Although the deadline for 2016 health coverage with an effective date of January 1st has already passed, Open Enrollment is not over yet!  In fact, this year’s Open Enrollment continues through January 31st, 2016 and you can still apply in as little as ten minutes.  If you have a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), you may still be able to get a January 1st effective date, but for most people, that effective date will no longer be available.  Here are the remaining important dates to keep in mind:

If you want your coverage to begin February 1st, you need to submit your application by midnight, January 15th.

If you want your coverage to begin March 1st, you need to submit your application by midnight January 31st.

The only thing that can change these effective dates is if you have a Qualifying Life Event (QLE) that makes you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.  Qualifying Life Events include things like loss of minimum essential coverage through an employer or through Medicaid, a marriage, a move and more.  Check out the list of Qualifying Life Events, but keep in mind that your QLE must have occurred within the last 60 days in order for you to be eligible. (more…)

If you are still uninsured and trying to secure health coverage for 2016, your application must be submitted by midnight December 15th in order to qualify for a January 1st effective date (some exceptions apply).  Although Open Enrollment will not officially end until January 31st, 2016, you do not want to miss this important deadline!  In fact, if you fail to submit your application by December 15, 2015, in most cases you will not be eligible for health coverage to begin until February 1st and you will remain without health coverage throughout the month of January. (more…)

With the cost of health insurance on the rise and everyone scrambling to try and find a plan they can afford, more and more people are asking:  Is health insurance even necessary?  It’s a fair question and one that demands an answer.

First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that under the Affordable Care Act, you are now required by law to be enrolled in a health insurance plan.  If you go three consecutive months uninsured, you will incur a tax penalty and the tax penalty for 2016 has increased substantially. In addition to the tax penalty, however, you will also be responsible for any and all health care expenses you and your family have in a given year, which is really the important consideration.  Recently, in fact, I had an experience that got me thinking long and hard about the importance of being insured. (more…)

Open Enrollment 2016 is well underway and with all the changes in the health insurance industry, renewing your policy for 2016 can be more confusing than ever.  Updating or qualifying for a federal subsidy, changes in your local network or available plans, and deciding whether or not to keep your grandfathered plan or apply for an ACA plan can leave you feeling frustrated.  But that’s where we come in.  Having an agent can help ease the stress of renewing your insurance policy as we help guide you through the process of making any necessary changes.  We can discuss networks, benefits, deductibles, and out-of-pocket limits and help you decide which policy best suits the needs of you and your family for 2016. (more…)

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina understands that choosing a health insurance plan can be an overwhelming prospect, especially if you don’t fully understand the terminology.  For instance, what is the difference between an HMO and a PPO and how will that affect you when it comes to using your health plan?  Let’s break it down. (more…)

Did you know that more women die from strokes every year than men?  It’s true and it’s just one of the reasons Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is a huge advocate of women’s preventive health care.  In fact, every BCBSNC health plan offers preventive care covered at 100%, including a variety of services especially aimed at keeping women healthy.

When it comes to the risk of stroke, although some factors such as smoking, diabetes or obesity do not discriminate against age or gender, others do and there are some risks that are unique to women.  The following is a list of some of those special risks: (more…)

At 6:30 this morning when I took my dog outside for her morning ritual and it was still dark and I could see my breath in the frosty air, I realized that once again, winter is coming… and with winter comes flu season.  Every year, people suffer from flu symptoms that cause children to miss school, parents to miss work and everyone in the house to feel miserable.  More importantly, not only is the flu inconvenient, it can also be dangerous.  In fact, according to Dr. Larry Wu, Regional Medical Director for Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, “Last year, thousands were hospitalized and more than 100 North Carolinians died from complications with the flu, with the most severe issues affecting people who have not had the flu shot.”

Because Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is actively committed to promoting preventive care maintenance, they have in place a 2015 flu shot program to help members take advantage of the vaccine and stay healthy during this year’s flu season. (more…)

Open Enrollment for 2016 is now in full swing and customers are asking a lot of hard questions, fair questions, questions that demand an answer.  Most of the questions and frustrations center around one thing:  rate increases.  On a near daily basis, insurance companies, agents and brokers are having to try to explain why the cost of insurance is soaring and how families and individuals are supposed to step up and meet the rising costs.  Prior to Open Enrollment, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina made a strenuous effort to try and answer some of these questions in advance, stating that the “goal, as always, is to offer health coverage that our customers can depend on at rates as affordable and sustainable as possible.”  Blue Cross went on to explain why a rate increase was imperative in order to maintain viability.  In fact, the company provided claims data for 2014 and the first half of 2015, reporting a $132 million dollar loss on ACA business alone.  At that time, BCBSNC explained two important trends:  First, there was no slowdown in any residual demand for medical services from new customers entering the health insurance marketplace after the induction of the ACA and second, there was a prevalence of more chronic health conditions needing medical treatment among ACA customers.

In more recent news, United Health Care has announced it may completely pull out of ACA Exchanges in 2017, citing significant losses on ACA business as the reason for this consideration.  The New York Times reported that United Health Group told investors “it was significantly lowering its profit estimates and blamed an expected loss of hundreds of millions of dollars selling individual policies under federal health care law” (11/20, B1, Abelson, Subscription Publication).   The article further stated “the company said it was estimating losses of more than $600 million from its exchange business, before taxes, in 2015 and 2016.”  With this announcement, customers are once again faced with hard questions about what is happening in the health insurance industry. (more…)

All of us at NCHealthPlans would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!  If you are like me, you’re already planning your menu, buying your groceries and preparing to spend all day cooking your family’s favorite holiday dishes.  And, if you are like me, you will likely have more Thanksgiving leftovers than you know what to do with.  Because my family gets bored with leftovers, I am always looking for new and creative ways to make sure I don’t waste what we didn’t eat.

This recipe from California Cookbook called Roast Turkey and Winter Vegetable Chowder is not only a great way to use up all that leftover turkey, it’s also a delicious way to incorporate those hearty winter vegetables into your diet.  In addition, the recipe calls for ingredients you will likely already have around your post-Thanksgiving house, such as celery, onions and potatoes. (more…)

With the cost of health insurance on the rise, you may find yourself looking for ways to help cut the cost.  One of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act is that the federal government now offers federal tax credits, or subsidies, to low-to middle-income individuals and families in order to help reduce the cost of health insurance. Your federal subsidy is an advance premium tax credit and is applied directly to your monthly insurance premium. Government subsidies can substantially reduce the amount you pay for your Blue Cross Blue Shield NC health plan. (more…)

Blue Cross Blue Shield NC recently released an article explaining a little of the data that has been collected regarding what North Carolina’s ACA market looks like and how that is affecting health insurance premiums all over the state.  Because BCBSNC is the only company offering health plans on the Marketplace in all 100 counties of North Carolina, they have the largest share of ACA business in the state and perhaps the clearest picture of how the Affordable Care Act has affected the cost of health insurance across the board.

According to BCBSNC, new ACA customers in the state continue to use their health care benefits more than originally expected and for highly expensive medical services.  In fact, according to claims data for 2014 and the first half of 2015, BCBSNC explained two important trends:  First, there was no slowdown in any residual demand for medical services from new customers entering the health insurance marketplace after the induction of the ACA and second, there was a prevalence of more chronic health conditions needing medical treatment. (more…)

Autumn is in full swing and in our part of the state, we’ve had A LOT of rain.  We’ve had wet, dreary days that get me thinking about one thing – a good cup of coffee.  In fact, I’ve found myself more than once sitting in the Starbuck’s drive through waiting to be handed my $5 breve latte.  Although there’s a McDonalds right across the street where I know I could get a cheaper cup of coffee, I still wait for that Starbucks cup and I do it for one reason.  I know I’m going to get what I’ve paid for – good quality!

As the cost of health insurance is on the rise and both insurance companies and insurance consumers are feeling the pinch of the new ACA market, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.  Across the board, insurance companies are raising premiums in order to accommodate a different demographic.  Unfortunately these rate increases have been deemed necessary by the Board of Insurance in order for insurance companies in the state of North Carolina to stay viable and to continue providing health insurance to NC residents.  Many companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, lost millions of dollars last year alone on ACA business, which is an unsustainable business model year after year.  As premiums increase to help offset soaring costs, it is now more important than ever to really examine what your premium dollar gets you when it comes time to use your health plan. (more…)