WELLNESS 2023:
"Blueprint to Wellness"
ESHCA Wellness Newsletter
February 2023
The shareable link (printable) for this issue: https://conta.cc/40npt9Q
For complete member services visit us at: www.eshca.org
February is national what month?

1) National Heart Month

  • Heart Disease Facts (CDC):
  • leading cause of death in the US
  • 697,000 deaths (2020)
  • 1 in every 5 deaths
  • $229 billion (2018); cost of healthcare, medications, and lost work time
  • Coronary Artery Disease: partial blockage due to plaque (cholesterol) and inflammation (excess sodium and sugar contribute)
  • most common type of heart disease, killing 382,820 people in 2020
  • 20.1 million (7.2%) adults (age 20 and over) have CAD
  • 2 in 10 deaths from CAD occurred in adults less that 65 years old (2020)

  • Heart Attack: complete blockage due to plaque and inflammation. Can occur suddenly when plaque ruptures causing a blood clot.
  • someone in the US has a heart attack every 40 seconds
  • 805,000 Americans have a heart attack each year
  • 605,000 are first time events
  • 1 in 5 are silent, the damage is done but the person is not aware

2) National Cancer Prevention Month
  • Cancer Facts
  • 1.7 million people diagnosed with cancer each year
  • 600,000 annual deaths
  • 1 in 3 people will have cancer in their lifetime
  • $185 billion spent annually on cancer care
Annual Physicals:
What role do they play?
High-Cost Claims are the most detrimental variable affecting annual health insurance spend. Those are claims related to long-term health issues requiring several months (years) of treatment (including heart disease and cancer). The single best defense against high-cost claims is the Annual Physical. The annual physical is a $0 copay, also the member and member-spouse are eligible for a $200 wellness incentive!!!

How do you receive the incentive? (Note the changes below, as of 1/1/23, in regard to the Annual Physical Incentive):

  • 1) Explanation of Benefits: submit your EOB verifying you had and annual physical in 2023 and receive your $200 incentive!
  • Yes, that is all that is required, please review the EOB to make sure you are sending in the correct document. On page 2, in the section labeled "Claim Details" it should state:

  • Description: Est Pt Prevent Healthy 40 to 64 Yrs

  • 2) For extra credit include the following:

  • a) General Health Assessment (extra $25)
  • review your personal health habits (tobacco use, nutrition, exercise, driving habits, etc.)

  • b) MD Biometric Form (extra $25)
  • "Know Your Numbers" - blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and body weight are good indicators of current and future health. Encouraging members to "Know Their Numbers" increases the chance they will "take action" to improve them.
$25 Monthly Challenge...Strive for 5!!!

Eat a healthy diet!
  • Why eat 5 servings of produce (vegetables and fruits) each day?

  • Vegetables and fruits are the healthiest foods on earth!
  • 1) low in calories and filling
  • 2) high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber
  • 3) low in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat

  • Step 1: add a variety of vegetables and fruits to your diet.
  • Step 2: remove poor quality foods from your diet and replace them with vegetables and fruits.
  • poor quality (processed) foods include those containing excess amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated fat

How to participate:
  • 1) Record your daily intake on the "Strive for 5" Log. Once you have recorded 5 days return the log to me via email (attach a good cellphone picture), mail, or fax. If you are unable to print, make your own log, I will take it!
  • 2) Challenge ends on March 15th (the last day I can take logs).
  • 3) Objective: make eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables a healthy habit.

Challenge notes:
  • All members of the household are encouraged to participate, however, only one incentive can be issued to each member-household with the exception that more than one employee-member lives in a household. Each member-household is limited to 6 incentives per year, if you participate in more than 6 newsletter challenges your company will be given additional participation points toward the "Golden Boot" award, recognizing the ESHCA Wellness Company of the Year!

Special offer: Get your crew involved!!!
  • Take the lead, be a "Wellness Champion". Encourage the members of your crew to participate in newsletter challenges, have a group discussion and complete the "Strive for 5" challenge as a team.