Living Healthy Saves You Money

With health care costs continuing to rise, a program like Blue Advantage helps you save money. Another way to save is by reducing your need to spend hard earned dollars on treating illness. The good news is you’re in control; the decisions you make about your lifestyle today could have a positive impact on your health later in life.

Living healthier doesn’t mean you have to make big changes to your lifestyle either. Simply eating well and getting some kind of exercise regularly are regarded by many people as major contributing factors to good health. Regular exercise also makes the body more resilient to illness and injury.

Those who live healthy lifestyles are also better able to deal with stress, whether it happens at home or work. The ability to manage stress helps maintain mental and physical health. The message here is that the better you are able to leave stress behind you, the healthier you can become.

A healthier lifestyle also decreases your likelihood of experiencing a chronic illness. Did you know that approximately 70% of chronic illnesses in Canada can be prevented by taking steps to live healthy? This means you spend less money on treating illness and keep more money in your pocket. Here are some figures from a recent report in the Globe and Mail:
  • Chronic disease (high blood pressure, arthritis, respiratory diseases like emphysema, and high cholesterol.) affect close to 50% of adults over age 40.
  • Up to 70% of health care dollars are devoted directly or indirectly to the treatment of chronic disease.
  • The cost to the Canadian economy of complex chronic disease is estimated at $80 billion annually.
Start your journey today by eating well, exercising regularly and reducing stress. Here are some healthy lifestyle tips to help you get started:

Link up with other like-minded people
It can sometimes be hard to start new habits. Try to find others who are starting out as well. Join a community group or participate in an online health and fitness message board.

For more information, go to the Public Health Agency of Canada website at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/fitness/about.html.

Prepare healthy meals
  • Getting a healthy meal on the table in a hurry takes less time than you might think. It's all about being prepared.
  • Plan your meals and make a shopping list to ensure you have the ingredients in your kitchen to pull meals together quickly.
  • Choose some healthy convenience products (canned or bottled pasta sauces, frozen vegetables or bagged salad greens) to help speed up preparation time.
  • Prepare some foods in advance (soups, stews, lasagna, cooked ground beef, cooked rice or pizza dough) to keep in the freezer.
For more ideas, go to: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/maintain-adopt/index-eng.php


What is Blue Advantage?

The Blue Advantage program allows Blue Cross members to save on medical, vision care and many other products and services offered by participating providers across Canada. The program is unique because it provides discounts at point of sale on the total cost of products and services from participating providers across Canada, regardless of whether the item is covered under your benefit plan. Simply present your Blue Cross identification card to the participating provider and mention the Blue Advantage program.

Blue Advantage is just one more way Blue Cross is working in your community to offer members access to affordable, quality services and products that can help them make healthy lifestyle choices. We encourage you to visit blueadvantage.ca regularly to learn where you might find health care savings may be available in your area.

Don't keep it a secret?

You've read about it and you may have already benefited from it. You know Blue Advantage can help you save money. That's why you've signed up for this newsletter. So if you know someone else with Blue Cross coverage, why not spread the word? There's no reason to keep it a secret. There are plenty of savings to go around!