Don’t let this July pass without making a commitment to protecting your eye health. UV damage is cumulative, occurring over a lifetime of exposure. According to The Skin Cancer Foundation and Prevent Blindness, this long-term UV exposure can cause damage to both the eyes and the delicate skin around the eyes. This can potentially lead to serious conditions, including cancers of the eyelids and eyes, sunburned corneas, and cataracts. Read tips from VSP to give your eyes the UV protection they deserve. Read More…
Sun safety is not just for vacation. Are you sun-safe every day? Take the American Cancer Society’s quiz and find out.
Nothing can upset your sleep schedule quite like stepping on an airplane and jetting off to a foreign land – even if it’s for fun.
Whether you’re traveling for work or for fun, John Hopkin’s Medicine offers a few tips to keep sleep disruption to a minimum. Read More…
Contrary to popular belief, taking a vacation is not a luxury. It’s essential for your overall health. Here’s how to learn how to take time off guilt free. Read More…
Source: experiencelife.com
A Mediterranean style of eating is an easy (and delicious!) change that can turn your diet into a disease-fighting tool. Read More…
Source: hopkinsmedicine.org
This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta, anda tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad. Read More…
Travel to the Mediterranean over your lunch break with this healthy bento box idea that combines Greek salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch. Read More…
Source: eatingwell.com
BMC will contribute the remaining 50% of the company’s total annual contribution to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) in July.
July is the perfect time to check your HSA balance. If you won’t reach the IRS annual limit by year-end, consider making your own contributions to your HSA to add to what BMC contributes. It’s a helpful tax-free way to manage health care costs before meeting your deductible.
You can check your balance and change your contributions on the My BMC Benefits & Compensation website, click on Your Benefits Resources and follow these steps to make the change. You can also call 1-877-262-4849 and select Your Spending Accounts. See the online Benefits Guide for details.
Watch the video to learn more about the benefits of contributing more to your Health Savings Account.
The bWell Rocks Tour continues until July 31. Participants who earn 7,000 bWell points by the deadline will be inducted into the bWell Hall of Fame and qualify to win the ultimate VIP experience—a rock-star-style package, and nine other rockin’ prizes.
Visit mybmcwellness.com to check your progress or sign up for a challenge. Earn bWell points by completing these challenges:
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 12-week Heart-a-Palooza Challenge. Throughout March, April, and May you tracked your blood pressure. We hope that you’ve gained some valuable information and made some lifestyle changes that you can continue past the program, including regularly monitoring your blood pressure.
According to the American Heart Association, controlling your blood pressure means you’re lowering your risk for heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, stroke, and kidney disease.
To keep your blood pressure under control, follow these tips from the American Heart Association:
Useful Links
See the questions to ask your doctor about blood pressure.
If international travel is part of your summer plans, your BMC medical plan coverage means you can take care of your illness or injury wherever you. Here’s a quick reminder of what to know and take before you leave on your trip.
BCBSTX Plans
Kaiser Medical Plan
Before you leave home, call Kaiser Member Services at 1-800-464-4000 to confirm your coverage outside the U.S. In an emergency, call this number for precertification or preauthorization.
Remember to always carry your medical ID card with you and in an emergency, go directly to the nearest hospital. Watch the video to learn more.
Hotel room… attraction tickets… bathing suits… you’ve planned for it all—except for suddenly getting sick. In the past, you’d have to put your plans on hold, and frantically search for an urgent care center or ER in an unfamiliar area. By the time you’re discharged and pick up your prescriptions, you would have pretty much burned one of your valuable pre-planned days of fun. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case! Read More...
Pain can come in different forms. So can your treatment options. If you think only surgery can fix your aches and pains, consider getting a second opinion.
Deciding if surgery is right for you is a big decision. For example, before you decide on back surgery, you can have a world-renowned musculoskeletal expert review your case – all at no cost to you. With a Best Doctors review, you can be confident that your diagnosis and treatment plans are correct.
Best Doctors will collect your medical records for you and have them reviewed by the best specialists in the world without ever having to leave your home. The specialist will either confirm your diagnosis and treatment plan or recommend a change, giving you the peace of mind you deserve. Visit the Best Doctors website or call 1-866-904-0910 to learn more and start a review.
It’s common for adults to view the world of children as pretty carefree. However, research suggests that children and teens now face higher levels of stress than prior generations. Excess stress can have serious impacts on children’s health, well-being and sense of security. Join Magellan’s live interactive webinar on Wednesday, July 11, Helping Kids and Teens Recognize and Manage StressWorkplace. Inthis webinar, you will learn:
Space is limited so register now.
Useful Links
Stress comes along with any new challenge, good or bad. Read things to do to handle it, from kidshealth.org.
Tap into your Employee Assistance Program for interactive online resources, wellness tips and private counseling that can help you better manage stress in your family. Log in to MagellanHealth.com/member to get started. When prompted, type in BMC’s toll-free EAP number, 1-800-327-1393.
On July 30, 2018, Fidelity will implement changes to BrokerageLink accounts. If you have a self-directed BrokerageLink account, Fidelity recently sent you a communication about this change.
As a reminder, the BrokerageLink changes include:
If you have any questions, call 866-546-4424, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
For many of us, summertime and vacation go hand in hand. But just because summer is a good time to get away for some people doesn't mean that it's the right time for you, especially if you are drowning by debt. Digging out of debt can be painful—but the payoff is empowering. Just think: All that money spent paying interest on past purchases could be money invested for your future. But it takes a committed and consistent plan to get out of debt and stay out. Read More… Source: Fidelity
Useful Links
Should you skip vacations when you’re getting out of debt? Money experts Dave Ramsey and the Millennial Money Man weigh in.
MyBMC Rewards provides a snapshot of your pay, retirement benefits, health and insurance benefits and corporate programs. Visit MyBMC Rewards to:
Go online anytime or call 877-262-4849. Representatives are available from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern time.
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