Mindmasterclass dot Com: Health and Medical Blog

Do you find it challenging to stay motivated when endeavoring to make changes to your health? Are you aware that changes must be made in your daily life but you do not know where to begin? If so then Health and Wellness Coaching might just be the solution you have been seeking.

Health and Wellness Coaching is a service offered by trained professionals who work with you individually to assist you reach your Wellness goals. Health and Wellness Coaching motivates, guides, and supports a person in order to reach sustainable behavioral changes by offering creative solutions to their problems.

Health and Wellness Coaching provides individually designed programs to meet your unique needs by focusing on physical, mental, and emotional health. They assist you become proactive in your life by removing unhealthy behaviors and making Wellness a priority.

Benefits of Health and Wellness Coaching for Your Staff Members

Staff Members can benefit from Health and Wellness Coaching in a variety of ways. Health and Wellness Coaching can assist individuals decrease major health risks in their lives by changing high risk behaviors. Some of the many reasons why employees work with Wellness Coaches are to get in shape, lose a little (or lot) of weight, reduce stress, stop using tobacco, and design balance in their lives. Wellness Coaches aid individuals with current health problems as well as preventing future health issues.

Because each program that a Wellness Coach designs is unique to suit the needs of the individual, they can be sure that it’ll be a program that is right for them. Most busy employees mistakenly believe that they do not have the time for Health and Wellness Coaching. Fortunately Health and Wellness Coaching professionals are able to offer their services in a variety of convenient ways. While electronic Health and Wellness Coaching through the use of e-mails and instant messaging has become a popular method due to its convenience, telephone and face-to-face interactions may also be used. Staff Members have the ability to reach their goals and improve their lives through the assistance of Health and Wellness Coaching.

Benefits of Health and Wellness Coaching for the Company

The overall benefits of Health and Wellness Coaching for a business are remarkable. Staff Member high risk behaviors such as tobacco use and obesity cost companies millions of dollars every year. These high risk behaviors often cause preventable illness and keep employees from coming to work. Health and Wellness Coaching guides, supports, hold individuals accountable, and ensures that they receive continued motivation to assist them reach their Wellness goals and eliminate unhealthy behaviors in their lives.

By implementing Wellness Plans and using Health and Wellness Coaching in their companies, employers reduce the risk of preventable illness in their companies. This improves the overall health of employees, reduces healthcare and insurance costs, decreases absenteeism, and ultimately enhances performance and productivity. When employees experience the benefits of higher levels Wellness in their lives it causes an improvement in job attitude, energy, and morale. Companies that utilize Health and Wellness Coaching for their employees experience the benefits of higher productivity.

Wellness Coach

Wellness incorporates many facets of our daily lives. From the amount of sleep to the water we drink, to the food that we eat and the activity that we maintain, our health is dependent upon many factors of our lifestyle. Working to improve our Wellness can be challenging to reach on our own. That is why we can utilize the assistance of a Wellness Coach.

What’s a Wellness Coach?

A Wellness Coach is a highly educated professional who is trained in behavioral change. Wellness Coaches generally have degrees in Exercise Science, Health Education, Exercise Physiology, Counseling and Education. A Wellness Coach assists individuals in recognizing current health concerns as well as preventing future health related issues. These professionals work with individuals in a variety of ways including; face-to-face, phone, via instant messaging and / or email. The latter of those is also referred to as electronic Health and Wellness Coaching and is the most efficient and cost effective method of working with a Wellness Coach. No matter what method is used for communication a Wellness Coach provides a personalized program specifically designed to address the needs and concerns of each personal client.

In what ways can a Wellness Coach assist me?

Most individuals maintain several healthy habits in their lives. One person may be a fitness enthusiast; another may abstain from alcohol and tobacco; while another may maintain a healthy daily diet. However, overall Wellness is much like a puzzle, and a high level of health is only achieved when each piece of this puzzle is in place. A Wellness Coach will aid an individual in correcting his/her missing piece of the puzzle. An web-based Wellness Coach may address the needs of sleep deprivation, stress management, diet, or any number of health related issues. The Wellness Coach will motivate, guide, and offer valuable resources to offer individuals with the necessary tools to make life changes.

How is a Wellness Coach unique?

A Wellness Coach serves a distinctly different purpose than a personal trainer, a counselor, or a supportive family member or friend. First, a Wellness Coach is an expert in his/her personal field. When a client determines the need for a Wellness Coach he or she will complete a Health Risk Assessment (HRA). based on this assessment the individual will be assigned a Wellness Coach specifically selected to address his/her individual needs. Next, a Wellness Coach is available electronically 24 hours per day. Through web-based communication individuals have the opportunity to contact a Wellness Coach as much or as little as he may like. Communication with a Wellness Coach may range from daily to weekly, and can occur by e-mail, journal or a combination of both. Finally, a Wellness Coach is trained to aid in changing the way that the individual thinks and the way that they view themselves. A Wellness Coach maintains the purpose of helping the individual to work towards achieving a higher quality in life. This happens by addressing the cause of a certain problem rather than simply addressing the effects of a problem. A Wellness Coach will assist individuals recognize their needs, determine goals, and take the necessary steps towards achieving these goals.

While Wellness are growing concerns in our daily lives, it may seem challenging to make the time to educate oneself and address the needs or our well being. Working with the assistance of a Wellness Coach enables us to emphasis on our personal needs and make progress towards changing.

In this economy, many people have lost their jobs or are in fear of losing them. Retirement savings are down and no one seems to know when the economy will turn around. In times like these we must pay close attention to how every dollar is spent. If you’ve lost your health insurance or otherwise need to get health insurance, it’s more important than ever to get the coverage you need to protect your family’s finances without paying for coverage you don’t need.

PPO, HMO, HSA…with so many health insurance plans to choose from, how do you know which health plan is right for you? With hundreds of health plans available it can be difficult to decide which health plan is best for you and your family.

The following guidelines are provided by Jeff Breazile, owner of Benefit Studio Health Insurance Services (http://www.benefitstudio.com), a California based independent insurance agency.

To help narrow down the many choices available and find the right plan for you and your budget, it’s important to compare premium quotes from different health plans. But what benefits do you get for your monthly premium? Look beyond just the quoted premium of a health plan and consider what benefits in a health insurance plan are most important to you.

Focusing on the benefits you need most is the first step in finding a Califorrnia health insurance plan that not only offers the protection you need, but is affordable as well. The health plan with the lowest premium may not give you the financial protection you need if you get sick, have an accident or otherwise need to seek medical attention. A comprehensive health plan that covers a wide range of services and benefits may cost more in premium, but could actually save you money over a basic or “catastrophic” plan on the other end of the spectrum where you would pay a much larger share of the costs when you receive medical care.

Here are some tips to help you narrow down the list of health insurance plans when deciding which plan will be the best fit. Start by deciding which type of benefits are most important to you. What benefits have you used most in the past? How much of the medical expenses could you reasonably pay yourself if you have a major medical event? Use the following list to focus on the most important benefits. Then you can compare the plans with the benefits that best fit your needs.

PPO or HMO plan maternity benefits deductible amount copayment (copay) coinsurance amount out of pocket maximum prescription drug coverage (generic + brand name benefits or generic-only) preventive care services health savings account (HSA) compatible health plan

PPO – Is it important to you that your plan offer a large network of participating doctors and hospitals? Do you want to be able to see a specialist without having to obtain a referral from your primary doctor? Preferred Provider Plans (PPO) offer the largest networks of participating doctors and hospitals. With a PPO you also have the option of getting medical care outside of your PPO network, although you will usually pay more if you receive care from a provider that is not in your network.

HMO – Another option is a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Although not as popular as PPO health plans, many people prefer them due to their simplicity. You can obtain most services for a low copayment and usually no coinsurance requirement. The tradeoff with an HMO is you must stay in network to receive covered medical services. HMO networks are normally smaller than PPO networks and generally a referral is required from your primary care doctor to see a specialist.

Maternity Benefits – While the cost of health insurance plans vary widely, and it’s important to choose a health plan that has the benefits you need, you may be able to save money by choosing a plan without certain benefits. If maternity benefits are not important to you, look for a health plan without maternity benefits. This alone could save you hundreds of dollars annually on your health insurance plan.

Deductible Amount – Except for services where you are only responsible for a copayment, the deductible is the amount you pay before the insurance plan pays anything. If you’re willing to pay more of the upfront costs when you need medical care, choosing a higher deductible can help keep your insurance premiums lower.

Copayment (Copay) – The copay is a flat fee you pay at the time of service. After paying the copayment, the plan usually pays 100 percent of the balance of covered services. Some California health insurance plans allow you to visit the doctor’s office for a low copay without having to meet your annual insurance deductible.

Coinsurance – In addition to the deductible, when comparing health insurance plans, pay attention to what coinsurance amount you will be responsible for after your deductible is met. Coinsurance is the percentage of the charges you are responsible to pay for covered medical services apart from any copays or your deductible.

Out of Pocket Maximum – The out of pocket maximum is the maximum amount per year you’ll have to pay for covered medical services. After reaching your out of pocket maximum, your health insurance plan pays for any additional covered medical expenses up to the plan’s lifetime benefit amount.

Prescription Drug Coverage – When it comes to prescription drug coverage, some health insurance plans keep the premiums lower by covering only generic prescription drugs. Keep in mind that while there are many generic prescription drugs available, not every prescription drug is available in generic form.

Preventive Care Services – In order to encourage healthy lifestyle habits and thereby reduce future medical expenses, many California health insurance plans offer low or no copayments or other financial incentives for preventive care services such as physical exams, immunizations, annual gynecological exams, mammograms, prostate exams and cancer screenings.

Health Savings Account (HSA) – Are you interested in a health plan that will help you save money on your tax bill? Consider a Health Savings Account (HSA) compatible health plan. A Health Savings Account (HSA) combines high deductible health insurance with a tax-advantaged medical savings account. Withdrawals that are used to pay for qualified medical expenses, including your insurance deductible, coinsurance and co-payments are federally tax-free.

By focusing on these nine plan benefits when shopping for California health insurance, you’ll find a plan that fits your healthcare needs and your pocketbook.