QUIT SMOKING – YOUR HEALTH COVERAGE THROUGH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NC (BCBSNC) CAN BE RATED AS MUCH AS 30% HIGHER IF YOU SMOKE.  IF YOU QUIT SMOKING, NOT ONLY DO YOU GAIN THE HEALTH BENEFITS, BUT YOU ALSO PAY LOWER HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS.  Call our agency for more details about healthy lifestyle discounts and how to reduce your premiums – 888-765-5400.  The following article on Nicotine Addition came from a a post from the American Heart Association. (more…)

Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. The disease occurs mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer as well. The information referenced in this post only pertains to breast cancer in women.   A woman’s breast is made up of glands that make breast milk (lobules), ducts (small tubes that connect lobules to the nipple), fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymph (pronounced limf) vessels. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts (ductal carcinoma), some begin in the lobules (lobular carcinoma), and the rest in other tissues.

Lymph vessels are like veins, except that they carry lymph fluid instead of blood. Lymph is a clear fluid that contains immune system cells and waste products. Lymph vessels lead to small, bean-shaped collections of tissue called lymph nodes. Most lymph vessels of the breast lead to lymph nodes under the arm. These are called axillary (AX-uh-lair-ee) nodes. If breast cancer cells reach the underarm lymph nodes and continue to grow, they cause the nodes to swell. Once cancer cells have reached these nodes they are more likely to spread to other organs of the body. (more…)

EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!  This is the one recommendation you will find in almost every diet, every fitness book and every guide to improved nutrition. The American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, The World Health Organization, Department of Agriculture and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention agree this is sound advise. There is strong evidence that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods may reduce the risk of cancer. Healthcare professionals agree that most patients would be healthier if they consumed more raw, fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Eating raw fruits and veggies helps build stronger bodies that stay healthier and are better able to fight disease.  Most of us do not eat enough raw fruits and veggies.

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.

How do health insurance deductibles and out-of-pocket amounts work?

A deductible is the amount you must pay before the insurance company begins to pay any policy benefits. This is usually an annual amount per insured person, per calendar year.  Although typically there will be a maximum amount of deductibles you will have to pay per family in any given year.  For example, if your “per person” deductible is $500, and you have five people in your family covered under your health insurance, the maximum “family” deductible is usually three times the individual deductible or $1500.00 in this example.  Once three individuals have paid the $500 deductible, no more deductibles will apply to any member of the family for the remainder of the year.  (more…)

HIPAA: A Federal law passed in 1996 that allows persons to qualify immediately for comparable health insurance coverage when they change their employment or relationships. It also creates the authority to mandate the use of standards for the electronic exchange of health care data; to specify what medical and administrative code sets should be used within those standards; to require the use of national identification systems for health care patients, providers, payers (or plans), and employers (or sponsors); and to specify the types of measures required to protect the security and privacy of personally identifiable health care. Full name is “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.”

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.

Maternity Coverage

BCBSNC offers an optional maternity rider to females (policy holder or spouse) ages 18 and over who are not pregnant when they apply for coverage. If you elect not to purchase the maternity rider when you first apply, you can add at the following times so long as you are not pregnant at the time: (more…)

Network: A group of doctors, hospitals and other health care providers contracted to provide services to insurance companies customers for less than their usual fees. Provider networks can cover a large geographic market or a wide range of health care services. Insured individuals typically pay less for using a network provider.

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What is a Health Savings Account? (HSA).  You could be at the age you start thinking more seriously about any tax advantages available to you so let us explore the HSA benefits and if they work for you.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (Publication 969, 2007):  A Health Savings Account (HSA) is a tax-exempt trust or custodial account that you set up with a qualified HSA trustee to pay or reimburse certain medical expenses you incur.  You must be an eligible individual to qualify for an HSA. A qualified HSA trustee can be a bank, an insurance company, or anyone already approved by the IRS to be a trustee of individual retirement arrangements (IRAs). 

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 200,000 people are hospitalized every year from the flu and complications caused by the flu.   BCBSNC recommends the best way to reduce your risk is to get an annual flu shot.  They are making flu shots available at no charge to eligible members enrolled in one of the following plans:*  BCBSNC group and individual plans with preventive care benefits, Blue Medicare HMO, Blue Medicare PPO, Blue Medicare Supplement, North Carolina State Health Plan, North Carolina Health Choice for Children, North Carolina Federal Employee Program.* (more…)

Internet Based Company VS. Store Front

Which One is Right for You?

Our agency is an internet based company that provides health insurance to North Carolina residents through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. We take tremendous pride in providing the best customer service in the industry. Most of our clients tell us we made what they thought would be a difficult process very easy to understand and accomplish. What do you do when you have a question about your application or coverage? The first thing you do is pick up your phone and call your agent or broker. Having the ability to handle your coverage from home and not drive across town to an office is very appealing for most people. With our hectic lifestyles and high gas prices, dealing with an internet based company for your North Carolina Health Insurance is definitely the best way to go for many people.

In 2000 our agency decided to shift our business model to an Online Internet Based Company. We have worked throughout these years training and experimenting with every aspect of an Online Company. As you may realize, the standard business model of a 9-5 platform quickly diminished as the need for a more fluctuating schedule became apparent. Our agency prides itself on helping individuals with their insurance needs, once they get off work or have time to focus on these issues on weekends.

The first step is for you to call our office and speak with one of our authorized agents to begin the process. It is our goal to explain all the plans offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and answer ANY questions you may have. Once you decide on a plan, we simply email you the quote with the on line application for you to complete. Once the application is submitted, we keep you informed throughout the process until approval by BCBSNC. Its as easy as 1- 2 – 3!!!

If you would like to apply for North Carolina health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, simply click here and complete the form and we will be happy to email your quote and the on-line application.

For more information on North Carolina health insurance, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our professional authorized 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 all our office for details.