March is National Kidney Month, and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is urging all Americans to give their kidneys a second thought and a well-deserved checkup.
Kidneys filter 200 liters of blood a day, help regulate blood pressure and direct red blood cell production. But they are also prone to disease; 1 in 3 Americans is at risk for kidney disease due to diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney failure. Early detection can make a difference in preventing kidney disease, so it’s important to know if you’re at risk. Watch a short video and take the online kidney quiz!
Source: kidney.org
Join the National Sleep Foundation in celebrating its annual Sleep Awareness Week, March 10 to 16, 2019. This year’s theme “Begin with Sleep” highlights the importance of good sleep health for individuals to best achieve their personal, family, and professional goals. Consider these four environmental and lifestyle changes that can help set the mood for better sleep.
Source: sleep.org
High stress, heavy workload, a lack of control over job situations and lack of emotional support all contribute to burnout. Burnout doesn’t have to be inevitable. Take the time to invest in burnout prevention and find spaces to regroup and connect. Your mind, body, soul and the people in your life will thank you. Read about the mindsets and behaviors to help prevent burnout.
Source: helpstartshere.org
Have you been looking for ways to slow things down a bit? Sometimes you can lower your stress with some minor organizational changes to your lifestyle. Get tips on what changes to make.
Source: bcbstx.com
If you have a sore throat, cough, or sinus pain, you might expect to take antibiotics. After all, you feel bad, and you want to get better fast. But antibiotics don’t help most respiratory infections, and they can even be harmful. Read More
Source: choosingwisely.org
Double-baked potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser, and this version is perfect for St. Patty’s Day. A crunchy slaw with a tangy and light Greek-style yogurt dressing goes well with this dish. Read More
Source: foodrepublic.com
Deliciously creamy lightened up cheddar cauliflower broccoli soup packed with veggies and incredible, cheesy flavor! This low carb soup is healthy comfort food at its finest. Read More
Source: ambitiouskitchen.com
Spring is around the corner, and Destination bWell is making a March “mad” dash to wellness with three new challenges. Sign up to earn up to 650 bWell points!
Some surprises are fun. Others, like surprise dental bills, are not. Be sure to ask your dentist to submit a treatment plan to Delta Dental before you receive any extensive dental work. Delta Dental will provide an estimate that details the dentist’s treatment plan, what the BMC Dental Plan covers, and what you can expect to pay the dentist for it. Read More
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Consider shopping around for dental care just as you would anything else. Try this Delta Dental calculator to calculate the average cost and price of dental care in your area.
Spring break is quickly approaching, and if you provide care for dependents (young and old), school vacation can mean turning life upside-down to find a back-up caregiver or staying home from work if no one is available. What will you do when your child’s school is closed, or Dad’s caregiver is on vacation? Your Bright Horizons Back-up Care™ benefit makes it easy to find reliable care, in advance or last minute. To learn how Bright Horizons invites you to watch their webinar, “School Is Out, But Work Is On,” on Tuesday, March 19 at noon Central. Register now to find out how to take advantage of your back-up care benefit and ensure your children and adult or elder relatives are well cared for, even when you have to be at work.
Time off during spring break is a precious thing that you should never squander. If you get sick while you’re taking advantage of your hard-earned vacation time, don’t waste a minute of it waiting in a crowded doctor’s office, urgent care clinic or ER. Instead, schedule a visit with an MDLIVE virtual care provider and skip the wait.
In most cases, you can get an appointment with a virtual doctor within 15 minutes, and your consultation will take about 15 minutes as well. Your prescription, if you need one, can be sent electronically to the nearest pharmacy to you. Then all you have to do is hang up, pick up, and feel better.
Activate Your Account to Win!
If you haven’t activated your MDLIVE account, don’t delay. You have until March 31, 2019 to activate your account for a chance to win a $100 prepaid gift card. There’s no additional charge to BCBSTX members to set up your account; however, you will need to pay for your visit. Learn more.
Starting April 1, 2019, you will have access to upgraded Participant Advocacy Services. The improved service will include email access to Health Pro consultants to simplify your health care experience and reduce the frustrating, time-consuming obstacles in health care. You can call or email a dedicated Health Pro when you need:
Watch your email in April for more details about the upgrade. If you are currently working with Participant Advocacy to resolve an issue, you won’t experience any disruption in service as a result of this change.
Remember to submit any outstanding Flexible Spending Account or Fitness Reimbursement claims for 2018 expenses before the March 31, 2019 deadline. To request reimbursement, log on to My BMC Compensation & Benefits and click through this path: Visit My Spending Accounts> Other Accounts> Fitness>Request Fitness Reimbursement.
If you have questions about the claims process, your balance, or account, contact YSA at 1-877-262-4849. Representatives are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern time.
Bay Area employees can take advantage of a no-risk opportunity to see how carpooling can work for them. Start carpooling with ride match apps Scoop and Waze and receive five free rides until June 2019. You’ll also take the guesswork out of finding a carpool buddy and scheduling a ride.
New Scoop riders can download the app and will automatically see five free rides in their account. New Waze Carpool riders need to download the app and enter promo code CARPOOL to access their five free rides. Five Free Rides is offered by the Bay Area Carpool Program.
Tough financial times can take a toll on your physical wellness if you are not careful. Many times, people aren’t aware that financial stress can lead to heart and gastrointestinal problems, weight gain, insomnia, high blood pressure and more. If you’re having financial problems, don’t ignore them. Join Magellan’s live interactive webinar on Wednesday, March 13, 10 Steps to Financial Freedom. Learning objectives include:
Space is limited so register now.
It’s important to start financial planning early and to continuously monitor your financial health as you work toward your long-term goals.
Source: Magellan Health
Tap into your Employee Assistance Program for interactive online resources, wellness tips and private counseling. Log in to MagellanHealth.com/member to get started. When prompted, type in BMC’s toll-free EAP number, 1-800-327-1393.
Hundreds of potential federal tax breaks are out there for the taking. The key is knowing where to look, keeping good records, and planning to maximize their value. Get to know the different types of deductions and how they're handled when filling out your tax return—and keep good records—so you can potentially lower your taxes. Although “tax deduction” is often used as a catch-all, there are three types of tax reducers: above-the-line deductions, below-the-line itemized deductions, and tax credits. Read More
Source: Fidelity
During tax time, scam artists are out in full force. Their bag of tricks can be subtle and behind the scenes. The common thread in most of the schemes is that they rely on the victim to provide sensitive information, or, at the very least, to be inattentive to the security of their personal information. Awareness and basic prevention practices can protect you from the vast majority of attempts to steal your identity or money through fraudulent schemes. Read More
Source: Fidelity
The next FEDTalk will be held on Tuesday, April 9, featuring practical education on how to “Identify and Prioritize Your Savings Goals.” Attend a live webinar or onsite workshop in Santa Clara and Houston. Watch your email for an invitation and to reserve your spot.
This workshop is part of a series of 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 get to your financially healthy place by better managing your finances, making smart financial decisions and saving for retirement.
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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