Most schools regularly send schedules of cafeteria menus home. With this advance information, you can plan on packing lunch on the days when the main course is one your child prefers not to eat.  Try to get your child’s school to stock healthy choices such as fresh fruit, low-fat dairy products, water and 100 percent fruit juice in the vending machines.  Each 12-ounce soft drink contains approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories. Drinking just one can of soda a day increases a child’s risk of obesity by 60%. Restrict your child’s soft drink consumption.

The information in this article : Back to School Tips is from the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site ( http://www.aap.org ).

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC offers discounts in premium to individuals in excellent health.   Practice fitness and good nutrition at an early age and reduce the risk of health problems, regardless of age.

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 professional 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.

• A plan that gives you more control over your health care dollars
• Save more money with low monthly premiums
• Enjoy tax savings with a health savings account
• Coverage for preventive care and catastrophic events
• Combine a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA) and you can potentially reduce your monthly premium significantly and save money.
• Coverage for preventive care and catastrophes
• The money you contribute to your HSA is tax-deductible.
• When you need to pay for medical services, you can pay for them with the funds from your HSA.
• Your HSA rolls over from year to year. That means you keep what you put into it. It’s your HSA – it’s your money.

The information in this article is from bcbsnc.com, product benefits.

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 professional 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.

MAKING THE FIRST DAY EASIER
Remind your child that she is not the only student who is a bit uneasy about the first day of school. Teachers know that students are anxious and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible.
Point out the positive aspects of starting school: It will be fun. She’ll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her positive memories about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time.  Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your youngster can walk to school or ride with on the bus.  If you feel it is appropriate, drive your child (or walk with her) to school and pick her up on the first day.

The information in this article : Back to School Tips is from the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site ( http://www.aap.org ).

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC offers child only health insurance policies.  As you prepare for the 1st Day of School, don’t forget about insurance especially if sports are a part of your child’s school experience.

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 professional 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.

Our classic health insurance plan

• Features low copayments for doctor visits and prescription drugs
• A wide range of deductibles for medical and prescription drugs
• You get the most comprehensive coverage we offer
• You pay more in monthly premiums, but you pay less when going to the doctor
• Preventive care is covered at 100%

The information in this article is from bcbsnc.com, product benefits.

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 professional 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.

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) announced a partnership Tuesday with the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association (NCRPA) to launch Nourishing North Carolina, a statewide community garden program making local, healthy food more accessible to people across the state. This initiative supports BCBSNC’s longstanding commitment to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians.

“The long-term benefit of this effort will extend well beyond the growing season,” said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO. “By increasing access to healthy foods, we can all eat better, lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and ultimately reduce the impact that unhealthy lifestyles have on our health care system.”

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 Beginning July 1, 2011, BCBSNC will cover the sleeve gastrectomy procedure for qualified members who meet the criteria outlined in our medical policy titled “Surgery for Morbid Obesity.” You can search the medical policy on bcbsnc.com. What is a sleeve gastrectomy? A sleeve gastrectomy is an alternative approach to a standard gastrectomy that can be performed on its own or in combination with other procedures. In this procedure, a portion of the stomach is removed, leaving a stomach remnant shaped like a tube or sleeve.

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A parent has incredible power.  When both parents agree, that power is more than doubled.  If they disagree, their combined power drops to less than that of a single parent.  Ex.  When things get tough or hard, help your child learn perseverance by saying, “Press on- I know you are going to get it or make it” or “we are proud of you for hanging in there with your soccer even though you haven’t won any games yet.”  If the job they are doing seems overwhelming, divide it into 2 or 3 sections and encourage a break in between.

Persuade your children to do the rotten jobs and chores first.  When you look at the list of things to do, do the thing you didn’t even want to do on your own list …. and do it first.  Otherwise, it will spoil the rest of your day.  Help your child learn tasks!  Start young, do them together and celebrate.  Set a hurdle low and let them clear it before you raise it.  Set time limits and teach them about time management.  With all tasks: Let them watch you, let them help you, you help them and then you watch them! (more…)

Many people choose a copayment plan because they want the predictability of knowing exactly how much they will pay out of pocket for doctor visits and prescriptions. However, many people who purchase these plans don’t realize they are paying hundreds of dollars extra each year for the convenience of copayments. In a traditional copayment health plan, you generally pay for health care like this:

+ You pay a relatively high monthly premium for coverage.

+ When you see an in-network doctor for an office visit, you pay a copayment.

+ When you fill a prescription, you pay a copayment.

+ When you go to the hospital, have a procedure, or have lab tests, you pay a fee that is applied toward your deductible.

+ When you meet your deductible, you begin paying coinsurance, until you meet your coinsurance maximum for the year.

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Health insurance protects you from the financial burden of high medical expenses.  An injury as relatively common as a broken arm or leg can quickly cost quite a bit of money. Add up an emergency room visit, x-rays, lab tests, setting the injury, a cast, follow-up visits and medications- soon your bill is over $10,000! A more serious illness or injury, such as a major car accident or a diagnosis of cancer, can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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The annual contribution limit for health savings accounts (HSAs) will increase for high deductible health plans with effective dates of January 1, 2012 or later.

For individuals with self-only coverage enrolled in a high deductible health plan, the maximum HSA contribution amount will increase from $3,050 to $3,100. For individuals with family coverage enrolled in a high deductible health plan, the maximum HSA contribution amount will increase from $6,150 to $6,250.In 2012, a high deductible health plan will continue to be defined as a health plan with an annual deductible that is at least $1,200 for self-only coverage or $2,400 for family coverage, and an annual out-of-pocket maximum amount that does not exceed $6,050 for self-only coverage or $12,100 for family coverage. Out-of-pocket expenses include deductibles, co-payments and other amounts, but do not include premiums.

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Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!  I love the cooler mornings and evenings.  It seems to help me focus on my family more, especially with the upcoming holiday seasons.  Looking for something fun to do this fall weekend that won’t break the bank? Make some family memories, begin fall traditions and enjoy life. Let’s start your Friday evening at a local High School football game or other fall sport.  It not only brings back memories of your high school days but also begins to spark the interest of your little ones.  There is something to be said about the game, the band, the cheerleaders, and the halftime shows.  Local high school sports are a great fall tradition!  Check your local high school website for game dates and times or call the school secretary.  Wake-up on Saturday and visit your local pumpkin patch.  Create a “pumpkin family” with your purchases!  Once you return home, have a decorating “party” with your family.  You will be amazed on items you can find in your pantry to use as decorations.  On Sunday, enjoy a family breakfast.  Don’t forget to bake pumpkin bread for a great treat.  Fill your home with the sweet aroma of pumpkin and it is sure to have your family “Falling for Fall!”

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Many BCBSNC applicants ask the question…. What is coinsurance?  BCBSNC defines coinsurance as “the percentage of the allowed amounts for covered services that BCBSNC will pay after you meet your deductible.”  In other words, it is the percent that the insurance company is responsible for paying towards your medical bills.  When does coinsurance come into play?  When you have to go into the hospital, have diagnostic testing such as MRIs, CAT Scans, or x-rays, or if you have surgery in a free standing surgery center. 

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.