV-protective contact lenses. Many people don’t realize that some contact lenses do not offer UV protection. But you can ask your eye care professional to prescribe Class 1 UV-blocking lenses that have a UV protection layer already built in and block out more than 90% of UVA and 99% of UVB rays.

·         Watch the clock. Remember that UV exposure to the eyes is the highest in the morning and mid-afternoon, so plan your schedule and your attire accordingly.

·         Be prepared for impromptu trips outdoors.  Keep a bag containing sunglasses, sunscreen, and a wide-brimmed hat in the trunk of your car to use when you get the sudden urge to go the beach, park, or partake in any other outdoor activity.

·         Remember that UV protection isn’t just for summer--or sunny—days and activities. Protect your eyes all year round. Even on cloudy days or winter days, your eyes are still susceptible to damage from UV rays, so always keep sunglasses handy.  Plus, for those who enjoy winter sports such as skiing, keep in mind that the reflection from the snow, especially in high altitudes, has increased UV radiation.

Another way to be kind to your eyes is by getting yearly eye exams. If you are a Health Advocate member, our Personal Health Advocates can help you find in-network, qualified eye professionals who can give your eyes a check-up, check for signs of disease, see if your current glasses or contact lens prescription is correct, or determine if you need to begin wearing glasses or contact lenses. Additionally, our team can help you with a wide variety of health-related issues, such as scheduling second opinions, locating eldercare services, untangling medical bills, answering insurance benefit questions, and more.

The Potential Health Benefits of Gratitude

Thanksgiving isn’t the only day to offer thanks for all that we have—research indicates that regularly expressing our gratitude may have a positive impact on our health.  

Dr. Robert Emmons, the “world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude” and a professor of psychology at the University of California, is the author of Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.  Dr. Emmons notes that “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations. Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress.”  

To cultivate an “attitude of gratitude” that can boost your sense of well-being and your physical health, try incorporating these activities into your routine:

Create a gratitude journal.  Every day, write down five things that happened that day for which you feel grateful. Maybe it’s your boss congratulating you on a job well done, seeing a beautiful sunrise as you woke up, eating a favorite meal for dinner, or your child telling you she loves you. Make this journal writing a daily habit.

Try a gratitude visit. This exercise, recommended by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests writing a 300-word letter to someone who changed your life for the better. Be specific about what the person did and how it affected you. Deliver it in person or, if that’s not feasible, send it to them. This approach allows you to not just be in touch with your gratitude, but also to share it with a mentor.

Pay it forward. Every day, choose at least one person in your life—whether it’s your spouse, a co-worker, or friend—and tell them something you appreciate about them. (Remember to be sincere, though—give a compliment because you mean it, not because you need to reach a daily quota.)  You will not only increase that person’s happiness and sense of self-worth, but you’ll also feel good about yourself for making someone you care about happy.

Remember, if you are a Health Advocate member, our Personal Health Advocates are happy to help you resolve your healthcare and insurance-related issues and questions, such as locating in-network providers, securing second opinions, transferring medical records, resolving billing and claims issues, and more. We’re always at your side—and always grateful for the opportunity to help you.