A Health Newsletter Serving the North Coast Schools Medical Insurance Group
Vol. 27, No. 9 | September 2019

In this Issue: JPA Notes | Staying Fit at Any Age | Recipe: Mushroom Lentil Burgers

JPA Notes

From the JPA Office

Application & Change Form

Did you know the JPA database is compiled solely from information we receive from our member districts and the information they receive from you on your application or change form?  The JPA cannot accept any changes for you or your family unless it is first submitted to your district benefits administrator. 

Why do we do this?  One of the main reasons we require you to first submit your form to the district office is that districts are responsible for maintaining information for their own reporting purposes and making sure they are adding, changing or terminating coverage in accordance with federal and state laws, as well as JPA policies.

There are multiple reasons someone might submit a change form to the JPA after initially enrolling.  Changes include moving to retiree status, adding newly eligible dependents, termination of employment, enrolling in COBRA, and more.  Please make sure you take the time to fully complete the application (along with submitting any required supporting documentation) and read the authorization statement.  Most importantly, please remember that it is your responsibility to make sure changes are submitted to your district in a timely manner.

AirMedCare

As a reminder, air ambulance companies do not contract with insurance companies. It is very important to protect yourself from extensive out-of-pocket expenses by joining organizations such as AirMedCare Network (formerly known as Cal-Ore Life Flight or Reach).  They are a national network of air ambulance providers that provide services in the Northern California region. They have offered our members a discount on membership.

By joining their organization, they agree to act as an in-network provider in the case you need to use their services.  Since they are an out-of-network provider, neither Blue Shield nor NCSMIG have any legal basis to force them to write off the difference between what they bill and the allowed claim amount. However, if you are a member of their program, they agree to write-off this amount, leaving you with little, if any, balance bill to pay. You can download an application here. More information on the program can be found on their website.

Vision Exams

Vision exams are something we often forget to schedule each year, Especially if you don’t wear glasses or contacts, you might not remember that having a preventive eye exam can not only diagnose any changes in your vision, but can also be the first notification of a more serious medical condition! Eye exams can often detect the signs of diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, cancer and tumors. Many individuals are shocked when it is their eye care professional who notices the first signs of these very serious medical conditions.

If you have not yet created an account with our vision partner, Vision Service Plan (VSP), you can go to their website to get that process started. The site contains excellent detailed information on your coverage, a national provider finder directory, eye health resources, and more. In addition to supporting information for your vision plan, keep in mind that VSP also has a great program, called Eyeconic®, the VSP store. Eyeconic® is an online retail store that allows you to upload a picture of your face and virtually try on glasses. If you see a pair you like, you give VSP your updated lens prescription and they send you your new glasses. If you don’t like your glasses, VSP will allow you to exchange them or return them for a 100% refund! When creating your account online, please remember that VSP uses your social security number as your ID number.

They do not issue separate ID cards like you have with our other vendors. VSP allows one account per family and is based on the employee’s social security number.

Guardian Life

Effective July 1st all active employees of North Coast Schools’ Medical Insurance Group are covered by a $5,000 life insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance plan through Guardian Life. Under this coverage, in the event of your death, a benefit may be payable to your designated beneficiary(ies). In order for this benefit to be paid, North Coast Schools must have a completed Beneficiary Form on file, designating your beneficiary(ies).  (Please obtain a “Beneficiary Designation Form” from your school district).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Be sure to clearly indicate your primary beneficiary(ies) and contingent beneficiary(ies). Proceeds are paid to contingent beneficiary(ies) only if there is no surviving primary beneficiary(ies).
• If more than one primary and/or contingent Beneficiary is designated and no percentage has been designated, settlement will be made in equal shares to such of the designated beneficiaries as survive the Insured, unless otherwise provided herein. If no designated beneficiary survives the Insured, settlement will be made to the estate of the Insured, unless otherwise provided in the Group Plan.
• If more space is needed to list your beneficiaries please attach a sheet to the Form.
• The beneficiary designation may not go into effect until this form is signed and dated by you.
• The beneficiary(ies) named on this form will be valid unless otherwise indicated by you.
• Please be sure to keep your beneficiary designation up to date with our office (marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, etc.).

Staying Fit at Any Age

Getting older is inevitable, but it’s possible to slow down the aging process through regular exercise. As you age, your body starts to slow down and tasks that used to be easy now require a bit more effort to accomplish. On top of that, your metabolism slows down, causing you to gain weight. You lose muscle mass, your cardiovascular fitness declines, and your reflexes aren’t as sharp as they once were. While this might sound like a doomsday diagnosis, there is some good news: It’s possible to slow down the aging process through regular exercise.

Activities such as strength training and high-intensity interval training, as well as regularly changing up your exercise routine can help maintain muscle mass, prevent cardiovascular decline and improve balance. All three of these components are essential to living a long, healthy and independent life. Add these activities to your weekly fitness routine to slow down your body’s clock.

Endurance exercises

Activities such as running, cycling and swimming are the best ways to improve your cardiovascular function and prevent your metabolism from slowing down. Aim to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (aerobic) activity most days, for a total of 150 minutes each week.

30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio (aerobic) activity most days, for a total of 150 minutes each week.

Interval training

Instead of a steady-state bout of running or cycling, with high-intensity interval training, you alternate bursts of intense activity (that makes you breathe heavily) with lighter activity. An example workout would include five intervals at a higher intensity (which may mean increasing speed, incline or resistance) for one to two minutes with a one- to two-minute period in between at a slightly lower intensity. An easy way to determine if you’re working hard enough is whether you can talk (or sing) easily. If you can’t, you’re working hard enough during your intervals. Add interval training to your workout routine one or two days each week.

Strength training

Maintaining muscle mass is very important as you age, since both men and women lose muscle mass as they age and replace it with fat. Skeletal muscle burns more calories at rest compared to fat tissue. It also protects your joints and can help your bones become stronger and maintain their density, which can prevent fractures.

Maintaining and increasing muscle mass can also help improve balance and agility, which is crucial as you get older. So how can you stop the loss of muscle mass and increase it instead? It’s simple — lift weights! And no, you don’t need to become a bodybuilder. If your routine doesn’t currently include strength training, start by doing one set of 10 to 15 repetitions of exercises that challenge your major muscle groups, including your chest, back, arms and legs.

For example, a chest exercise is a bench press, a back exercise is a row, and a leg exercise is a squat. Do these moves two to three times a week. If you’re already lifting weights, increase the weight regularly. Aim for a modest increase every few weeks — in the range of 2.5 to 10 pounds — and keep track in a diary or journal to make certain you’re increasing regularly. Even if you keep your routine exactly the same, increasing the weight so that your last few repetitions are challenging (but still doable) will help you become stronger, which means more lean muscle tissue — and better calorie-burning potential!

The last way to help slow down age-related changes is to keep adding challenge and variety to your workouts. When you perform an exercise routine over and over, with no change in frequency, intensity, duration or type of exercise, you can plateau. Over time, this lack of challenge may allow age-related changes to creep in before you know it. If you get complacent with your workouts, your body will, too.

Recipe of the Month: Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Make homemade veggie burgers in a snap with precooked lentils. Brown lentils can be substituted but tend to be more moisture-dense and may require additional breadcrumbs to help bind the burgers.

28 mins · 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 3/4 cup chopped onion

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 5 regular or whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted and divided

• 6 ounces presliced cremini mushrooms

• 1 (8-ounce) pouch precooked black beluga lentils (such as Archer Farms)

• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled

• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup baby arugula

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat.

3. Place 1 bun in a food processor; process until coarse crumbs form. Remove breadcrumbs from food processor; set aside.

4. Combine mushrooms, lentils, 2 teaspoons mustard, and the next 3 ingredients (through salt) in food processor; pulse to combine.

5. Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, mushroom mixture, and egg in a large bowl, stirring well. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add patties; cook for 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove patties from pan; arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle patties evenly with cheese. Place under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese is softened.

6. Combine canola mayonnaise and remaining 2 teaspoons mustard in a small bowl. Spread the top half of each of the remaining 4 buns with 2 teaspoons mayonnaise mixture. Top each bottom half of bun with 1 patty. Divide arugula evenly among burgers; top with top half of bun, mayonnaise-coated side down.

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