The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation on Wednesday announced a $1.18 million grant to the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians for a mentoring program to help address the shortage of family physicians in the state.

With the grant, the academy will increase medical students’ exposure to innovative practice in family medicine and encourage more of the state’s medical students to pursue a career in family medicine. 

Health officials have worried that the newly passed health care reform bill will increase the number of patients in the state who are insured and can seek regular primary care. Read the rest of this entry »

Chapel Hill, NC – Today Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) filed a rate request with the North Carolina Department of Insurance for a base rate increase of 6.97 percent for Blue Advantage and 2.06 percent for Blue Options HSA. These requested base rate increases are the lowest since 2007. Blue Advantage and Blue Options HSA currently serve more than 300,000 customers under the age of 65.

Seventy percent of Blue Advantage/Blue Options HSA members would see rate changes less than 10 percent, including almost 28,000 customers who would see rate decreases.

“Most of our Blue Advantage and Blue Options HSA customers will see smaller rate increases for 2011,” said BCBSNC President and CEO Brad Wilson. “However, the only way to make premiums affordable over the long term is to get soaring medical costs under control.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Our agency writes only for the best – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, a name and company you can always count on and trust.  Whether you are looking for coverage for your newborn, teenager, spouse, parents or your company, you can find it all here.

You can select from Blue Advantage 100% plans with 0% co-insurance or Blue Options HSA high deductible plans coupled with a tax savings account.  Blue Advantage offers co-payments as low as $15.00 for your primary care physician and $30.00 for a specialist with 100%, 80/20 or 70/30 co-insurance.  If you are out of work or between jobs and need to lower your premiums, you can select from Plan B or Plan C, with higher office visit co-payments and co-insurance.   Want to reduce your premium more – look at our HSA Blue Options with deductibles as high as $10,000.00 for a family and $5,000.00 for an individual.

If you are looking for dental coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina offers Dental Blue.   Select from any dentist, no waiting periods or deductible for preventive services. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has the largest network of doctors and hospitals in the State; they expand coverage to every State in the US and extend coverage to over 200 countries.  If you want to check and see if your doctor or hospital are in network, visit our site at www.nchealthplans.com and click on find doctor/hospital to begin your search. Read the rest of this entry »

The term “health care reform” is being used a lot these days. Health care reform became a reality with the passage of two related bills:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law on March 23, 2010  and  The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, signed into law a week later on March 30, 2010. Because these two bills work together, we often refer to health care reform as a single “new law” for the sake of simplicity.  Health care reform law has many separate provisions that will come into effect at different times over the next eight years. Here are some of the most important ones: Read the rest of this entry »

There are a number of factors that are driving health insurance premiums. Increasing utilization attributable to an aging population, obesity and chronic illnesses; new treatments; prescription drugs and expensive new technologies are the biggest causes of increasing healthcare premiums. The new law establishes a few pilot programs, but does not aggressively attempt to control rising healthcare costs. 

We believe that premiums will increase as a result of provisions in the reform legislation that will guarantee richer levels of benefits than most consumers who obtain their own insurance purchase today. Insufficient discounts for the young and healthy will encourage many of them to forgo coverage. New fees and taxes mandated by the new law will also likely increase the cost of premiums as they are phased in. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies will continue to work with doctors, hospitals, employers and consumers to rein-in costs and insurance premiums while improving access to quality healthcare. In doing this, many of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have initiatives to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions, eliminate infections acquired during hospital visits and promote paying doctors and hospitals for quality outcomes to help achieve this goal.

The above information is from a post by BCBSNC in 2010 and located at bcbsnc.com.

 For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents. Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health. Call us for details.

WHEN WILL THESE NEW REFORMS BECOME EFFECTIVE:

Beginning in July 2010 – Consumers with health problems who have been uninsured for 6 months may be eligible to obtain coverage through a new high risk pool program. And a temporary reinsurance program will help employers who provide coverage to their retirees in maintaining this coverage. 

Beginning in plan years on or after September 23, 2010 – Pre-existing condition exclusions are prohibited for children under 19, dependents up to age 26 will be able to obtain coverage through parents’ health plans, routine preventive care will be covered without cost-sharing, limits on lifetime coverage will be eliminated along with other changes. 

In 2014 – Individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase coverage through state-based exchanges. Consumers will be able to purchase health insurance regardless of health status and premiums cannot vary because of health status. Individuals will be required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. Subsidies will be available on a sliding scale to help individuals or families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level to purchase insurance through new state-based exchanges.

The above information is from a post by BCBSNC in 2010. 

 For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents. Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health. Call us for details.

Many overlook the fact that children can get sick from germs in the water of pools, lakes, and water parks. Consider a few easy steps that can help keep your children as well as  everyone else — safe while swimming. 

One danger when swimming is that water can be contaminated with germs that can cause recreational water illnesses (RWIs), including:  Read the rest of this entry »

Get back down to basics and enjoy fresh summer produce from your local North Carolina Farmers Market or local produce stands.   North Carolina offers a wide variety of locally grown fruits and veggies just in time for summer.  Local produce stands are popping up everywhere so find the one “growing” closest to your family.  Are you having a hard time trying to get your children to eat fresh fruits and veggies.  Have you heard the question, “You really want me to eat that?”  If so then try the tips below to get your family back down to basics and jumpstart healthy eating habits for your children.  The strategies are mom tested and kid approved.  Check with your pediatrician to find the vegetable and fruit recommendations for your child.  Vegetable and fruit requirements vary by age and other factors of your child, but generallly children need 2 to 4 servings per day.  There are so many health benefits to eating fruits and vegetables, not to mention the memories your family will make when trying new recipes. Summer is here and it is the perfect time to support your child in creating healthy eating habits.  Your child will thank you later. 

Read the rest of this entry »

As with most child safety measures, that usually starts with proper supervision which is one of the best ways to keep your children safe in the water. That means watching your children when they are in or around water, even if they know how to swim. Remember that swim lessons don’t make children, especially younger children, drown proof.  Note other important water safety tips to consider with warm weather finally approaching. 

1)  Childproof your swimming pool so that it is enclosed by a permanent fence (which is better than a removable pool fence) with  a self-closing and self-latching gate that is difficult for younger children to open; 

2)  Have everyone wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and not just those cute floaties, on boats, jet skis, and on other personal watercraft; 

3)  Make sure you know water depth before you let your children dive;  Read the rest of this entry »

With Dental Blue, members do not pay a deductible for check-ups or diagnostic and preventive services.  Check-ups and cleanings are covered twice per benefit period. Plus, members can visit any licensed dentist they choose. There are no “in-network” restrictions.  Members pay a $75 annual deductible for both basic services like routine fillings and extractions, and major services including crowns, bridges and dentures.  

Applicants can choose Dental Blue coverage for themselves, their children or the entire family. There are three convenient payment options: monthly bank draft, semiannual payment or annual payment. Read the rest of this entry »

Red wine, in moderation, has been found to contain powerful substances that benefit the heart, the nervous system, and even your teeth, and it may even offer some cancer protection. It has been said that red wine is good for a man’s health in a number of ways, according to many studies.  But the alcohol in red wine has little to do with it, red wine happens to contain powerful antioxidants, substances that protect your cells against damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals.  The health benefits from wine are the same for men and women, but men can drink more given their generally larger body mass — one or two 4-ounce glasses of wine per day — while women should consume only one glass.  You still need to practice moderation when you drink, research suggest  having more than this amount has been tied to heart disease, liver damage, and other health problems.  Red Wine is rich in Antioxidants which will keep free radicals from attacking the body’s cells and contributing to destructive processes inside the body. Read the rest of this entry »

With our fast paced lives, it is hard to find the time to enjoy the outdoors with your family. Have you ever thought about setting aside one evening each week as family time? We are all faced with finding a good balance between work and family.  Setting aside one night per week as “family time” is the beginning to a healthy lifestyle for your family. Experts recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of outdoor play each day.  Below are some activities for families of all ages to enjoy.
 

DISCOVER THE WILDERNESS: Take your family on a walk through your neighborhood or backyard and look at nature’s beauty. Try to keep a nature journal and post pictures of different creatures you encounter. Read the rest of this entry »