Value Added Benefits:  

Take advantage of all your discounts and services that are already included with your health insurance!  

Many times, when you think of medical benefits you only think about doctor visits and drug plans. Often, insured members do not realize that their insurance carrier might also include services known as "Value Added Benefits". 

Health Insurance Carriers offer these Value Added Services to encourage healthy lifestyles. Healthy lifestyles would yield healthier members, which keep insurance claims down. 

Examples of Value Added Benefits Include: 

24/7 Nurseline: NurseLine services can help you make smart health care decisions with immediate telephone access to experienced registered nurses.

Vision: some carriers have pre-negotiated discounts for vision care such as eye exams, eyeglasses, & even Lasik eye surgery.

Nutrition and Supplementation: Certain carriers provide discounts or reimbursements for nutritional supplements.  

Smoking Cessation: Some Insurance providers may provide discounts on medications, patches, pills, or provide services to help members quit smoking.  

Fitness & Health: Members may take advantage of weight management programs  such as Weight Watchers™ or Jenny Craig™.  Discounts and reimbursements may be available for health club memberships, gym equipment, and even coaching.

Hearing - Certain hearing centers may have pre-negotiated discounts with your insurance carrier for services and products.

Store Discounts - Various retailers may have a pre-negotiated incentive worked out with your insurance company such as baby stores or household goods.  

Stress and Alcohol Management - Different services may exist for stress management and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment programs.

Mail Order Rx Discounts - Certain carriers offer additional discounts for mail order prescriptions. This is especially useful for drugs prescribed for the long-term such as heart medicine or cholesterol drugs.  

Mindstream Academy... Where Teens Fit  

Do you know of a teenager who is struggling with his or her weight?  There is someplace they can go to be lovingly supported in a fun environment.

MindStream Academy is a therapeutic boarding program for teenagers who are overweight.  We are dedicated to healing, nurturing and educating overweight teenagers by cultivating a spirit of hope and accomplishment.  Through our components of counseling, nutrition, fitness and academics we bring about true life change and long-term success.  By focusing on the whole person as opposed to just their weight, our program truly stands out.  Teens achieve healthy weight, get fit and build self-esteem by nurturing their mind, body, and spirit. We're not a traditional weight loss facility. Our focus is not on the numbers on a scale, unrealistic diet plans, or hours spent in a gym, but rather self-awareness and regulation. We stress gaining control over one's life.  Teens can safely explore the emotional, physical and social factors that led them to this crossroad. By helping them better understand the underlying cause of their behavior, they can change for life. Our goal is to provide teens with long-term, meaningful change by helping to build independent minds, strong healthy bodies, and powerful character.

The significant aspects of our fun and innovative program include:

• Biofeedback and Neurobiofeedback -This therapy provides tools for developing deep relaxation and stress management through self-regulation exercises.  
• Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning - Students are partnered with horses for experiential and team building activities.  In doing so, our students better learn about themselves and others.
• Food and Nutrition Education Program - Begins from the ground up; students have the opportunity to assist in our organic garden, harvesting ingredients  for meals,and working side by side with our chefs and registered dietitian, gaining essential life skills and learning how to prepare healthy and delicious  meals.  
• Outdoor Fitness - Our fitness program is designed to create a positive association with exercise by initiating and energizing enjoyment of movement, and, by simply having fun.  Our beautiful campus is designed entirely to be a movement playground.
• Family Involvement - Change in the family habits is the most important element for assuring success for the student.  Family therapy and education takes place weekly either in person, Skype or telephone.
• Educational component - Education is provided by Kaplan, who has a long history of success in providing online education.  Each student will have an individualized academic program designed to keep him or her on schedule with his or her home school curriculum.  In addition to the Kaplan program, a certified educator facilitates academics.

This incredible program takes place on our beautiful 43- acre equestrian farm located within the Lowcountry of South Carolina - one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. One does not leave our campus unaffected by its majestic quality.   

Patrick House, winner of Biggest Loser season 10, has also recently joined our team to help motivate and inspire our teens.

Please visit us online at www.mindstreamacademy.com or give us a call at 843-757-2003 to see how we can help!

Check out our video testimonial from the parents of a young man currently attending MindStream Academy:

Parent Testimonial

Health Care Costs  

From the:  

Sponsored by:

Throughout the health care reform debate one constant refrain heard from all perspectives was the need to address out of control increases in health care costs.  While reaching consensus on the problem was easy, agreement on solutions and focusing on the root causes of cost increases has been much more elusive.

The need for the country to address this mounting trend is still at hand. It's important that elected officials, the media, academics, the general public and all of the players in the health care industry continue the dialogue about what factors are contributing to this phenomenon. Collectively, we must continue to work towards solutions.

The AmericanHealthSolution.org page is intended to share information about health care costs - what's contributing to them and what can be done to put them back on a sustainable path.

http://www.americanhealthsolution.org/costs/

Take a look at the site and the additional links to the left for more information.