Inside This Issue

Resolve to Make This Year’s Resolutions Stick ....................... 1

Understanding the Allowed Amount ........................ 2

Stay Healthy All Winter ............. 3

The Surprising Generic Advantage ................................. 4

If you make New Year’s resolutions, one of these probably tops your list: lose weight, get fit, eat healthier or stop smoking. And that’s great, because these are some of the best things you can do to improve your overall health and reduce your risk for serious conditions like diabetes, heart disease and even cancer.

That’s why your Health Plan offers programs and discounts to help you succeed—not only at the beginning of the New Year, but all year long. Log in to discover all of the resources available to you.

REGENCE MEMBERS: Go to regence.com and sign in; ASURIS NORTHWEST HEALTH MEMBERS, go to asuris.com and sign in.

•Health Coach: Click Programs, then Health Support Services, then Health Coach. A Regence health coach can provide personal guidance to help you reach your wellness goals by working with you via phone and email. Call 800-856-8543 (toll-free) to get started.

Resolve to Make This Year’s Resolutions StickYour Health Plan Helps You Succeed

Issue1•2015

GETTING THE

MOST FROM

YOUR MBA

HEALTH PLAN

BENEFITS TOOLBOX

Continued on page 2

•Weight Management: Click Resources, then Advantage Discounts, then Weight Management.

– Take Shape for Life: Enjoy discounts on the Medifast® weight management program, which includes a personal health coach who works directly with you to help you succeed.

– Jenny Craig®: Choose from two discounted programs to meet your weight-loss goals.

Healthy Discounts: Click Resources, then Advantage Discounts, then Activities & Fitness. Purchase a CHP Active and Healthy Program annual membership at a reduced to

Stop Smoking for Good in 2015Improve your chances of quitting for good by taking advantage of the Quit For Life® Program. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to get started.

•REGENCE MEMBERS and ASURIS NORTHWEST HEALTH MEMBERS: For resi-dents of Washington State, Quit For Life is offered at no cost. Your Health Plan covers prescribed nicotine replacement products and the services of approved smoking-cessation providers.

•GROUP HEALTH MEMBERS: Quit For Life is offered to members at no cost. Nicotine replacement products are covered at no cost when prescribed through participation in Quit For Life and filled through Group Health’s Rx mail order program.

RESOLVE TO MAKE THIS YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS STICK continued from page 1

get significant discounts on gym memberships (including LA Fitness®, Snap Fitness®, Jazzercise®, Gold’s Gym® and Curves®), yoga/pilates classes, weight management programs and much more.

GROUP HEALTH MEMBERS:Go to ghc.org, then log in to MyGroupHealth.

•Lifestyle Coaching: You can work with a Health Coach to make positive changes to improve your health. Get help with diet, exercise and stress management as well as advice and support for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and certain kinds of pain. They will also help you follow through with care plans from your doctor. To reach a Health Coach call 888-375-2006 (toll free), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

•Fitness Discounts: Click Health Care Services, then Fitness Programs and Discounts.

– GlobalFit® offers discounts on fitness clubs, gyms, exercise videos and fitness equipment. Find out more at globalfit.com/grouphealth. Available to all adult members.

•Weight Management: GlobalFit provides discounts to lose weight with:

– Jenny Craig: Discounts for program and food.

– Mediterranean Wellness Program®: Lose weight with an 8-week plan that includes daily coaching and recipes, along with unlimited counseling.

Understanding the Allowed AmountHow to Avoid Balance Billing

Have you ever been surprised with a bill from your doctor’s office for an amount that exceeds what the Health Plan allows? There’s a name for that: “balance billing.” Here’s how it works:

1Your Health Plan determines the allowed amount, which is the maximum amount on which payment is based for covered

health care services.

2Your provider bills for a service you’ve received, but the Plan’s payment is based on the allowed amount (not the billed

amount).

3Balance billing is when the provider bills you for the difference between the provider’s charge and the allowed amount. (See

example at right.)

The provider you choose also affects your Health Plan’s payment. You may go to any licensed provider, but the doctor you select could save you money.

•Preferred providers accept the allowed amount as payment in full (and they cannot balance bill you). Plus, your Plan may pay a higher percentage of the allowed amount when you choose a preferred provider.

•Non-preferred providers may balance bill for the amount over the allowed amount and you must pay 100% of this difference. On top of that, your Plan may pay a lower percentage of the allowed amount when you choose a non-preferred provider.

Find a Doctor in Your Plan’s Network •REGENCE MEMBERS: Your Health Plan pays the best benefits

(and you pay less) when you use Preferred Providers. To find one, go to regence.com, then click Find a Doctor.

•GROUP HEALTH MEMBERS: It’s easy to find out which doctors and medical facilities are covered by your Health Plan. Go to ghc.org, then click Provider and Facility Directory to locate Group Health and First Choice health providers.

BALANCE BILL EXAMPLE

The provider’s charge $100

The Plan’s allowed amount $70

The provider may balance bill you for the difference

$30

Colds and the flu are caused by viruses, which are easily spread from person to person. When you come in close contact with someone who has a cold or the flu, or the virus they leave behind on something you touch, you’re likely to get sick too.

Your best defense against the flu is to get the seasonal flu vac-cine. Because flu season continues all the way through May, it’s still worthwhile to get vaccinated this winter. (See details below.)

What to Do If You Get a Cold or the FluIf you do get the flu, try these strategies to help you feel better (in most cases, you don’t need to see your doctor):

•Get plenty of rest, especially if you have a fever.

•Drink lots of fluids, such as water and clear soups.

•Use a humidifier or cool mist vaporizer.

•Avoid smoking, second-hand smoke and other pollutants (airborne chemicals or irritants).

•Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat. Throat sprays or lozenges may also help relieve the pain.

•Avoid alcohol.

•Over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants and saline nasal sprays may help relieve some symptoms.

Call your doctor if you have a prolonged high fever, difficulty breathing, unusual symptoms or

if the cold or flu persists for more than 10 days.

It’s Not Too Late For a Flu Shot!For MBA Health Trust participants, the seasonal flu vaccine is free. It’s part of the preventive care benefit, so you do not have to pay a deductible, copay or coinsurance.

Stay Healthy All WinterDon’t Catch a Cold or the Flu

•REGENCE MEMBERS and ASURIS NORTHWEST HEALTH MEMBERS: Stop by a pharmacy that electronically submits claims for you, or call your doctor.

•GROUP HEALTH MEMBERS: Receive a flu shot on a walk-in basis at any Group Health clinic or see your doctor.

Get Healthy Advice AnytimeWhen you have a health question, call and talk to a registered nurse who can give you self-care suggestions and help you decide if you should see a doctor.

REGENCE MEMBERS: ADVICE24

•All areas: 855-357-9104 (toll-free)

ASURIS NORTHWEST HEALTH MEMBERS: ADVICE24

•All areas: 866-523-0078 (toll-free)

GROUP HEALTH MEMBERS: CONSULTING NURSE SERVICE

•Seattle area: 206-901-2244

•All other areas of Washington state and North Idaho: 800-297-6877 (toll-free)

Benefits Toolbox provides general information about MBA Health Insurance Trust benefits. For more information, please refer to your benefit booklet. In the event of conflicting information, the Plan documents and insurance contracts will govern.

EPK & Associates15375 SE 30th Place, #380Bellevue, WA 98007

Many people wonder if the quality and performance of generic drugs are equal to that of brand-name drugs. After all, many other generic items we buy—canned corn, basic T-shirts and beer—cost less but are not as good as the well-known brand.

Generic drugs are different … or rather, they are the same in many ways, as brand-name drugs.

The Food and Drug Adminis-tration (FDA) requires that gener-ics must contain the same active ingredients and meet the same exacting FDA standards as the original. The generic may be a different shape or color than the

expensive brand-name, but the active ingredients inside are the same—and that’s what counts!

More Affordable Makes a DifferenceResearchers recently made a surprising discovery when they examined 90,000 patients who used cholesterol-lowering medicines. Those who took generic drugs were better at following their doctor’s directions and had better health outcomes than those who took brand-name drugs.

The reason? Lower out-of-pocket costs for generic drugs

make it more affordable for people to fill and take their pre-scriptions as directed. And be-cause generics are just as effective as brand-name drugs, the health outcome was also positive.

The Surprising Generic AdvantageSave Money and Get Healthy Results

Always Ask for GenericsOne of the best ways you can keep your medical costs down—and your health outcomes up—is to ask your doctor or pharmacist if there’s a generic alternative for any prescription drugs you currently use.