Before you lace up for the Step It Up! Activity Challenge, read all you need to know to kick-off your fitness walking program and avoid injury. Check out information on basic stretches, the best times to walk, what to wear and other tips. Read More…

The contributions you and BMC make to your Health Savings Account (HSA) at UMB Bank give you the freedom to make decisions about how you pay for current healthcare expenses and save for future ones. If you haven’t had to tap the funds in your Health Savings Account for a year or two, you might have a large balance that you’d like to invest for longer-term expenses. When your HSA base account balance reaches $2,000, you can invest up to $1,000 of your funds into a money market sweep account or a self-directed brokerage account. Because your HSA is intended to pay for health care costs, UMB requires that you maintain the remaining $1,000 in your base account in case of health care emergencies.

Money Market Sweep Account Option

• Each night, funds in excess of $1,000 in your deposit account are automatically used to purchase shares of the institutional money market fund.
• As you continue to contribute, additional dollars are moved into this sweep account.
• If you have medical expenses that drop your deposit account balance below $1,000, shares of the fund in your sweep account are sold to cover the shortfall. 

Self-Directed Brokerage Account Option

• The HSA List of Mutual Funds includes more than 160 mutual funds.
• Funds typically require an initial investment of between $1,000 and $2,500.

Please call UMB Financial Services at 800-842-9999 for additional information or log on to My BMC Compensation & Benefits, select Visit My Spending Accounts and click on the link to UMB.

Good to Know: You can start, stop or change your contributions to your HSA base account at any time during the year. 

You have a choice when selecting where to go for health care. Many times you can choose between different providers or facilities and receive the same procedure, at a lower cost. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) Benefits Value Advisors are health care experts who use data, cost estimators, provider-finders and other tools to help you to get the most from your health care benefits.

Call a Benefits Value Advisor (BVA) today, for cost comparison information on:

• Imaging services (X-rays/MRIs/CT scans)
• Joint replacement surgery
• Back surgery
• Endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures

 A BVA can also help you:

• Understand your benefits
• Find in-network providers
• Schedule visits
• Request reauthorization
• Access online educational tools

For example, if your doctor wants you to get an MRI of your knee, you can call a Benefits Value Advisor. The Advisor can tell you about several in-network MRI providers and the estimated cost for an MRI at each provider. This way, you will have more information when choosing where to go for your MRI. If you like, the Advisor can then schedule the MRI for you with the provider you choose, and help you with preauthorization.

Just call the number on the back of your BCBSTX member ID card to reach a Benefits Value Advisor (1-800-521-2227). 

Your BCBSTX medical plan includes the My Rx Choices prescriptions savings program, an Express-Scripts tool designed to help you find potential savings on prescription medications that you and your family take on an ongoing basis.

Your doctor knows which medications are right for you but may not know their cost. My Rx Choices provides you with the available lower-cost options so that you and your doctor can make the most informed decisions based on health and cost. No prescription is ever changed without your doctor’s approval. Simply log in to Express-Scripts.com/choices. Please take a moment to register before using this service.

If you have a living parent age 65 or older and are either raising a child under age 18 or supporting a grown child—you are part of the growing sandwich generation. Chances are you are being pulled in many directions. What’s more, you are not alone. Nearly half (47%) of U.S. adults in their 40s and 50s are part of the sandwich generation, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center study.

If you’re feeling the squeeze of caring for children and elderly parents, the Employee Assistance Program invites you to register for the May webinar, “The Sandwich Generation,” on Wednesday, May 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. Central. Register now.

Increased business travel means increased instances of illness or injury while away from home. That's where Global Emergency Services can help. Global Emergency Services are provided through Assist America at no cost to you. Global Emergency Services provides a global network of experienced professionals ready to help when you are sick or injured while traveling 100 miles or more from home.

Before you leave for your next business trip, download the new Assist America application for smartphones. The free App for iPhone and Android phones gives you instant access to a wide range of assistance, including:

• One-touch call to the Assist America  24/7 Emergency Operations Center
• Up-to-the-minute travel alerts
• Pre-trip information such as country-specific visa requirements, immunization regulations, security advisories, and more
• Information about all Assist America services
• Global embassy locator (iPhone only)

Go to BMC Business Travel Hub or to assistamerica.com with your smartphone to download the App from the Android Market or iTunes App Store. 

For many, cashing out a 401(k) is a relatively easy way to solve a short-term cash crunch, whether it’s due to temporary cash-flow problems created by an emergency home repair or simply paying down a credit card. Liquidating your 401(k) may not seem like a big deal, but the consequences of cashing out can be devastating to the average investor. Read More…