Undercurrent - June 2008
So, who can join Navy Health? Unlock the secret
Changed your details recently?
Travel Insurance - Don't Leave Home Without It
What is Lifetime Health Cover?
Performance Foods for the Office
So, who can join Navy Health?
Always wondered just exactly who is entitled to join Navy Health and share the benefits you’ve been enjoying for years? Simply log on to www.canijoin.com.au and answer a few easy questions to see if your family,friends and others can become Navy Health members.
We have also detailed the Navy Health eligibility below. If a person has previously or currently fits into any of the groups below,they are welcome to join Navy Health.
- Serving or ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force (Army, Air Force and Navy)
- Reservists or ex-reservists with the ADF (Army,Air Force and Navy)
- Cadets or ex-cadets with the ADF (Army, Air Force and Navy)
- Employees or ex-employees of contractors who provide services to the ADF or Department of Defence.
- Immediate family members of any of the previously mentioned groups (i.e. parents, siblings, grandparents, children)
To confirm a friend or family members eligibility, please go to www.canijoin.com.au
Changed your details recently? Navy Health needs to know!
Ensuring that we have your correct details on our system helps us to provide you with the greatservice you’ve come to expect.Throughout the year, Navy Health sends outseveral important notices to its members,including Tax Statements, New Brochures and Premium Change Notifications.
It is vital that we have your most current address on our system to guarantee that you receive your documentation.You can change your details through Online Member Services on the Navy Health website, emailing query@navyhealth.com.au, or by calling 1300 306 289.
Tax Statements
With the end of the financial year past, Navy Health has mailed the 2007-2008 Private Health Insurance Tax Statement to all members in early July. If you would like to view your statement online, please log onto Online Member Services.
Keeping costs in check
Recently Navy Health advised all members of the premium adjustment that took place from 1 April 2008. We are glad to report that due to another strong performance in the previous twelve months premiums increased on average by 2.58%. This was in contrast to the industry average of just below 5%.
Reward Your Staff
Are you an employer looking to reward your most valuable asset – your employees? Corporate health cover is an excellent way to show them how much they are valued.Unlike an annual bonus that rewards your employees only once a year, with corporate health cover employees will receive generous benefits every time they claim. Call Navy Health to discuss a corporate cover plan tailored to your individual business needs.
Travel Insurance – Don’t leave home without it!
Ready for the holiday you’ve always dreamed of? Don’t let it turn into a nightmare because you weren’t adequately covered with appropriate travel insurance. Navy Health provides quality discounted travel insurance that will cover you for incidents such as lost luggage, cancelled tours, medical treatment and more.*
You don’t have to be a Navy Health member to enjoy the benefits of our comprehensive travel insurance.
To obtain your copy of the Product Disclosure Statement and application please go to Travel Insurance.
* Conditions apply. Please read the PDS for all terms and conditions.
What exactly is the Gap?
Access Gap
Early in 2001 the Federal Government introduced a “known” or “no” gap cover scheme aimed at reducing out-of-pocket expenses for members of private health insurance funds requiring hospitalization.
Prior to the introduction of this scheme, Medicare contributed 75% of the Commonwealth Medical Benefits Scheme (CMBS) to the medical component of any in-hospital procedure and the health funds 25% of the CMBS.
In instances,and it was common practice for specialist fees to exceed the CMBS significantly, the member/patient was required to personally cover the differential which often amounted to several hundreds of dollars.
The thrust of the legislation was to enable health funds to negotiate with procedural and diagnostic specialists to agreed arrangements whereby the fund would be permitted to pay any additional cost over and above the CMBS.
In some cases where an acceptable gap between the CMBS and the health funds capacity to meet the differential could not be resolved, agreement was reached on a relatively small pre-determined co-payment that would be the responsibility of the
member/patient.
The Australian Health Service Alliance (AHSA) of which together with 26 other funds Navy Health is a member,embarked on a massive campaign to introduce and implement no or known gap services on behalf of over 1.6 million Australians covered by member funds.
The AHSA program which was complemented by direct promotion by individual member funds was given extremely encouraging support by specialist clinicians resulting in AHSA funds being able to eliminate or minimize member out-of-pocket expenses significantly from the outset.
Promotion of this scheme has continued with a high degree of intensity with the very pleasing result that nearly 16,000 doctors have committed to a known or no gap scheme.
In real terms, this translates to 82%+ of all medical costs provided to Navy Health members attracting only a minimal contribution from the member or in most cases with the total specialist costs being fully covered by your fund.
In concert with the full cover of private hospital costs that is offered to Navy Health Top Hospital members, we are extremely pleased that Access Gap Cover offers a further significant enhancement in the level of benefits we are able to provide to our membership.
This is particularly pleasing in the light of inflation which is incurring with all clinically related costs which on current trends exceeds the Consumer Price Index by approximately three times.
We will continue to apply our best efforts to ensure that our members’ out-of-pocket expenses are eliminated or at worst minimized during a period of hospitalization when the furthest thought from members and their families minds should be the financial implications of treatment.
Access Gap Fee is limited to:
- $400 above the Australian Medical Association’s Schedule Fee for all items except obstetrics;
- $800 above the Australian Medical Association’s Schedule Fee for obstetrics only.
Gap Medical
If the member receives treatment as a private patient in a hospital from a doctor that chooses not to participate in the Access Gap Scheme, Gap Medical benefits will apply. Under Gap Medical benefits, Medicare will cover 75% of the MBS Fee for the service that has been provided and the fund will pay the remaining 25% of the MBS fee.
If the doctor charges more than the MBS fee, the member will be responsible for any ‘gap’payment.The ‘gap’ is defined as the monetary variation between the MBS fee and the doctor’s fee.
Take Time For Lunch
Deskbound?
Many workers are feeling pressured to remain at their desk for lunch. The extra half hour chained to your computer screen gives you a chance to clear those unwanted emails. But are you really saving time or just making yourself tired, inefficient and more work stressed?
Lunch
Value yourself and your health
Taking time for lunch has lots of benefits both for your health and for better work efficiency and productivity.
Taking time for lunch
Sets up a productive afternoon
Values your health and wellbeing
Builds office morale and team work
Tips to help you say YES to lunch
Arrange to meet a friends or family at a park
Go to the lunch room
Turn off your computer
Put a “do not disturb” sign on the door or the back of the chair
Send yourself a ‘lunchtime’ reminder on your computer
Strike out a lunchtime in your diary
Sit in the visitor’s chair in your office to have lunch
Boost Your Energy
Is this YOU? Tired before you even get up? Exhausted by 3pm? Catching every bug that goes around?
5 easy tips to boost your energy
Remember these to keep yourself alert, looking good and feeling great
Take time for lunch – feeling more energetic, focused and less hungry at the end of the day
Eat healthy foods- eliminate the obvious less healthy choices – soft drinks, cakes, sweets,pies, chips, pastries and excess alcohol
Move more – Activity increases your alertness, improves fitness and makes you feel less tired. Remember every little bit of activity counts.
Drink up – but make it water mostly. Water helps prevent dehydration. Dehydration makes you tired and sluggish.
Rest and relaxation – keep your life in balance with time to exercise, time to relax and,importantly, time for a good night’s sleep.
What is Lifetime Health Cover?
In addition to the Medicare Levy Surcharge, the Federal Government also introduced Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) which encourages Australian residents to take out private hospital cover before they turn 31 years of age and to maintain their cover.
LHC involves a financial loading (LHC loading) on your private health insurance hospital cover (hospital cover). If you take out hospital cover earlier in life, and keep it, you will pay lower premiums compared to someone who joins when they’re older.
If you don’t want to pay a LHC loading you need to buy hospital cover before your LHC deadline. Your deadline is 1 July following your 31st birthday; or for new migrants, 12 months from your registration for Medicare.
LHC loadings apply only to hospital cover. They do not apply to private health insurance general treatment cover (also known as ancillary cover or extras).
Please note that there are special conditions relating to LHC for ADF members. For more information please go to the Navy Health website.
For Example
Naomi turns 31 on 1 March 2008. She takes out a singles hospital cover policy on 21 April 2008 (before 1 July following her 31st birthday). The cost of her chosen hospital cover policy is $1,000 per year. If she waited until August 2008 (after 1 July following her 31st birthday) she would have to pay an extra 2% on the cost of her policy ($1,020 per year).
If Naomi waited until October 2013, when she would be 36 years of age, to take out the same hospital cover policy, she would have to pay a LHC loading of 12%. This would be an extra $120.
The LHC loading will apply for 10 years of continuous hospital cover, so over this period she would pay an extra $1,200.
Source – Department of Health and Ageing (2008)
Performance foods for the office - did you know food can affect your mood?
We often think chocolate helps us to be happy. There are in fact many foods that can influence our mood and ability to think and perform well at work. Certain naturally occurring substances in food can affect the brain in different ways.
Avoiding The Mid Morning Munchies
Rule one – never miss breakfast
Choose a wholegrain or wholemeal toast or cereal
Include a high protein food like milk, yoghurt, egg, or baked beans
Take a piece of fruit to work
Brain Boosting Foods For Lunch
To think quickly, react more rapidly and feel mentally energetic include some protein food like meat, fish, chicken, soy or legumes
To improve brain power and memory include some fish or seafood, vegetable greens and fruit.
Avoid The Post Lunch Slump
Avoid all soft and sports drinks – DRINK WATER
Include some protein foods at lunch
Choose foods with sustained energy release such as wholegrain bread, rice (basmati and doongara) legumes (beans, chickpeas, soya) pasta, corn, sweet potato or fruit
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Limit stimulants such as coffee, tea and cola drinks. In your evening meal include a calming food such as bread, rice, pasta or grains
Dairy foods contain calcium and the amino acid tryptophan which can help you relax – try a milk drink before bed for a good night’s sleep
Source – Nutrition Australia
Hot Links
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