Destination bWell Update
Three months down, 9 months to go! As of December 10, more than 1,000 people have joined the BMC wellness program, Destination bWell, to focus on their health and financial wellness and earn bWell points.
Visit mybmcwellness.com to sign up for Destination bWell, check your progress or see the variety of ways you can earn bWell points. During December, you can earn 150 bWell points for each of these challenges you complete:
- Breathe Deep: The Breathe Deep challenge asks you to take just one moment each day to do just that! Take 60 seconds, relax and breathe. Certain fitness devices can help you along guiding your inhales, but that’s not necessary. Simply track “yes” each day that you Breathe Deep (you can track on your desktop, app, or set up daily text message tracking).
- Snack Attack: The Snack Attack challenge wants you to attempt to choose healthy snacks throughout the holiday season. Snap photos of 15 different healthy snacks you eat.
You can join Destination bWell anytime. If you’ve recently registered to participate, watch this quick video to see how easy it is to use the new WellRight portal and mobile app. After you’ve registered at mybmcwellness.com, you can also watch the bWell Intro Webinar that provides an overview of all the WellRight features.
December is a Great Month for Volunteering
When the December holidays roll around, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the season. Hectic travel schedules and frenzied last-minute shopping can make the holidays more stressful than they need to be. So instead of getting caught up in what gifts to buy, spend some time thinking about how you can give back to those who may be less fortunate. After all, giving back is the best way to spread holiday cheer.
BMC provides two paid volunteer days each year for employees to work in their communities. Join the Volunteer Challenge this holiday season and help BMC reach the goal of 12,000 logged volunteer hours this fiscal year. The group with the highest average of volunteer hours per employee will win $10,000 to give to the charity of their choice. And don’t forget to track your volunteer hours. If you participate in the bWell program, you automatically receive 30 bWell points each month for tracking your Volunteer Time Off (VTO) in the tool.
For questions, send an email to the BMC Cares team.
Don’t Get Caught Without a Flu Shot
Flu shots are hands-down your best defense against the flu. Even if you get a post-flu-shot case of the flu, it probably won’t pack as much of a wallop. Make sure you're up to date on any other vaccines you might need, too. Vaccines protect you and anyone in your life who's too young or too sick to get vaccinated.
Flu shots can be helpful for most people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests a yearly dose for those who:
- Are age six months through 18 years
- Are pregnant
- Are age 50 and older
- Have a chronic health condition, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart, kidney or lung disease
- Have a weakened immune system
- Live at a nursing home or other long-term care facility
- Are child-care or health care workers
- Live with or care for someone at high risk of flu complications, like a child with asthma
Get Your No-Cost Flu Shot
Flu shots are 100% covered as preventive care under all BMC medical plan options. Don’t skip a visit to your doctor for the flu shot because you got it last year or because you don’t have time. It will take far less time out of your schedule to get the shot than you’ll spend recovering from the flu.
If you receive a flu shot through a retail pharmacy:
- Show your Express-Scripts ID card.
- If the pharmacy charges an administration fee, ask the pharmacy to run the cost through your BCBSTX medical plan. If the pharmacy doesn’t do this, you’ll need to pay the administration fee and submit a claim to BCBS for reimbursement.
Starting the New Year Tobacco Free!
Have you been thinking about giving up tobacco? Why not start this New Year tobacco free? Join Magellan’s live interactive webinar on Wednesday, December 12, Starting the New Year Tobacco Free and learn more about the benefits of quitting tobacco use, tips to help you quit, and how to develop an action plan to quit. Space is limited so register now.
Useful Links
Join Destination bWell and take a university course to learn how to tackle tobacco cessation. You can earn up to 300 bWell points for watching each short video on the topic.
Quitting tobacco can help you add years to your life. Smokers who quit before age 40 reduce their chance of dying too early from smoking-related diseases by about 90 percent. Check out the rewards of quitting tobacco.
Get 24/7 support with a Smokefree app for your smartphone.
Source: smokefree.gov.
Positive Change is Possible!
As a new year begins, it’s a good time to think about making healthy changes in your life. While many people fail to stick with their New Year's resolutions for long, you can take a different approach for 2019. Start by thinking about what you really want to accomplish personally and professionally this year—then develop a measurable, achievable plan for progress.
You’ll have more powerful planning if you begin by plotting your goals against your core values. If you’ve identified potential goals that align with what you (and only you) value, you’ll have a better chance of success.
- Remove non-essentials in your life so you can focus on things that matter most to you and avoid distractions.
- Whatever it is you want to achieve anew, break it down into small activities at first. Repeating small, positive behavior changes helps you rewire your brain’s neural pathways, to adopt healthier habits.
- Try attaching your new desired action to well-formed current behavior, such as fitting in a brief meditation after you have a hot drink each morning helps your brain incorporate the new routine.
Source: Magellan Health
Useful Links
Therapists share the Keys to Creating Positive Change from PsychCentral.com.
November FEDTalk Recap
More than 124 employees attended the first FEDTalk webinar on November 16, “Making the Most of Your Retirement Savings.” One lucky employee picked up 150 bWell points and an Apple watch for attending.
This webinar was the first in a series of FEDTalks, quarterly financial well-being workshops BMC hosts featuring Fidelity experts. Whatever your age or financial goals and challenges, these workshops are designed to help you better manage your finances, make smart financial decisions and save for retirement. Mark your calendars for the next FEDTalk on Tuesday, January 15 and on February 6, “Create a Budget, Ditch Your Debt, and Start Saving for the Future.”
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Savvy Money Moves to Make Before Year End
Want to feel on top of things and in control of your money? Then take the time to give your finances a year-end checkup. Doing this before year-end gives you enough time to take steps to save on 2018 taxes and set up your investments for success in 2019—without putting a damper on your holiday cheer. Read More
Source: fidelity.com
Useful Links
Once December 31 passes, there is almost nothing you can do about your tax bill. A little planning now goes a long way. Read how to estimate your 2018 taxes from sensiblemoney.com
New to BMC? Avoid 401(k) Tax Trouble
The BMC 401(k) Plan is one of the best ways to save and invest in your future. Of course, the advantages of a 401(k) come with lots of IRS rules, including an annual limit on how much you can contribute. If you contributed to the 401(k) plan at your last job, you need to track your savings carefully because both your contributions at BMC and your past employer count toward the IRS annual limit. If your savings in both plans exceed the IRS annual limit, you’ll pay stiff penalties.
Avoid Penalties at Tax Time
To avoid penalties for contributing more to your 401(k) plans than the IRS allows, you’ll need to track these amounts:
- Your year-to-date, before-tax and Roth contributions (and catch-up contributions if over age 50) to the 401(k) at your last job,
- How much you’ll contribute to the BMC 401(k) Plan in 2018.
The 2018 IRS limits on 401(k) contributions are $18,500 or $24,500 if you are age 50 and above. For example, let’s say you are under age 50 and earlier this year you saved $8,000 in your 401(k) account at your last job. That means you can contribute only $10,500 to the BMC 401(k) Plan up to December 31, 2018.