Living Healthy Magazine February 2014

LIVING

healthy MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY 2014 Queensland Country Health Fund Policyholder Newsletter ed.11

TOWNSVILLE’S NEW

dental practice

BENEFITS IN FOCUS

dietician Oils ain’t Oils

WHAT’S THE BEST CHOICE?

better health cover shouldn’t hurt

FROM THE

General Manager HEALTH FUND

2014 is shaping up to be an interesting year for the Health Fund which should see a number of beneficial changes for Members. Queensland Country Health Fund is making a significant investment in Townsville in conjunction with Queensland Country Credit Union to build a new head office.

Construction works have commenced on the new building which will become the home for Queensland Country’s administration staff and is expected to be completed by December this year. The building will also include the relocation of the Credit Union branch and the Health Fund will be establishing a dental practice.

2 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

The dental practice is exciting news for Members and will be for their exclusive use. The practice will be owned and operated by the Health Fund and will offer high quality dental services to Members at very affordable prices. A number of diagnostic and preventative dental services will be offered to Members with no out of pocket expenses. The practice will commence operating when the head office is completed in December.

Recognising that a dental practice in Townsville will not be accessible to all Members, we have been working over the last few months to establish preferred provider arrangements with dentists in a number of our locations around the state. We will continue to pay the same high benefits for dental services but these arrangements should also result in achieving a reduction in the cost of dental services with these preferred provider dentists, thereby reducing out of pocket expenses for Members who choose to use these dentists.

We expect these arrangements to be completed in the near future and will provide further details when available.

In December the Federal Government provided approvals to all Health Funds to increase premiums which will be effective 1st April 2014.

This approval was much earlier than

normally provided and has confirmed that the average premium increase for all Health Funds will be 6.20%.

Queensland Country will also be increasing premiums in April with an average increase of 5.85%. I am pleased to say that our increase is again below the industry average and this is the ninth year we have been below the industry average. I also recognise that our increase is higher than last year and has been driven by a significant increase in benefits we paid to Members in the last year, up 20% on the previous year. With such an increase in benefits paid, it was necessary to increase premiums to maintain an appropriate level of profitability.

We have also reviewed our benefits and have identified a few beneficial changes we plan to introduce to ensure we continue to offer market leading benefits. These changes will be finalised in the next month and will be available from the 1st April.

Full details of the benefit changes will be communicated to Members in March. The changes to benefits are the result of feedback we receive from our Members and staff. This feedback comes from a number of different methods and includes the annual Member Satisfaction survey we complete. This is a valuable source of information about areas for improvement with the Fund and

the next survey commences on the 28th January. I encourage Members to complete the survey to help us improve the Fund and the health insurance products we offer. Access to the survey is available via our website www.qldcountryhealth.com.au Thanks for supporting Queensland Country and I look forward to delivering some exciting new changes in 2014.

Aaron Newman General Manager anewman@qccu.com.au

We have also reviewed our benefits and have identified a few beneficial changes we plan to introduce to ensure we continue to offer market leading benefits.

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 3

Oils ain’t Oils Are you confused about all the different types of cooking oils available these days? There are now over 15 different types of oils at your local supermarket and then even more varieties in health food stores, delicatessens and providores. So how do you know which ones are the best for your health and which ones you should stay away from?

palm oil. Animal fats and oils have a higher cholesterol content. However, just because an oil is cholesterol free doesn’t mean it’s healthy and can be consumed in large quantities.

All oils contain both saturated and unsaturated fats, so all oil should be used in moderation. Saturated fats are often called “bad” fats and should be consumed sparingly; unsaturated fats are considered “good fats” as they have a protective effect on your cholesterol levels and heart risk.

Cooking oil is just the generic term used to describe oils that remain liquid at room temperature and are usually derived from vegetables, seeds, fruits, nuts and legumes. The differences between the oils are their smoking point, the type of fat they contain, and how healthy those fats are. Knowing the difference between cooking oils also helps you to determine what foods/dishes you can prepare with each oil.

Vegetable Oils Vegetable Oil is the most commonly used of all the oils. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), pure vegetable oil refers to those made of “canola, corn, cottonseed, olive, safflower, soybean, sesame and sunflower”.

Pure vegetable oil is one of the most versatile oils due to its medium to high smoke point and can be used in recipes such as stir-frys, meat dishes, salad dressings, baked goods and also for frying.

Smoke point The smoke point is the temperatures at which oils begin to burn and break down, this is also where flavour and nutritional benefits begin to degrade.

If you want to use an oil for deep frying (where a high temperature is required) you would need to make sure you have an oil that has a high smoking point.

Generally the more refined (processed) the oil, the higher the smoke point, hence why cheap, processed oils are used for deep-frying.

Fat Content & Type When it comes to oil being classified as ‘cholesterol-free’, it must come from a vegetable, legume, seed, nut or fruit base. Generally, plant based oils are cholesterol free, although there are two exceptions – coconut and 4 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

Olive Oils Olive oil consists of two kinds of oil -- pure olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) have been associated with lowering the risk of heart disease and lowering cholesterol levels. Extra virgin olive oil has a bolder flavour than pure olive oil, so it is good for cooking fish, meats and pasta dishes. Both have a medium smoke point so are best used at more moderate cooking temperatures.

Nut Oils Nut oils are any oils made from nuts, including walnuts, almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts. Each has their own

Lauren Nugent Eat Smart Nutrition Consultant

distinctive flavour and can complement any dish, especially if the nuts have been roasted prior to processing.

Nut oils are high in omega-3 fatty acids and essential fatty acids which humans require for good health. The smoke point of nut oils varies from medium to high but can be used to add flavour to Asian dishes, salads, chicken, fish and baked goods.

Seed Oils Seed oils are known to have medium smoke points and come from such seeds as coconut, poppy, sesame, pumpkin seed and grape. Similar to nut oils, seed oils contain omega-3 fatty acids, fats that are necessary in the diet for overall health. With the exception of coconut oil, all seed oils are low in saturated fat. With recent popularity and exposure, coconut oil has become one of the 2013 ‘super foods’; however, it should be noted that coconut oil consists of 92% saturated fat and should be used sparingly! Seed oils can add flavour to Asian and Indian dishes.

With so many oils out there, which one should you choose? The fat content differences between the mono- and polyunsaturated oils aren’t significant enough to have any substantial effect on your health in the long run.

Therefore taking into consideration the health benefits and flavours, most oils can be used in a well-balanced diet to help complement dishes. However, one fact remains a constant…all cooking oils are 100 percent fat!

COCONUT

FLAXSEED

Type

Description

Flavour

Types of Fats

Smoke point and Oil Uses

Health Benefits

Canola Oil

Canola oil has been said to be one of the healthiest of the cooking oils because of its low saturated fat content and high mono unsaturated fat.

Mild flavour

Low in saturated fat: 7%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 62% and 31%, respectively.

Medium-High smoke point: good for oven cooking, baking, stir-frying

Contains omega 3 fatty acids

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is often called tropical oil and is extracted from the brown meat of a coconut. Due to its high saturated fat content (close to 90%), this is an oil to use in small quantities only

Strong flavour

High in saturated fat: 92%. Low in mono and polyunsaturated fats: 6% and 2%, respectively.

Medium smoke point: good for sautéing, low-heat baking, sauces

Contains vitamin E, K, iron

Flaxseed Oil

Also known as linseed oil, flaxseed oil is highly perishable and should be kept refrigerated.

Strong flavour

Low in saturated fat: 7%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 65% and 28%, respectively.

It is best not to heat this oil: good for marinades, dips, dressings

Good source of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids

Grapeseed Oil

Grape seed oil is pressed from the seeds of grapes, and is thus an abundant by-product of winemaking.

Mild flavour

Low in saturated fat: 10%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 17% and 73%, respectively.

Medium-High smoke point: good for oven cooking, baking, stir-frying

Good source of omega 6 fatty acid.

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin and Virgin

Extra virgin olive oil uses only the highest quality olives for extraction and is the least refined. Virgin olive oil is considered second in line for quality.

Strong flavour

Low in saturated fat: 14%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 78% and 8%, respectively.

Medium smoke point: good for oven cooking, baking, stir-frying

Good source of vitamins E and K

Palm Oil

Palm oil comes from the fruit itself and has high beta-carotene content, which gives the oil a red tint. Many varieties of palm oil have been refined, which removes this tint. High in saturated fat.

Mild flavour (especially in refined varieties)

High in saturated fat: 52%. Low in mono and polyunsaturated fats: 38% and 10%, respectively.

High smoke point: good for searing, browning, highheat frying

Contains beta carotene and vitamin E

Peanut oil

Peanut oil is a great oil to use when frying at high temperatures.

Mild flavour (although roasted varieties have a stronger flavour)

Low in saturated fat: 14%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 48% and 34%, respectively.

Medium-High smoke point: good for oven cooking, baking, stir-frying

High in antioxidants

Sesame Oil

It’s one of the most distinctive, fragrant and flavourful oils you’ll find, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour that’s enhanced by toasting the seeds prior to oil extraction

Strong flavour

Low in saturated fat: 15%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 41% and 44%, respectively.

Medium smoke point: good for sautéing, low-heat baking, sauces

High in antioxidants

Sunflower Oil

As the monounsaturated fat content can vary, be sure to check the ingredient label and choose a variety high in monounsaturated fats.

Mild flavour

Low in saturated fat: 14%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 79% and 7%, respectively.

High smoke point: good for searing, browning, highheat frying. Also good for salad dressings.

Contains vitamins E and K

Wheat Germ Oil

Highly perishable, keep refrigerated.

Strong flavour

Low in saturated fat: 17%.

Good source of mono and polyunsaturated fats: 65% and 18%, respectively.

It is best not to heat this oil: good for marinades, dips, dressings

Contains vitamin E

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 5

Townsville Dental Practice WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SHARE THIS BIG NEWS!

Our aim is to provide excellent dental care, with lower out of

In 2014 we will be bringing Dental services to our Townsville Members!

We’re sure all of our Members who live and visit the Townsville

As part of the new head office precinct for Queensland Country,

we are in the process of negotiating with a number of dentists

we will be investing in a new Member’s only Dental practice.

to deliver lower cost dental services for Queensland Country

pocket costs for our Members.

region will be as excited as we are to offer you reduced cost dental care without compromising on the quality of your treatment.

For those Members living in other Regional Queensland areas

Members. These dentists will form part of a preferred provider The six chair practice is expected to open in December 2014 on

network that provides lower cost dental services to our Members

the corner of Ross River Road and Nathan Street.

resulting in lower out of pocket costs. The establishment of this network of dentists is expected to be completed by June 2014.

As this service will be exclusive to Queensland Country Health Members we are able to guarantee no out of pocket costs for

Not all dentists will be preferred providers and Members will still

some diagnostic and preventative dental services (for those

be free to receive dental treatment from their preferred dentist.

Members with Premium Extras) and offer very competitive pricing

Queensland Country will continue to pay our normal benefits for

for other dental treatment.

all dental treatments regardless of the dentist you choose.

OU R AI M I S TO PROVI D E E X C E L L E N T D E N TA L CA R E , W I T H LOW E R O U T OF POCKET COSTS FOR OUR MEMBERS.

6 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

NEWS + UPDATES

IT’S EASY update to your details!

If you haven’t updated your details for a while, the new year is a great time to jump online and do this! You can register for our online Member services by going to our website qldcountryhealth.com.au and clicking the register button in the top right hand corner. You can also email, facebook* or call us.

Credit Card Payments Making a claim but realise you’re a little bit behind in your payments? No problem. Just give us a ring from the providers and we can put through a credit card payment on the spot. This will be applied to your membership immediately. If you know that you are behind before your appointment, you can do this online also and it’s applied straight away. BPay payments can take a few days to clear so this is a great way to catch up at any time of the day or night.

*Don’t post any personal details on Facebook unless you’re comfortable with others seeing! You can use the private message function for that.

O PEN ON SATUR DAYS

QU E E N S LAN D X-RAY We have some exciting news regarding in-hospital X-Ray services. Queensland X-Ray has come to an agreement with the Australian Health Service Alliance (AHSA) which negotiates the provision of hospital services for Queensland Country and will now provide in-hospital x-ray services with zero out of pocket costs. This means that any X-Rays performed by Queensland X-Ray whilst you’re an inpatient in hospital, will be covered fully by Queensland Country and Medicare.

Great news for our Queensland Members!

We have two service centres open on a Saturday morning. Mount Isa is open from 9 to 11am and Willows Shopping Centre is open 9 to 11.30am.

Our service centres can provide a range of services that include establishing a new health insurance policy, updating details of an existing policy, providing information or advice and providing claims refunds (by direct credit). Our banking partner, Queensland Country Credit Union has a number of branches that are also open on a Saturday. They will happily take claims for you over the counter and can also assist with basic, non specific health insurance enquiries.

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FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 7

Muscles are cool Lauren Kelly Lauren Kelly Personal Training

Muscles are cool. Did you know that we have more than 600 muscles in the human body?

You use around about 200 of these muscles to take just one step. We’re born with all of the muscle fibres that we’ll ever have. We don’t grow more, they just get thicker as we work them.

These muscles help support your skeletal system, pump blood through your body, help you to walk and lift stuff, and they even help you to breathe. See? COOL. It’s one thing to simply own a complete set of human body muscles but we need to look after them, and we do that with strength training – also known as resistance training. The concept is simple; the muscles of the body will work to overcome the force, or resistance, that you throw at it, and when done consistently, your muscles become stronger. This resistance

“Strength training increases bone density which is extremely important especially as we age.

It helps with our balance and helps to prevent falls in older people.”

8 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

could be weights at the gym, a sack of potatoes, your two year old son, or simply your own body weight.

To make things clearer, let’s call cardio the “puffy stuff”.

Cardio is your more fluid exercise that raises your heart rate and generally uses most, if not all, of the muscles in your body. Think of things like running, swimming and riding your bike. Strength training is the “burny stuff”, thanks to a lovely little thing called lactic acid which accumulates in your muscles when the going gets tough. It’s generally a more stationary form of exercise – perhaps a series of yoga postures, a Body Pump class, a bench press at the gym, or push-ups and squats in the comfort of your own home.

So why lift? Strength training has been proven to improve bone density and strength, creates healthy functioning joints, helps to preserve and enhance muscle mass and

reduce body fat, decreases your risk of injury, improves your posture and sleep patterns, increases self esteem, enhances your mood and helps with stress and feelings of depression.

“But I’m too old for weights!” To that I say, pfffft!! You can use your own body weight or try squats next time you’re in the shallow end of a pool. The water helps soften the movement, and is great for people without a lot of mobility. Strength training increases bone density which is extremely important especially as we age. It helps with our balance and helps to prevent falls in older people. Your body will be older if you don’t do some form of strength training!

“I don’t want to get bulky!” This comment is made by women a lot! Don’t stress. The average woman has nowhere near enough testosterone to make them look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Strength training will make you lean, toned and the more muscle you have, the more efficient you are at

burning calories and fat even when you’re not doing anything – sweet!

“But I don’t know where to start...” Check out your local gym, an exercise class, fitness professional or there’s even this wonderful thing called the internet that can point you in the right direction. Start light though, make sure your stretch after each workout, and drink plenty of water – it will help your muscles recover a little better. You may be sore afterwards but don’t let that be a deterrent. You WILL get stronger and the post-workout tenderness (and whinging!) will lessen as your muscles get used to the load. You WILL sit down again without grunting, I promise you!!!

So add strength training to your New Year’s resolution list and SMILE. We use 17 muscles to smile. See? You’re already on your way!

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 9

Darren Barclay Senior Podiatrist – Townsville Podiatry Centre

Foot Pain Foot pain is very common and over a lifetime it is expected that 3 out of 4 people will endure some form of foot pain.

The foot is a complex structure comprised of 26 bones (usually), layered with an intertwining web of more than 120 muscles, ligaments and nerves. It was Leonardo da Vinci that said, “The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”

The foot has several important functions that include supporting our weight, absorbing shock, providing forward propulsion and mobility and balance on uneven surfaces.

The average person takes an average of 5000-8000 steps per day, with each step transmitting 1.5 times your body weight of force to your foot – and these forces are magnified when you perform weight bearing activities like running!

There are three main causes of foot pain; ill-fitting shoes, disease, and high impact exercise. Poorly fitting shoes, or inappropriate shoes for the activity are the most frequent cause of pain that a podiatrist will treat – and it is easily avoidable. You should have a thumb width between the end of your longest toe and the shoe with adequate room to wiggle your toes inside the shoe.

10 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

Systemic diseases like diabetes and arthritis can alter foot function and increase the risk of foot pain. High impact exercise such as jogging and dancing has an obvious impact on the amount of force and injury rates. Some of the more common injuries are corns, blisters, muscle cramps, acute ankle and knee injuries, plantar fasciitis, tendinitis and stress fractures.

There are three main areas that are most commonly the site of foot pain; the toes, the forefoot, midfoot and the heel.

Forefoot pain is located in the front of the foot, usually involving the metatarsal bones (five long bones that extend from the arch to the bones of the toes) and the sesamoid bones (two smalls bones imbedded in a muscle under the big toe).

Midfoot pain can be located on the top or bottom surface of the foot usually around the high pint of the foot and arch.

Heel pain extends from the sole of the foot (or plantar surface) to the bottom of the leg at the heel bone (the calcaneus).

While it is impossible to detail the extent of the hundreds of conditions that can affect the foot, the take home message from this article is that foot pain is NOT normal - regardless of age, occupation or sporting activity. If you are experiencing foot pain now, or have in the past there are a few actions

that may prevent a minor injury from becoming a chronic long term condition that may require surgery.

When you do experience foot pain that does not resolve in 48 hours, or is ongoing and achy for many months (or even years!), then you should refer yourself to a podiatrist. A podiatrist has a University degree specialising in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the foot, ankle and leg.

Delays in diagnosis and treatment may put you at risk of further harm and delay recovery.

BENEFITS in focus

[

Podiatry

]

Podiatry is defined as the treatment for feet: the profession concerned with the care of the feet and the treatment of foot disorders.

A podiatrist can help in many ways from assessing pain, recommending correct footwear or performing minor procedures.

You don’t have to play sport to benefit from seeing a Podiatrist and we pay very generous benefits towards these visits.

Limits Per Membership Year and What We’ll Pay

Podiatry

Initial consultation and subsequent consultation Approved Appliances

Minor Procedures

2 month waiting period applies

Premium Extras $1400 overall limit per membership year.

Limit applies per person covered.

Essential Extras $900 overall limit per membership year. Limit applies per person covered.

Young Extras & Smart Start Extras Per person, per policy benefit limits apply.

Sub-limit of $500 applies

Sub-limit of $350 applies

Alternative therapies combined limit applies^

$35

$22

$30

85% of cost – a sub-limit of $550 applies

85% of cost – a sub-limit of $350 applies

85% of cost – a sub-limit of $200 applies

75% of cost

75% of cost

75% of cost – a sub-limit of $200 applies

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 11

] ;

.

Brie Salagaras Accredited Practising Dietitian Accredited Nutritionist

What’s Good for you?

With the New Year comes many new years resolutions;

to exercise more, lose weight, spend less and generally improve our health to become the new, 2014 you.

Well the good news is the majority of these goals can be achieved through our diet. There is a lot of information out there that tells us we have to eat/ not eat certain foods to be healthy, and it is hard to separate these recommendations into what is factual and what is simply some person giving their opinion.

As a Dietitian I often come into contact with people that have many preconceived misconceptions about what is “good/bad” for you, the one thing I aim to encourage people to do is enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day, as recommended by the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

These food groups are our vegetables/ legumes/beans, fruit, grain foods such as bread, pasta, rice. And also our dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cheese etc.

As well as, meat and meat alternatives like legumes, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds and eggs. To the right is a copy of the Australian Dietary Guidelines and its recommended serving sizes for gender and age. It also explains what a serve is.

12 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

The average adult requires 5 serves of vegetables, 2 serves of fruit, 4-6 serves of grains, 2 serves of meat or meat alternatives and 2-4 serves of dairy each day to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Once we have included these in our diet there is little room left for any extra energy dense foods.

The second thing I encourage is choosing foods which allow us to eat to our energy (kilojoule/calorie) needs. If we eat more energy than we need we will gain weight, if we eat less than we need we will lose weight. You can meet your energy requirements by eating the correct serves of each food group for age and gender and also limiting extra foods such as confectionary, fast food and alcohol.

By eating a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups you will ensure your body receives all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs. And by ensuring we consume the adequate amount of serves we need we will ultimately be controlling our portion sizes and thus eliminating any extra energy intake.

Another way of controlling our portion sizes and balance in our diet without focusing too much on servings,

Vegetables Protein and Salad Carbohydrate

is by dividing our plate into 3 sections; ¼ protein (meat and meat alternatives). ¼ carbohydrates (grains like pasta, rice, bread, and starchy vegetables like potato, corn, peas, pumpkin, sweet potato, parsnip). And ½ free vegetables (every other vegetable except the starchy vegetables). This allows for each plate to roughly provide a suitable amount of energy for a main meal at both lunch and dinner. From both these meals it will roughly meet your daily vegetable, meat, grain requirements and all you’ll need to add is 2 serves of dairy and 2 serves of fruit in somewhere throughout the day.

So instead of taking on board fad diets this 2014 for your New Years resolution, start by getting healthy the easy way. to achieve optimal energy and nutrient intake.

Source: National Health and Medical Research Council

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 13

/

, BENEFITS in focus

[

Dietician

]

Lots of people associate Dietitians with losing weight, whilst they can help you to do this, the role of a Dietitian is broad and varied. The Australian Dietitians Association of Australia defines a Dietitian as follows: to apply the art and science of human nutrition to help people understand the relationship between food and health and make dietary choices to attain and maintain health, and to prevent and treat illness and disease.

Roles and responsibilities of a dietitian include: collecting, organising and assessing data relating to the health and nutritional status of individuals, groups and populations, undertaking food and nutrition research and evaluating practice and managing client centred nutrition care for individuals by planning appropriate diets and menus and educating people on their individual nutritional needs and ways of accessing and preparing their food.

Queensland Country Health Fund pay generous benefits towards visits to accredited Dietitians under our various Extras covers: Limits Per Membership Year and What We’ll Pay

Dietitian

Initial consultation Subsequent consultation

2 month waiting period applies

Premium Extras $1400 overall limit per membership year. Limit applies per person covered.

Essential Extras $900 overall limit per membership year. Limit applies per person covered.

Young Extras Smart Start Extras* Per person, per policy benefits limit apply.

$75

$48

$55

$40

$26

$35

*Alternative therapies combined limit applies – A combined limit applies to Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Remedial Massage/Bowen Therapy/Myotherapy, Podiatry, Acupuncture, Naturopathy/Homeopathy and Dietetic services under Young Extras & Smart Start cover. A sub-limit applies of $200 per therapy, up to $400 per person, up to $800 per policy.

WIN! with Hicaps Claiming

HICAPS is an electronic health claiming and payments system that lets you process your claims immediately after receiving treatment, while you’re still at the surgery or practice.

With HICAPS you no longer have to make a separate trip to your Queensland Country branch to lodge your claim or send it in via the post. It’s convenient and easy. There’s no more claim forms to fill in and all you need is your Queensland Country Health Fund Member card. When using HICAPS, you don’t need to pay the full consultation fee and wait for the reimbursement of your benefit - you simply swipe your Queensland Country Health Fund Member card and the claim is finalised on the spot. You just pay any difference between the full consultation fee and the benefit amount.

Next time you visit your health service provider, ask if you can use your Queensland Country Health Fund Member card to claim on the spot with HICAPS.

Between the 1st and 28th of February 2014, everyone who uses HICAPS will automatically go into the draw to win 1 of 4 $250 gift cards.

14 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

TELL US WHAT YOU

really think AND YOU COULD WIN $1,000

We want to know how you rate our products and services. Complete our 5 minute survey before 4pm Friday 14 February and go in the draw to win!

Online Providers WHO DOESN’T LOVE ONLINE SHOPPING? IT’S FAST, EASY AND YOU CAN BROWSE AND PURCHASE ALL FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME! IT IS ALSO A WAY TO SAVE SOME MONEY, ESPECIALLY ON MEDICAL ITEMS, LIKE GLASSES AND CONTACT LENSES. WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE? In the past, if the online company you purchased from had an Australian registered Provider number, then we were able to pay a benefit on items purchased from them.

Unfortunately, we have come across an online provider who is no longer registered with ASIC (Australian Security and Investments Commission).

WE ARE LISTENING 2013 was a tough year for some. We were in contact with families in small mining communities affected by redundancies and downsizing in that area.

Unfortunately, mining communities were not the only ones affected by unemployment.

We just want to reiterate that we are here. Queensland Country Health Fund is committed to helping our Members any way we can. We understand that living costs are ever increasing, and if you are finding it hard to keep up with your health insurance contributions, there may be options available.

From October 2013, we are unable to pay on items purchased from Clearly Contacts, an online optical provider. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. We have notified all our Member’s who have made claims with them in the past to notify them of this change.

Please rest assured that claims for any other online provider who are registered will be able to be processed.

If you have any questions regarding this, please drop us a line at info@qchfund.com.au

Why not talk to us before you make any concrete decisions?

A phone call is free and we can lend a friendly ear. We are here to assist you in any way we can. We have extensive industry knowledge and have access to a wealth of information so when we review your Membership we can make sure that you are getting the most out of your cover.

We also love getting your feedback, the good and the bad.

How else can we improve if we don’t hear from you? If you’ve had a negative experience, then please let us know, we will try to make it right.

You can email us on info@qchfund.com.au, connect via our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ qldcountryhealth or give us a call 1800 813 415.

We are here, we are listening.

FEBRUARY 2014 | Queensland Country Health Fund 15

Need help to renovate?

Queensland Country’s Reno Loan

7.99%

REPLACE ROOF

Unsecured

8.48%

BUILD DECK

p.a.

Comparison Rate^

p.a.

Minimum borrowing of $3,000 Maximum amount of $20,000

^WARNING: This comparison rate is based on a loan of $30,000 for a term of 5 years and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Normal lending criteria, terms, conditions, eligibility criteria and fees apply and are available on request. All rates quoted are per annum and subject to change. Queensland Country Credit Union Limited. ABN 77 087 651 027 Australian Credit Licence/AFSL 244 533.

a refreshing attitude to banking

16 Queensland Country Health Fund | FEBRUARY 2014

LANDSCAPE YARD

FIX DRIVEWAY