BATON ROUGE – It’s a New Year and a new decade. Many people are resolving to stay on top of their health by reaching a healthy weight, eating well, getting more exercise or quitting tobacco.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana has several programs and services to help its members—more than one out of three Louisianians—stick to health-focused New Year’s resolutions. The company also shares tips and resources that anyone can use.
Stronger Than Ever
Blue Cross members who are dealing with long-term health conditions, serious illnesses or acute injuries can work with a health coach from the insurer’s clinical team of nurses, dietitians and social workers. Health coaches offer personalized support, information about your specific health needs and tips to stick to your doctor’s care plan. You do not need to pay anything to work with a health coach.
Visit www.bcbsla.com/Stronger to connect with a Blue Cross health coach or learn more about programs and services available through Blue Cross Care Management. There, you can read stories from other members who worked with a member of the care team to successfully meet their health and wellness goals.
Healthy Eating
Dietitians on Blue Cross’ in-house team of health coaches can work with members on healthy eating. Nutrition is an important part of good health, particularly for people who have conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure that can be greatly affected by what they eat.
On its YouTube channel, Blue Cross dietitians offer short videos on nutrition topics that people frequently ask about:
To learn more about health coaching with Blue Cross dietitians, members can visit www.bcbsla.com/Stronger. There is no cost for members to work with a health coach.
Fitness and Exercise
Fitness Your Way by Tivity Health, an independent program that Blue Cross customers can use, offers a gym membership for only $29 a month. And, this membership lets you work out at any of the 9,000 participating fitness centers around the country—so you don’t need to worry about getting off your exercise schedule when traveling or away from home. Visit the Gym Memberships page at www.bcbsla.com to learn more about the program and see which gyms are part of it.
Through Blue365, Blue Cross’ member health and wellness discounts site, members get exclusive discounts on fitness apparel and gear, healthy food delivery services and more. Blue Cross members who haven’t registered for Blue365 can do so at www.Blue365deals.com/BCBSLA. Once you sign up, Blue365 will email you a special deal of the week, and you can visit the site to shop for available offers and discounts.
Many Medicare Advantage plans offer wellness benefits that cover some or all of the membership cost to a gym or fitness center. This depends on your plan type and coverage. Check your health plan’s website or call Customer Service for your health plan to check your benefits.
Quitting Tobacco
For the past few months, there have been nationwide outbreaks of lung illnesses and injuries associated with using e-cigarettes, called vaping. Several cases have been reported in Louisiana.
State and federal health officials recommend quitting vaping, smoking or using any tobacco products to lower your risk of lung illnesses and improve your health.
If you’re trying to kick the habit and live tobacco-free, Blue Cross offers several resources to help its members be stronger than smoking. Visit www.bcbsla.com/Stronger for information on how to connect with a Blue Cross health coach who can work with you on a personalized quitting plan, share educational information and direct you to community resources. There is no cost for Blue Cross customers to work with a health coach.
Most members have some benefits related to quitting smoking included in their health plans. To find out what may be covered, members may call us at the Customer Service number on their ID cards.
There are community resources to help people who are trying to quit tobacco:
Learn more about Blue Cross programs and services to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions in this video (2:02).
All year long, you can visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana YouTube page to see short videos with the clinical team and others on health topics, monthly wellness observances and more. Subscribe to know when new videos are added. You can also connect with Blue Cross on social media for regular updates on health topics.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We were recognized in 2019 as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in United States.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.
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