Posts

Health, Wealth, and Happiness – There’s a Connection!

/0 Comments/in /by

Your money and your wellbeing could be inextricably linked, according to studies from the CDC, which reveal that 4/5 of people with chronic illness have their condition caused or severely exacerbated by stress – and that ¾ of healthcare costs are due to chronic illness. Some of the signs of stress related illness include:

  • Headaches / migraines
  • Stomach trouble / IBS / ulcers
  • Shoulder, back, and neck pain
  • Dental issues (tooth grinding and clenching, bruxism)
  • Sleeplessness, insomnia, and fatigue

Most people cite the following in all or part as contributing to their stress levels:

  • Issues with finances (including medical bills and student debt)
  • Issues at work (including wages and / or scheduling)
  • Issues at school (including worries over tuition and bullying)
  • Issues at home (including family, kids, spouses, and pets)

If your everyday level of anxiety is high, it could be contributing to how you feel physically. For many people, just a little more financial security can make a big change in how they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. Since health and wealth are connected, improving one can improve the other.

The Health Wealth Connection Benefit from 2BenefitU

This benefit is ideal for those seeking to regain some control over their finances and their physical health. The connection offers a fully customizable approach to your needs, with features like a financial planner who can help you balance your budget, save money, get rid of debt, and create a five or ten year plan.

You’ll also have a health coach who can provide tips for sleeping, exercise, and fitness options as well as reminders to visit the doctor, dentist, and other medical professionals on a regular basis for check ups and tune ups.

A nutritionist will deliver all kinds of healthy ideas and fun recipes to you, along with recipes, dietary tips, calorie counting, and weight loss. Finally, your mental and emotional health can be addressed by a counselor to help you manage or eliminate anxiety, frustration, stress, and depression.

The Health Wealth Connection gives you access to a vast library of information you can use to make your day to day life better and create a future to work towards.  You’ll love the weekly tips on health, money, and managing stress, and it’s well worth it when you consider you get over a dozen other benefits  with our plan starting at just $15.95 a month.

9 Tips for Lowering your Medical Bills

9 Tips for Lowering your Medical Bills

/0 Comments/in /by

Even with the ACA in place, medical bills can quickly spiral out of control. How can you lower your costs? These tips can help.

  1. If you have a PPO, always double check to ensure that your doctor is in-network. This is particularly important when you receive a referral from your primary care physician, who may not be able to keep every insurance plan committed to memory. Before you leave the office, have them call and ensure the specialist is in-network. Our Health Advocacy Benefit could save you hours by helping check on these potential issues.
  2. Ask about options. If the cost of the treatment prescribed is overwhelming, find out if every test is strictly necessary. If test A could confirm or rule out a problem, perhaps getting it first instead of bundled with test B,C, and D is the smart move. Our Lab Testing and Scans Benefit could also seriously cut down on these costs.
  3. For items which are more expensive to pay your co-pay on, ask what your doctor’s office cash discount price is. You might be surprised at the difference. The Medical Bill Saver Benefit can often save you up to 60% off of services – better than your insurance company!
  4. Speaking of pharmaceutical costs, ask about generics. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay out of pocket for a generic than to pay the copay for a 2nd or 3rd tier drug. There might even be an OTC option you can use some of your pre-tax health savings account dollars for. Our Discount Pharmacy Card Benefit can provide deep discounts even on generic drugs.
  5. Look at your medical bills. A whopping 9 out of 10 hospital bills have overcharges that are missed by the patient. Ask for an itemized bill and look for errors. Insurance companies incorrectly handle claims as well, so don’t be shy asking for an audit of your bill by your claim manager. Medical Bill Saver can be a lifesaver here, finding savings up to 60%.
  6. Make sure you are up-to-date on what is covered and not covered. You might be surprised that you have unused coverage you could be benefiting from, and you also might discover that there are certain areas you’d do better negotiating on your own for. Better yet, use our Health Advocacy Benefit to negotiate on your behalf and save yourself the hassle!
  7. Talk to your doctor’s office staff and make friends with them. They’ll be more eager to help you watch for errors and to help you with any discounts the office offers if they know you appreciate it – a basket of fruit or a box of homemade cupcakes or muffins can really mean a lot.
  8. Ask about payment schedules if you know a co-pay is going to be hard to manage. Have a number in mind that your budget can bear and go in asking for a slightly lower number so you have wiggle room. Medical Bill Saver can come to the rescue if you need a negotiator.

Obviously, if you have 2BenefitU plan, you can always use the mentioned benefits to help track down areas you are overpaying in and lower your healthcare costs. These are just several of the many money-saving benefits you get when you have a subscription!

Five Simple Ways to Improve your Health and your Wealth!

Five Simple Ways to Improve your Health and your Wealth!

/0 Comments/in /by

Are your health and wealth really connected? Yes they are! 2BenefitU has the Health/Wealth Connection Benefit to keep you looped in to all of the latest advice from those in the know, but here are some simple things you can start doing right away to help keep your physical and financial wellness at peak.

  1. Exercise! It doesn’t matter where you start as long as you start. Get a walking or jogging buddy, sign up for a class at the local YMCA, join a gym, and enroll in classes at a boutique fitness center and make some new friends who are also focused on fitness. A cycling class works when you can’t get out of doors, and Pilates is great for a low impact workout that won’t stress your joints.
  2. Pick a bad habit and quit it. This can be something big like smoking or that twice daily triple espresso, or something smaller like that wasted hour every day surfing Facebook. Trade the bad habit for a new one – buy a blender and start trying out healthy smoothies, or spend 15 minutes in meditation daily instead of online.
  3. Change your mindset! Keep a journal and write down three positive things every day – something good you did or that happened to you, something you are presently grateful for, and a goal or dream you are working towards in the future.
  4. Budget for self-care. Everyone needs some extra help, book that weekly massage, spend that hour curled up in a reading nook at the library, and indulge in those healthy organic snacks when you stop by the store.
  5. Start saving. It doesn’t have to be a lot – start with all of your loose change, and work up to a dollar a day, or $20 a week. Eventually your nest egg will be enough to make a tangible difference in your life.

By implementing these five simple steps you both become more aware of your health and your wealth, and you start to safeguard both. Since your health expenses can affect your wealth, it makes sense to stay as fit and healthy as possible – in body, mind, and spirit. Likewise, your wealth can affect your health – both in being able to provide for your needs and reducing stress from worrying about your financial situation.

Finally, take advantage of the Health / Wealth Connection Benefit you get as part of any plan from 2BenefitU. Even if you just add one piece of good advice a week to your life, it will make a huge difference!

Are you a VIP- You should be! Make These VIP Savings Work for you. (1)

Are you a VIP? You should be! Make These VIP Savings Work for You!

/0 Comments/in /by

Our parents clipped coupons, but today a pair of scissors and the Sunday paper isn’t enough. We’ve been conditioned to expect savings in all kinds of formats: from the shopper cards we scan at the grocery, pharmacy, and pet shop, to the various membership clubs we belong to, to the deals that pop up on our cell phones in text form or with a handy QR code, we want all the savings we can get!

However, remembering and keeping track of all of our customer rewards, loyalty discounts, and member benefits can be tricky. It can be time consuming and boring to spend hours before each purchase going through all of the different options. Wouldn’t it be great if something were invented to do that for us?

Enter VIP Savings. This benefit combines dozens of sources into one easy to access destination that keeps you up to date on where to find the best savings – whether it’s at your local market, the mall up the highway, a Groupon, or a sale on bulk items you just can’t miss.

With VIP Savings, you never have to settle for full price again! Shop using this functional saver, and you get cash back on all purchases made through a convenient online mall, plus savings of up to 80% when you factor in the promo codes, special member deals, and free shipping offers that are automatically collated for your perusal.

The VIP Savings benefit provides access to savings in many ways:

  • The online mall, with over 3,000 familiar stores participating
  • Cash back every month on your purchases
  • Early alerts for Groupons and other online deals that can be grabbed and downloaded to your phone or other mobile device or printed out for use at local retailers and service providers
  • Free shipping on thousands of items every month
  • Access to special deals and discounts
  • A virtual “coupon clipper” for your favorite stores with a “print now” option
  • … and more.

When you shop like a VIP, you can cut down on time, money, and gas spent driving from store to store and enjoy the benefit of cashback that can be collected every month (for balances of $15 or greater.)

This is one of our customers’ most beloved benefits, as they can often save the cost of monthly membership to our largest benefits package just off this one feature. When you sign up at the $24.95 per month level, you get this benefit plus Teladoc, Pet Care savings, Roadside assistance, Health Advisor and more – it’s a bottomless well of savings for your whole household!

Diabetes Management Made Simple

Supplies for Diabetes Management Made Simple

/0 Comments/in /by

Diabetes can be hard to manage, but big savings on supplies can make life easier. If you or a family member have been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or pre-diabetic conditions, you are already aware of the monthly and annual expenses involved in monitoring your blood sugar levels.

From the lancets to prick your finger with, to the strips that collect the test samples, to the machine that analyzes your blood glucose, there are dozens of items needed each week. The associated out of pocket expenses for your supplies for diabetes management can be overwhelming – especially if your insurance plan refuses to cover everything you need on a monthly basis.

When you have a 2BenefitU Plus membership plan, your out of pocket diabetic supply costs can be cut significantly. The savings for just one family member who needs daily monitoring can be huge.

Many doctors wish their diabetes patients could test their blood glucose more often, but insurance companies won’t approve coverage for the recommended testing schedules. With access to inexpensive supplies, you can monitor your diabetes as closely as your doctor suggests, and prevent additional complications from diabetes by detecting changes in your levels early.

With a Plus plan from 2BenefitU, diabetes management supplies are just one of over 15 benefits included in the plan. You can start saving instantly, getting 60% off average retail prices plus free shipping on all packages, and an extra 15% off any single order item.

Qualifying packages include a premier glucose meter, control solution, test strips, lancets and lancing device, so you’ll always have everything you need to manage your diabetes safely and accurately.  

Packages range in size and cost from $29.99 per month to $169.99 per month. You can choose the package that fits your needs- whether you are being forced to cover all of your diabetic supplies costs yourself, or your insurance company fails to approve the necessary amount of supplies you really need to keep your condition under control.

You’ll never run out of supplies or wait in long lines to get refills for lancets or strips only to be told the pharmacy or superstore is out of your brand. This benefit offers easy ordering, regular shipments and convenient home delivery that is fast and discreet, so you can live your life without worrying over running out or missing a glucose spike because you didn’t have enough supplies to test regularly.

Sign up for a Plus package today, and enjoy savings on diabetic supplies as well as all the other benefits you qualify for.

We all Need Help Sometimes, but Getting it can be Hard

/0 Comments/in /by

Emotional and relationship issues can be overwhelming! Sometimes life just seems to turn into a series of difficulties, and our mental, emotional, and psychological state can take a beating.

Of course, personal problems are as treatable as any other health concern if you know where to turn. Getting counseling seems like a no-brainer – the right therapist can help almost any issue with a compassionate yet removed from the situation unbiased eye. Sadly, many people feel stigmatized just for needing help, and that’s not OK. Everyone deserves great mental and emotional health!

Most of us try to put on a brave face and just hope that things get better. Some help would be nice, but who has time and money to schedule counseling sessions, attend them, and then try to implement the advice given – especially when it could take weeks or months to even secure an appointment when you need help NOW?

With a counseling benefit provided by APS Healthcare through 2BenefitU, you can have access to counselors by phone anytime, day or night. All it takes is a quick call to the number on your membership card, and you’ll be connected to a counselor with a master’s degree and at least 5 years of experience, who will help you no matter what your problem is. The best part is, you pay $0 for your counseling session.

You can talk with a counselor about:

  • Depression, anxiety and stress
  • Loss, grief, or transition
  • Physical, emotional, mental or substance abuse
  • Family based issues, including parental and marital problems
  • Work based issues
  • … and more

Every conversation is 100% confidential (except in cases when reporting is mandated by law, as in cases of child abuse). You don’t have to feel awkward or ill at ease – the counselor will be discreet, compassionate, and non-judgmental, so you can open up about your problem and get real help.

If needed, our counselors can even refer you for further help to a local, licensed counselor in your area for treatment (costs not included in free phone counseling). If that’s not necessary, your on-the-phone counselor will provide assessment and short term resolution suggestions, and even follow up with you and check in to make sure you are OK later.  
With this counseling benefit, a happier, more fulfilling life is just a phone call away. It’s included along with up to 20 other benefits when you subscribe monthly for packages starting at just $15.95 per month.

Are you Aware of the Health / Wealth Connection?

/0 Comments/in /by

In a recent study by the CDC, it was shown that 75% of healthcare costs are due to chronic illness, and over 80% of chronic illnesses are due to stress.

Have stress headaches, stomach trouble, shoulder, neck and back pain, dental problems caused by grinding or clenching your teeth, fatigue, sleeplessness, and other stress related or exacerbated issues? Your stress could be making you sick!

This means your everyday level of anxiety over things like your financial situation, your job, your work or school situation, and your family, kids, or pets could be contributing to how you feel physically. If your day to day worries are increasing your stress levels, this may be costing you more than you think, and it can be difficult to know where to turn for help.

That’s where the Health Wealth Connection comes in. When you are able to set things right in your financial world, often your physical problems can be alleviated – at least, the ones that are made visible and worsened by stress can.  

This benefit gives you a wide range of simple solutions you can use to manage both your physical health and personal finances. It’s a fully customizable approach to your needs, yielding the benefits of the following in an easy to use, automated package:

  • A health coach with tips for better sleep cycles, exercises you can do even if you are super busy, and reminders about recommended checkups and wellness visits as well as screenings at key points in your life
  • A financial planner that can help you balance your budget, save money, plan for the future, get rid of debt, and more
  • A nutritionist which delivers meal suggestions, dietary tips, guidance on managing your calorie intake, and even lose weight safely
  • A counselor to help mitigate anxiety, frustration, stress, and depression.

The Health Wealth Connection will help you reach your goals, giving you quick, easy access to a vast library full of exclusive videos and in-depth articles. You can also get weekly tips on health, money, and managing stress by experts in the field, and it’s all included along with up to 20 other benefits starting at just $15.95 a month.