Prevention 101:
Skin Care and Prevention | Check out Prevention 101, our ongoing wellness series. Click below for this month's guide.
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| About Us | |
A not-for-profit ministry of
Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust Inc.
Church of the Brethren Insurance Services provides ancillary coverage for ministers and other employees of congregations, districts, and camps.
Medical and ancillary plans are available to Brethren-affiliated employer groups.
Long-Term Care insurance is available for all members of the Church of the Brethren, their family and friends, and employees of Church of the Brethren-affiliated agencies, organizations, colleges, and retirement communities.
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Contact Us
1505 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
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Greetings!
To quote Rodgers and Hammerstein, "June is bustin' out all over!" Welcome to the June issue of Insurance Update. June is known for the beginning of summer, the end of school (in most areas), and Father's Day. We're all eager to have warm summer weather, and we pray for those who are experiencing devastation due to severe storms.  Prevention 101 this month provides information about summer skin care. It is important to understand the risks of overexposure to the sun and ultraviolet rays during the summer months and to learn how to prevent damage to your skin.
We are also including an article on long-term care insurance. Most people are unaware of how high long-term care costs can be, and the fact that approximately three out of every four individuals will need to have some kind of long-term care in the future. We hope you find this article informative and that it helps you to plan for the future. Since the summer months bring warmer weather, it's a perfect reason to get outside and be active. Did you know that the Highmark website includes a program called MOVE, through MyHealthMedia, that can inspire and assist you in becoming active? We encourage you to log on to Highmark's website to take advantage of this and other programs geared to improve your health. All of us here at Brethren Insurance Services wish you a wonderful, fun-filled, relaxing summertime. As George Gershwin put it, "Summertime and the livin' is easy ..." 
Willie, Diana, Tammy, Randy |
| LTCi: Information for Employees |
What is Long-Term Care Insurance?
It is designed to help pay for medical and non-medical care services that would otherwise be paid out-of-pocket. Some policies cover nursing home care, while others include coverage for an entire range of services such as care in an adult day care center, assisted living, medical equipment, and formal and informal home care. Long- term care policies either pay a fixed amount or reimburse you for services provided.
Do I Need Long-Term Care Insurance? Similar to home, health, and auto insurance, long-term care insurance is available to help protect you, your family, and your assets.
Family members are under pressure to help care for a growing number of elders, and resources to pay for long-term care are declining. In fact, according to Family Caregiver Alliance®, 6 to 7 million unpaid relatives and friends care for an estimated 78 percent of elderly Americans, which can be costly -- as well as emotionally taxing.
If you or your spouse, parent, or child eventually needs long-term care services, the financial burden can be quite steep.
How is Long-Term Care Insurance Different? Major medical or disability insurance does not protect you and your family in the same way that long-term care insurance can. In fact, health insurance plans generally cover about 30 days of recuperative time, while a long-term plan covers as much as two years or more.
Furthermore, disability insurance replaces only your salary at the time of injury, and the policy holder -- who is dependent on disability insurance -- pays out-of-pocket for any ongoing long-term care.
Medicare is even more restrictive, and should not be considered your sole resource for substantial long-term care expenses. This is because it reimburses only up to a maximum of 100 days, with the average repayment of expenses being only 28 days.
How Much Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cost? Premiums vary depending on your age and health status when you purchase the policy and how much coverage you desire. The cost of care, especially in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, varies from state to state. Generally, you must be in good health when purchasing a policy, so it may be better to buy long-term care insurance at a younger age, when you are more likely to be healthy and premiums will be lower.
Long-Term Care Statistics
- Long-term care costs are expected to double by the year 2025.*
- Without private insurance or public program coverage, the high cost of long-term care is unaffordable for the majority of Americans.
- 10 percent of those who enter a nursing home will remain there for five or more years.
- An estimated 70 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will eventually need long-term care.**
* U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
** U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Family Caregiver Alliance® is a registered trademark of Family Caregiver Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Get your MOVE on with MyHealthMedia |
 Everyone knows that exercise is an important component to living a healthy lifestyle. But with busy schedules, health challenges, and the constant allure of the television, being active can be difficult even in the most beautiful weather.
By sneaking movement into your routine, HealthMedia MOVE can help inspire anyone -- even a certified couch potato -- to get up, get moving, and get healthy. MOVE is an online coaching program sponsored by MyHealthMedia.
With MOVE, trained specialists will help you realize the benefits of all that movement: more energy, improved range of motion, better health -- maybe even a more youthful outlook on life.
To begin working with this free MyHealthMedia service, you might want to complete a Wellness Profile. You'll get the big picture in your plan, including a lifestyle score, priority behaviors, and action steps to help you make changes you're ready for. We'll start with a brief but thorough questionnaire.
To use MyHealthMedia, you must have a login ID for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield's website. If you already have a login ID, visit www.highmarkbcbs.com, log in, and click on Your Health. Then, click on Improve Your Health. Click on the health goal you hope to pursue, and then click on the Take the Wellness Profile link above the yellow daisy icon.
If you have not registered at Highmark's website yet, you may do so by clicking on the Register Now link at www.highmarkbcbs.com. Registration is only available to Brethren Medical Plan members.
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Health Care Reform: Changes to Qualified Medical Expenses for HSAs and FSAs
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The health care reform legislation brings changes to what is considered a qualified medical expense for reimbursement purposes from flexible spending arrangements, health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, and Archer medical savings accounts that began on Jan. 1, 2011. Click here for more information and click here for a comprehensive list of HSA-qualified expenses.
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70 percent of people aged 65 and older will eventually need some form of assisted care and are usually not financially prepared to handle the costs related to these services.
