Your Health Plan And HIPAA...

Making The Law Work For You

Perhaps you have heard of HIPAA - the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act - most likely during a visit to your doctor's office. The doctor's staff may have handed you a "HIPAA privacy notice" advising you of protections for your personal health information. But HIPAA covers a lot more than privacy.

1) Preexisting Conditions, Job Changes, And General Protections

One of the most important protections under HIPAA is that it helps those with preexisting conditions get health coverage. In the past, some employers' group health plans limited, or even denied, coverage if a new employee had such a condition before enrolling in the plan. Under HIPAA, that is not allowed. If the plan generally provides coverage but denies benefits to you because you had a condition before your coverage began, then HIPAA applies.

2) Using Prior Health Coverage To Reduce The Length Of Any Preexisting Condition Exclusion Period

If you change jobs or begin new health coverage, and you or a dependent family member have a preexisting condition, part 1 of the full document discusses how HIPAA limits the maximum preexisting condition exclusion to 12 months (18 months if you are a late enrollee). This part will cover how an individual can reduce or eliminate this maximum preexisting condition exclusion period if she can show creditable coverage.

3) Getting And Using Certificates To Show Prior Health Plan Coverage

Your group health plan, HMO, or health insurance company should provide you with a certificate of creditable coverage, a document that shows your prior periods of coverage in a health plan:

4) Taking Advantage Of Special Enrollment Opportunities

Special enrollment allows individuals who previously declined health coverage to enroll for coverage. Special enrollment rights arise regardless of a plan's open enrollment period.

5) HIPAA's Protections From Discrimination

The previous chapters explain how to use HIPAA's preexisting condition and special enrollment protections by being aware of their timelines and requirements. The more you know, the better equipped you will be. The same is true for HIPAA and discrimination in health coverage: The more you know about the ways HIPAA prohibits discrimination, the better.

6) More Coverage Under HIPAA's Umbrella

* Flexibility in State Laws

* Using COBRA To Extend Your Health Coverage

* Changing From Group Health Coverage To An Individual Insurance Policy

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Show Some Love During  

Heart Health Month 

Excerpt From:

February Wellness Newsletter 

About 72 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure, which is the leading cause of stroke and heart disease. It can be controlled.  

In February, Walgreen's is honoring American Heart Month by providing you some simple tools you can use to help prevent and treat high blood pressure. By using these tools and working with your doctor, you can lower your high blood pressure and decrease your risk for heart disease.

•  High Blood Pressure - Your Guide to Prevention and Treatment 
•  Learn the Symptoms of a Heart Attack 
•  Watch this Hypertension Video, presented by Take Care 
•  Enjoy a Heart-Healthy Diet with this Printable Guide 
•  Questions to ask Your Doctor About High Blood Pressure 

For more information on resolutions and other topics, watch Health Corner® TV Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. CT on Lifetime.  

Visit healthcorner.walgreens.com to see what's on this week.

Read the Full Newsletter Here 

Wellness Tip of the Month 

Cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack and stroke, is the nation's #1 killer.  A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to prevent becoming part of that number. In honor of American Heart Month, we'd like to share a checklist developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) called the My Life Check Simple 7. This checklist gives you seven different points to follow with the goal of improved health through these lifestyle changes.  According to the AHA, these seven points have something unique in common - anyone can do it!  And by making these small changes you will see a BIG difference in your overall health.

Here are their Simple Seven Heart Health Tips: 

1. Get Active.  By exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk of heart disease.  Without regular physical activity, your body slowly loses its strength plus the ability to function well.  Physical activity equals living a longer, healthier life.

2. Control Cholesterol.  Cholesterol is important for your body because it's used to produce cell membranes, as well as serve other necessary bodily functions.  However, too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease (which leads to a heart attack) and stroke. To keep your cholesterol under control: schedule a screening, eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat and free of trans fat, maintain a healthy weight, and stay physically active. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher puts you in a high-risk category and is cause to take action.

3. Eat Better. To make sure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs, choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often.  These foods are higher in nutrients, minerals, and fiber and are lower in calories. 

4. Manage your Blood Pressure.  Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the number one risk factor for heart disease.  One in three adults has high blood pressure, yet, about 21% don't even know they have it. By keeping your blood pressure in the healthy range, you are: Reducing your risk of your vascular walls becoming overstretched and injured, reducing your risk of your heart having to pump harder to compensate for blockages, protecting your entire body so that your tissue receives regular supplies of blood that is rich in the oxygen it needs.

5. Lose Weight.  Among Americans age 20 and older, 145 million are overweight or obese (BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 and higher) and this number is increasing. This is of great concern especially since obesity is now recognized as a major, independent risk factor for heart disease. If you have too much fat - especially if a lot of it is at your waist - you're at higher risk for such health problems as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes.

6. Reduce Blood Sugar.  Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than adults without diabetes. Diabetes is treatable, but even when glucose levels are under control it greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, most people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease. 

7. Stop Smoking.  Smoking by itself increases the risk of coronary heart disease. When it acts with the other factors, it greatly increases your risk from those factors, too. Smoking decreases your tolerance for physical activity and increases the tendency for blood to clot. It decreases HDL (good) cholesterol. Your risks increase greatly if you smoke and have a family history of heart disease. Smoking also creates a higher risk for peripheral artery disease and aortic aneurysm. It increases the risk of recurrent coronary heart disease after bypass surgery, too.

H3 Recipe of the Month 

Let us show you how to create these delicious recipe and more in our new state-of-the-art learning kitchen and cooking school at the Culinary Arts Center. 

The Culinary Arts Center at Hilton Head Health offers a variety of classes ranging from Date Night to Girl's Night- and is the perfect setting for your next company party or make a wonderful gift.  

These classes are open to Lowcountry residents and visitors so check out the Culinary Arts Center page of our website at www.hhhealth.com/cac or call (800) 292-2440 for more information on class offerings, private parties and gift certificates for your loved ones.

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