ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH INSURANCE:

Residents of North Carolina have a variety of health insurance plans they can research and qualify for.  The most important question is, what is the best and most affordable plan for you and your family?  Our agency has written for some of the top companies in North Carolina throughout our career.  We have recently become exclusive agents for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, a company providing healthcare coverage for residents of North Carolina.  You may ask, why exclusive for BCBSNC?  It really revolves around customer service and products offered for health insurance coverage in North Carolina.  As an agency doing business for 34 years in North Carolina, we take tremendous pride in offering the best health insurance plans on the market with a company that we have 100% confidence in how they treat our clients as well as the products they offer.  There are so many health insurance plans in North Carolina that are being offered today, it is our job to determine what will work best for our clients and provide the best NC health coverage and affordability that is offered on the market today.   So, lets talk about North Carolina health insurance plans and highlight what we think is the best product on the market and provide the best health coverage for you and your family. (more…)

Walking: A plan of action

Bringing the benefits of moderate walking exercise to your workforce is a realistic, effective goal. But like many other things that are good for you, it takes the right approach to make sure you trigger a long-term change instead of a temporary fad. The key to success is planning.

Step 1: Map it out

Begin by making sure your company’s management supports what you’re doing. You don’t need a detailed plan or a budget yet—just make sure you’re not (more…)

You get out what you put in

For the sedentary people in your workforce, exercising a full hour each day might seem like too big a hill to climb. But new approaches show that people can adjust their exercise time, if they’re willing to adjust their expectations accordingly.

Thirty minutes a day? Much better than the “zero minutes” many people put in.

Sixty minutes? Now you’re managing your weight, probably losing some and reducing your risk of dying by another 10 to 15 percent.

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Reduce Your Risk of Some Cancers

Being physically active lowers your risk for two types of cancer: colon and breast. Research shows that:

Physically active people have a lower risk of colon cancer than do people who are not active.

Physically active women have a lower risk of breast cancer than do people who are not active.

Reduce your risk of endometrial and lung cancer. Although the research is not yet final, some findings suggest that your risk of endometrial cancer and lung cancer may be lower if you get regular physical activity compared to people who are not active.

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Daily activity and exercise is essential for your pet, lack of exercise leads to poor muscle tone, obesity, heart ailments, bone disorders and often results in  dog behavior and emotional problems. Dogs with no exercise subjected to overcrowding and being confined in cages for prolonged periods of time,  can develop a great variety of physical and emotional disorders.

An exercised dog will rest better at home and be less nervous when left alone.  Exercise can improve dogs bone and joint health, heart, and lung function. Exercise can make show dogs look and feel better to a judge’s exploring hands.  A happy dog looks more gorgeous.  When its cold outside and you can’t get your dog out for their walks, teach them to walk on a treadmill, believe it or not, its really easy and they love it.

The best exercise channels the activity of both mind and body. Some people believe that dogs need a big yard so they can get plenty of exercise. The truth is that most dogs do not exercise when they are outdoors by themselves; they spend most of their time laying in the shadow and waiting for “their human family” to play with them.  You do not need to take up running to adequately exercise your dog.

Make your walks interesting and fun. Let your dog carry a favorite toy while walking, running, or hide his toys, play hide and seek with him, and most important – let him play with other dogs!  Socialization for dogs is very important, it teaches them good social manners as well as providing hours of fun, these social skills will help your dog interact with other animals for the rest of his life.  Teach your dog to retrieve, another great source of exercise.  But throw the toy far vs. high.  Jumping high in the air to chase it and landing awkwardly may lead to serious knee or hip injuries. 

 A generic drug is identical, or bioequivalent, to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Certain inactive ingredients that give the generic product its shape, color or flavor may be different than the brand product. Health professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA approved generic drugs have met the same rigid standards as the innovator drug. Although generic drugs are chemically identical to their branded counterparts, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.

Depending upon your benefit design, you may substantially lower your out-of-pocket expense by using a generic drug instead of the branded drug. For example, if you have a $10 generic copay (tier 1) and $35 non-preferred brand copay (tier 3), you can save $25 on every prescription just by choosing generics. For drugs you take each month, that’s a savings of $300 over an entire year. If your prescription drug benefit is based on coinsurance, generic drugs will save you money because they cost less than their branded counterparts.(In some cases, employer groups carve out the prescription drug benefit and contract with a vendor separately, please refer to your Member Guide to confirm that your pharmacy benefits are offered through

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Cervical cancer

Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don’t function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumor. Cervical cancer is cancer in the cervix, the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus is the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows during a woman’s pregnancy. The cervix forms a canal that opens into the vagina (birth canal), which leads to the outside of the body.

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North Carolina business owners might be looking for ways to trim costs, but the state’s largest health insurer says wellness programs shouldn’t be on the chopping block.
A study to be released today by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina showed that companies willing to make small investments in wellness initiatives such as paid time off for doctor’s visits and health screenings in the workplace see long-term returns.

“The things that employees value the most aren’t always the things that cost a lot of money, and in fact, it can be just the opposite,” said Don Bradley, chief medical officer for Blue Cross. “You don’t have to build a gym, but just give the opportunity to get outside and do some exercise.” (more…)

Prostate screening

Detecting prostate cancer earlier rather than later

There are two tests utilized to detect prostate cancer before symptoms have developed: the digital rectum exam (DRE) and a blood test often called PSA. The test is called PSA because it attempts to detect a substance produced by the prostate called prostate specific antigen. In the the DRE, a doctor feels the prostate through the rectum to find any particularly hard or lumpy areas.

The PSA results are analyzed in a lab and reported back to your doctor. It is possible (and frequent) that men will show elevated PSA levels but do not have cancer. In addition, many men with prostate cancer can show relatively normal levels of PSA. The digital rectal exam (DRE) can also miss some cancers; both tests in combination are better in accurately detecting and assessing prostate cancer. (more…)

Colon and colorectal health

Colorectal cancer (also known as colon cancer) is cancer that occurs in the colon or rectum. Colon cancer usually starts through the development of polyps, a type of foreign growth. Some of these polyps can develop into cancer. Colon cancer is the second-leading cancer that kills in the U.S. It is estimated that simple screening could help reduce or avoid over one-third of the deaths that currently result from this cancer.

Prevention is possible. Detection is key. And screening is the way, especially for those age fifty or above.

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Get Inspired

Once you’ve made the rational decision to start a workplace wellness program, it’s time to put your emotions behind it – and take everyone along with you. By building support at all levels of the organization and letting every employee feel ownership of the program, you’ll greatly enhance your chances of success.

Set the foundation

As with every other initiative, senior management sets the tone – by action and example. Make sure your company’s leaders model the behaviors you want from everyone by providing visible support and participation. Turn your employees into stakeholders by actively seeking and implementing their feedback.

Share the facts

Establishing a successful workplace wellness program relies on two stages of communication. The first is to make sure that your company’s senior and middle management are fully aware of rising medical and health insurance costs and the role unhealthy lifestyles play – not only to each individual, but to the company as a whole. Knowing about the problem will help them buy into the solution, and their support is critical if the program is to work.

Next, you and management need to work together to communicate with the company’s workforce. When employees know the facts about health costs and lifestyle impacts, they’ll better understand that the workplace wellness program isn’t about dictating a certain way of living. It’s about promoting the success of the company and showing that the company cares for their well-being.

When people at every level understand why this program is necessary and what’s at stake, people will be pulling in the same direction.

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.

2007 Blue Cross and Blue Shield® Internal Association Data.

Survey Shows Many Women Put Off Doctor Visits Because of Higher Health Care Costs

Dec. 2, 2008 — Almost half of women surveyed in a national poll said they had failed to seek health care for themselves or their families over the previous year because the cost was too high.

The annual survey of women’s attitudes and behaviors regarding health care, released today by the National Women’s Health Resource Center (NWHRC), found that women were most likely to put off doctor visits for themselves and least likely to put off doctor visits for their children. (more…)