June Wellness Tip
Wellness Tip: Supplement, don’t Medicate
Evelyne Mitskopoulos CNP is our staff nutritionist and Director of Wellness at Beneplan.
A supplement is any mineral, vitamin, amino acid, herb, or dietary substance used to increase total nutrient intake.
This definition includes a wide range of products and going to the nutrition store can be really confusing.
First off, let me say that health and fitness can’t be bought and paid for in a pill.
For optimal health, you must first maximize your nourishment from whole food sources that include 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Secondly, you must include daily physical activity, incorporating cardiovascular, flexibility, and resistance-type exercises into every week.
Thirdly, you must get adequate sleep of at least 7 hours per night and that sleep should be of a deep, restful, rejuvenating quality.
Fourthly, practise relation techniques to counteract daily stresses and promote a stronger immune system.
Beneplan distributes $1.4 million in dividends to member-owners
The Beneplan Co-operative, a member-owned buying group of 200 employers, distributed $1.4 million in dividends (also known as premium refunds) to its members in May 2013.
The dividends came as a result of surpluses of health, dental, and life insurance premiums which were not used towards claims in 2012. In other words, a refund of the profit left over after claims were paid.
Members whose groups incurred a deficit did not receive a dividend, and were not asked to pay back their deficit.
The block is underwritten fully by The Co-operators.
- 78% of participating employers received a dividend.
- 22% of employers had a deficit (expenses were greater than premiums) which they did not have to pay.
- $12,079 was the average dividend.
- 12% was the average proportion of premiums which the dividends represented.
- 12% happens to be the amount of inflation (trend) which the insurance industry uses to mark up claims.
This demonstrates that the Beneplan Co-operative returns the trend factor to employers if their group did not experience the expected inflation in their claims.
Find out how your company can get a dividend on your group benefit plan by calling 1-800-387-1670 x252 or emailing yafa at beneplan dot net.
The Co-operators Introduce e-Claims
The Co-operators have introduced e-Claims submission effective May 15th 2013.
E-claims is different from emailed claims in that a a claim can be sent from an internet browser.It simply requires the member to login, enter the type of claim, and amount. The Co-operators would adjudicate the claim and deposit the amount to the employee’s bank.
Beneplan Recommends You Do Not Implement E-Claims
Drugs and dental claims are already submitted electronically. The new service applies to other health services like vision care, paramedical services, orthopedics, hearing aids, and so on.
This new service, while it is convenient, troubles us because it relies on the honor system; it does not require the employee to submit receipts for most benefits.
Benefits which will not require a receipt:
- Dental
- Vision
- Paramedical
Benefits which still require a receipt:
- Ambulance
- Diabetic supplies
- Emergency out of country
- Hearing Aids
- Nursing
- Hospital
- Medical equipment/supplies
- Prescription Drugs
- All other types not listed here or in the “not required” list above.
A forecasted increase in paramedical fraud
The Co-operators will audit 5% of claims for fraudulent submissions.
Our concern is that the services that makes convenient to submit are the very services that are currently subject to the most abuse.
It is not unheard of for an audited employee to simply “purchase” the needed paperwork.
One employer experienced a 30% increase in premiums
One of our members turned on e-claims with a different carrier a couple years ago. After the first year, the carrier wanted a 30% increase in premiums to account for the higher usage. They quickly turned it off and their rates decreased.
Beneplan sees this as the industry trying to find a new stream of revenue
To put it bluntly, the higher your claims are, the more money insurance companies and brokers make.
How to turn it on
If you wish to make the service available to your employees, here is what is required:
- Send Beneplan an email stating positively that you want e-claims
- Educate your employees about the change
- Explain that fraud may lead to prosecution and a loss of employment
- Employees must register for a ‘Benefits Now’ online account http://cooperators.ca. If they have not done so, they must call 1-800-667-8164
- Employees log in and enter in their Direct Deposit information
- Educate employees that emailed or faxed claims are no longer supported past September 2013
Silence on your part will indicate that you do not wish to allow e-claims.
May Wellness Tip
Wellness Tip: Hydrate for Health
Evelyne Mitskopoulos CNP is our staff nutritionist and Director of Wellness at Beneplan.
Water supports life. Water is one of the essential nutrients, meanings it’s not an option if you want to have great health over the course of a lifetime. It is the foundation for all the important biochemical reactions in the body.
Increasing your water intake has positive effects on your energy levels, can help you lose weight, may help fight certain types of cancer and eliminate constipation.
Your blood is 95% water. Muscle is about 70% water. According to the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a human fetus at 3 months is 90% water and a 45 year old man would be about 65% water and a 70 year old man is only 43% water, so it imperative that you continue to rehydrate your cells as much as possible with quality water.
According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, in his book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, reported there are people in North America who may be mistaking the symptoms of dehydration for those of being ill.
Your body needs water for thermoregulation, cardiac function, digestion, and for blood. Dehydrated blood moves more slowly because it becomes sticky and thick, so there will be less oxygen and nutrients moving into your cells.
If you are dehydrated by only 2 or 3 percent, you will lose 25 percent of your overall efficiency and you will notice that in your brain and body functions.
When dehydrated, your body will search for water from your skin, the mucous membranes in your nose, and your eyes to maintain equilibrium in the cells of your body. Joints such as the synovial linings, cartilage and disks all take a beating if you are chronically dehydrated. This may be a result of your arthritis or lower back pain.
Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to enjoy a glass of water! Drink 8-10 glasses a day.
Use Greener Household Products
WELLNESS
As a nutritionist I always advise everyone to start with their diet when addressing their health concerns. However an area often overlooked is our personal care products.
Putting chemicals on your skin is far worse that ingesting them, because when you eat something it all goes to your liver first before entering your blood stream, which allows the body to detoxify substances that may be harmful. However, when you put chemicals on your skin, they are actually absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind. The toxic chemicals from toiletries and beauty products are largely going into your blood, lymphatic system and then to your internal organs.
There are thousands of chemicals used in personal care products and unfortunately only a small percentage are ever tested for their safety. While it is impossible to list all the toxic chemicals used, here are some of the more common ones to avoid:
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), Paraben, Phthalates, antibacterials, musks, 1,4-Dioxane, mineral oil, paraffin, and petrolatum, hydroquinone, mercury, lead, nano particles, and formaldehyde.
A great website to check if your personal care product contains toxic chemicals is Skin Deep by the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/site/about.php
Apply this rule to your products – if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your body. Look for products that are labelled with USDA’s verified Organic seal. For example, coconut oil is a wonderful skin moisturizer.
You can also make your own products, using all-natural ingredients that you probably already have at home. Here are two recipes, one a moisturizer and one to fight acne:
- Moisturizer – pure emu oil is a great alternative to facial and body moisturizers and lotion, as is pure coconut oil, as it contains beneficial fat lauric acid.
- Acne fighter – rub just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout to speed up healing and prevent scarring (wash your hands thorough afterward)
- Natural Deodorant – soap and water work fine. But if you need more help then take a pinch of baking soda mixed into water and apply to underarm for an effective all-day deodorant.
By Evelyne Mitskopoulos, C.N.P., Director of Wellness for Beneplan Inc
Simplify Your Cleaning Supplies and Get Green
WELLNESS
Household chemical cleaners expose you to environmental toxins that can put you at greater risk for cancer. Although it is difficult to provethat the exposure to your household cleaners may cause cancer when exposed to it for 10, 20 or 30 years, we do know its a fact that commonly used household chemicals cause cancer, along with other serious health effects like reproductive and developmental problems in developing children.
Research has found that breast cancer risk is twice as high among women who reported using the most cleaning products and air fresheners, compared to those who rarely use such products.
Here are some chemicals you want to avoid: synthetic musks, phthalates, terpenes, benzene, 1,4-diclorobenzene, styrene, phenol, nonylphenol ethoxylates, formaldehyde, petroleum solvents, butyl cellosolve, triclosan (antibacterial).
There are safer options to commercial cleaners such as soap and water. An all-purpose cleaner that’s great for kitchen counters, cutting boards and bathrooms is 3% hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.
You can make your own natural cleaning products that are simple to do and effective such as:
- Use baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar to clean drains and bathtubs, or sprinkle baking soda along with a few drops of lavender oil or tea tree oil (which have antibacterial properties) as a scrub for your bathroom or kitchen.
- Vinegar can be used to clean almost anything in your home. Mix it with liquid castile soap, essential oils and water to clean floors, windows, bathrooms and kitchens. It can even be used as a natural fabric softener.
- Hydrogen peroxide is safer to use than chlorine bleach for disinfecting and whitening.
- Vodka is a disinfectant that can remove red wine stains, kill wasps and bees and refresh upholstery (put it into a mister and spray on the fabric – do a test spot first).
It is important for us to lessen the toxic load that our bodies have to cope with, and the above tips are simple and inexpensive to do.
By Evelyne Mitskopoulos, Director of Wellness for Beneplan Inc
The Beneplan Co-operative
- A Co-operative allows for members to be shareholders in the structure. It also allows patronage dividends to be distributed to each member, which works in accordance with the premium refunds which Beneplan issues.
- A Co-operative provides for better governance: a small board of directors can be elected, who can advise on behalf of all members and make decisions to move the interests of the buying group forward.
- This allows you to nominate your company to be on the board of directors and have a bigger say in how the Beneplan Co-operative is managed.
- Beneplan Inc is a separate for-profit entity, privately owned, which manages the Beneplan Co-operative which is privately owned by member employers.
- Beneplan Inc continues to earn an administration fee for managing The Beneplan Co-operative.
- This puts more transparency and direction in the hands of member employers, so it puts Beneplan Inc under greater scrutiny.
April Wellness Tip
Wellness Tip: Go Organic
Evelyne Mitskopoulos CNP is our staff nutritionist and Director of Wellness at Beneplan.
You’re worth the extra cost of organic foods and it will pay 10 fold in your health.
By switching to organic foods, you will avoid the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that are used in conventional farming. Purchase organic to reduce this toxic load for your family and your environment.
You can start by choosing the organic versions of the following foods as they are the top 10 most heavily sprayed: pears, grapes, apples, spinach, strawberries, green beans, celery, lettuce, wheat and peaches.
You may even notice over time that you receive other benefits such as fewer cravings and less overeating which will help you to maintain your ideal weight and the taste of the produce is much better.
Purchase from your local organic farmer.
Plan Administrator’s Checklist
Before Hiring
- Ensure your employment contracts have reference to your benefit plan and how it works: that the plan will reimburse the employee (and his or her dependents) of his or her eligible medical expenses.
- According to the CRA’s bulletin IT-339R2 on private health services plans, this is required (see point 7).
- Advise your employees in writing that the company reserves the right to discontinue or alter employee benefits at any time.
- If Cost Plus is used, define the amount and class of employees eligible for this benefit. Check with your accountant regarding use by shareholders due to CRA rule changes.
Hiring
First Day of Hire
- Obtain a signed letter from each employee acknowledging that employee benefits are mandatory and allowing payroll deductions if the premium is shared. in most cases, total premium must be at least 50% paid for by the employer.
- Enrollment forms filled out and signed and dated by new employee(s)
- Enrollment forms signed and dated by the plan administrator
- Student Eligibility form filled out (if the new employee’s child is between 21 and 25 years old and a full-time student)Student Eligibility forms signed and dated by the plan administrator
- Attach enrollment forms and student eligibility forms together and send them to Beneplan by email, letter post, or fax
- When the employee’s drug card arrives, give it to them along with 1-3 out-of-country cards, depending up on their marital status, and 1 policy booklet
- Explain to them that out-of-country coverage exists for up to 90 days out of Canada and only pays for medical emergencies. Please also explain that the employee should never pay for an out-of-country hospital claim out-of-pocket, and instead, let the insurance company deal with the issue of payment by calling the phone number on the travel card at point of sale.
- Remind them to call the insurer IMMEDIATELY in the event of an out of province/country emergency. Warn them about per-existing medical conditions – Some group insurers have instituted health stability clauses and travel restrictions that can leave employees with NO coverage.
Changes of status
Please notify Beneplan as soon as possible when an employee’s status is changed so that their salary or class is up-to-date. The notice can be emailed or faxed to Beneplan.
- The full name of employee(s)
- The certificate number of employee(s)
- The change of salary
- The change of title
- If they are changing a class (for example, from All Employees to Executives)
- If they are moving from being part-time/temp/contract to full-time (please indicate hire date and date of switch)
Failure to do so may result in legal and financial risk to your company. Please contact Beneplan if you would like an explanation as to how this might happen.
Life stages
Please provide the change form if employee(s) are making the following changes:
- A name change
- An address change
- A change in marital status
- A change in dependents
- A change of beneficiary
- Application for benefits previously opted out of
- Opt out of the benefits currently enrolled in
- Loss of spousal coverage
- Addition and removal of COB
- Change forms filled out and signed and dated by employee(s)
- Change forms signed and dated by the plan administrator
- Send the forms to Beneplan by email or fax first, and the original form must follow by mail
Termination
Diet tops disease risk for Canadians
THE IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION
Recently CBC News reported that eating a poor quality diet is the leading risk factor for diseases and injuries that cause Canadians to die prematurely and become disabled.
This was based on International researchers analyzing the country’s rates of sickness and death from 1990 to 2010 and compared it with 15 Western European countries, Austraia and the U.S. The project is known as the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, at the University of Washington and describes causes and death and disability across age groups and sexes for 187 countries around the world.
Canada was ranked 5th out of 19 countries for life expectancy at 69.6 years. Spain was at the top with a healthy life expectancy of 70.9. The U.S. came in 17th at 67.9 years.
According to Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington, Seattle, the leading risk factor in Canada was dietary, followed by tobacco smoking and high body mass index.
The highest ranking causes in terms of years lost due to premature death were:
- Ischemic heart disease - being a reduction of blood supply to heart muscle, usually felt as angina e.g. atherosclerosis.
- Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers.
- Cerebrovascular disease – a condition that affects circulation of blood to the brain causing limited or no blood flow to the affected areas of the brain, e.g. atherosclerosis is one cause.
For disability, the highest ranking cause was road injury. Thankfully, road injury showed the largest decrease in Canada, falling 31% in the past 20 years.
In general, worldwide “non-communicable diseases” such as diabetes and cancer are on the rise while communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional causes such as diarrhea are declining.
What should we take away from these findings? That we have more influence and control over our health than we may believe. Simply by following a health-promoting diet and making changes in our lifestyle, we greatly influence not only our longevity but our quality of life. The key is to find out what a health-promoting diet looks like for your specific needs by contacting a nutritionist, dietician or other health practitioner who specializes in nutrition.
As Hippocrates said “Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food”.
By Evelyne Mitskopoulos, CNP
