The following information is from a recent publication on Mastectomy Benefits from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

As required by the Womens’ Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998, your health insurance policy provides beneftis for mastectomy-related services, including all stages of reconstruction and surgery to achieve symmetry between the bresats, prostheses and complication resulting from a mastectomy , including lymphedema.  This coverage is subject to the same deductibles, copayments, coinsurance or limitations as applied to other medical and surgical benefits provided under your policy.  If you have questions, please check your Member Guide or call the Customer Service number on your ID card for more information.

The information above is brought to you from BCBSNC, A Guide to a Healthier You, 2009.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina and how to utilize My Member Services, 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.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Health Insurance ID Card has undergone a facelift!  The new card, according to BCBSNC is more durable and provides a better explanation of benefits.

“The main change is that the new two-sided ID card is now more wallet-friendly and durable.  It’s just a new look with added convenience.  As always, please refer to your BCBSNC Member Guide for complete benefit information.

Be sure to show your new ID card to your doctor or pharmacist at your next visit.

Important updates to your card:

• Copayment and benefit information most commonly used at the time of service is displayed.
• Benefits listed reflected your responsibility (example: $0 or 20 percent coinsurance) rather than BCBSNC’s responsibility.
• Helpful phone numbers and Web site addresses are grouped together on the back of the ID card
• Routine vision, chiropractic care and mental health/substance abuse benefits no longer appear on the ID card.

The information from this post is from BCBNC,  A Guide to a Healthier You, “Your ID card has a new look”.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina and how to utilize My Member Services, 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.

BCBSNC Constructing 100,000-Square-Foot ‘Green’ Building

Chapel Hill, N.C. (April 16, 2008) – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) on 4-16-08 broke ground on an environmentally friendly building that will use 65 percent less energy and half the water per square foot of the company’s traditional office space. The five-story building, which will include a six-level parking deck, is being built across the street from the company’s Customer Service Center on Ivy Creek Blvd in Durham. The energy savings will be enough to power about 100 typical households(1). The amount of water saved will be enough to supply more than 10 local homes(2).
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 March 19, 2009

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An important cause of neurological impairment in infants — infection with cytomegalovirus while they are in the womb — may be curbed with the use of a new vaccine.

Most adults have been infected with cytomegalovirus or CMV, usually with negligible consequences. However, when women become infected with CMV for the first time while they are pregnant, there is a danger that their baby will also be infected. In some cases, this “congenital” CMV infection can lead to permanent defects such as hearing loss, vision loss, mental disability, lack of coordination, or seizures.

Now, a study in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine reports that a newly developed CMV vaccine reduces cases of CMV infection in women and has the potential to decrease congenital CMV infection.

“The development of a vaccine for the prevention of congenital CMV infection was listed as a top priority for the US by a committee of the Institute of Medicine in 2001,” Dr. Robert F. Pass, from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and colleagues point out in the report.

Finding an effective CMV vaccine, however, has been a challenge. The first trials of a CMV vaccine began over three decades ago. In the present trial, the researchers tested a vaccine containing a protein found on the envelope of cytomegalovirus and an adjuvant to increase the immune response.

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Study: Cancer patients of faith more likely to get intensive treatments 

March 17, 2009

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

Strong religious faith can comfort people who are dying of cancer, allowing patients to find meaning in their suffering and easing their passage out of life, experts say. But faith can be a “double-edged sword,” says nurse Carol Taylor, director of the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University. Some terminally ill patients latch on to stories of biblical miracles, hoping against hope to be cured, instead of using their little remaining time to make peace with God and loved ones.

Yet even Taylor, who has counseled many dying patients, says she was surprised by the findings of a study in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association, which examined the choices of dying cancer patients who rely strongly on their religious faith to cope with their illness. These patients were three times more likely than others to receive intensive, invasive medical procedures — such as being hooked up to a ventilator or getting cardiopulmonary resuscitation when their hearts stop — even in their last week of life, the study shows. (more…)

BCBSNC Doubles The Number Of Providers Using Electronic Prescribing
More Than 87 Percent Of North Carolina Pharmacies Use Eprescribe
 

Chapel Hill – More North Carolinians will benefit from increased prescription accuracy and safety because of the growing popularity of ePrescribe, a statewide electronic prescribing initiative of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

The latest ePrescribe results show the number of doctors using electronic prescriptions in the last quarter has now doubled to more than 2,000. In addition, more than 87 percent of North Carolina pharmacies now use electronic prescribing to meet customers’ prescriptions needs. 

“Our results show steady growth and adoption of electronic prescribing for both North Carolina physicians and pharmacies,” said Dr. Ron Smith, BCBSNC vice president of Employer Health and Corporate Pharmacy. “This is good news for patients. ePrescribe puts patients’ medical and drug histories at physicians’ fingertips, so they can see at-a-glance any possible drug interactions. They also can see the patient’s health plan formulary and can discuss the cost implications of various drug choices while their patient is in the office.”

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We are all looking for new ways to save here and there!  Look no further than your weekly trip to the grocery store!  I was recently inspired by a young mom on television telling her story on a popular show about her yearly savings in groceries by following a few easy tips.  It was amazing how much money she was able to save….. 

• Plan your meals at least 1 week ahead.  A planned menu makes for an easier shopping list and avoids over buying!
• Plan your meals using your favorite grocery store sales flyer or fliers!  Base your meats and vegetables around the sales found at your local supermarket and you are sure to save!
• Coupons, coupons, coupons!  In the information age of today, you do not even have to spend hours pouring over Sunday’s newspaper for coupons.  Now just Google, coupons or the items you wish to (more…)

As March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb, we are all sure to find ourselves spending more time enjoying the April showers bringing May flowers.  Keep in mind these helpful sun protection and safety tips!  The following recommendations are brought to us by the Center for Diease Control and Prevention (CDC)http://www.cdc.gov/Cancer/skin/basic_info/howto

“Summer is a great time to have fun outdoors. It’s also a time to take precautions to avoid sunburns, which can increase your risk of skin cancer.

Most forms of skin cancer can be cured. However, the best way to avoid skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun.

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A traditional PPO, BCBSNC’s Blue Advantage offers great coverage, a range of premium and deductible options to meet your budget.  You can provide coverage for your child/children or for your entire family.  Often times, if covered under a group sponsored plan, an employee will move their children to a private plan to save in premium.

•   Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has a broad range of premium and deductible options for you to pick from.  With predictable co-payments and the largest provider network in the State of North Carolina, this local company has been serving the State of North Carolina for more than 70 years offering North Carolinians the most popular individual health insurance plan in the state. (more…)

Approximately 50 percent of people who suffer from chronic health conditions do not take their medications as directed. 1 Studies show that failure to take medications as prescribed results in the loss of approximately 125,000 lives a year from cardiovascular disease alone. 2
Medication DedicationSM, a new program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), is designed to help members with specific chronic conditions avoid the risks involved with not taking their medications as prescribed by removing cost barriers often associated with prescription medications.

Q: What is Medication Dedication?
It’s a new medication adherence program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) designed to help members with specific chronic conditions take their medications as prescribed by their health care provider. Since cost can be a significant barrier to taking medications as directed, BCBSNC is waiving the copayment for generic medications that treat the following conditions: congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. BCBSNC is also moving certain brand-name drugs that treat those same conditions to a lower drug level tier to make them more affordable.
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Health insurance companies use historical data and analysis to predict the medical expenses for any given group of individuals (usually a company’s employees). The premiums they charge are based on the amount of claims they’ve paid in the past and what they expect future claims to cost. When insurers pay out more in claims than they receive in premiums and when future services are predicted to cost more, premiums go up.

As consumers, we are demanding more medical services than ever before. And the cost of these services is going up. These increased costs are passed on to employers in the form of increased premiums. Insurance companies work with employers to adjust services offered, as well as co-payments and deductibles, to minimize the impact of rising costs.

Take time to understand your health plan — it can help save healthcare dollars for you and for all Americans. For example, many health plans offer a reduced co-pay if you choose FDA-approved generic prescription drugs, so you pay less. Because the average total cost of a generic drug is three times less than the brand name, it helps keep costs down in your health plan.

Understanding the basics of how health insurance works and how to make the most of your own health plan can help keep healthcare affordable for everyone.

The content of this post is from BlueCross BlueShield Association’s article “Coverage Basics: How Health Insurance Works”

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.

Adults (19-64 years)

Adults ages 19 to 64 should visit their doctor for a routine check-up every one to three years.

Routine screening and testing

Height and weight (body mass index-screening for healthy weight)
Blood pressure
Vision
Chlamydia for women (up to age 24)
Cholesterol every 5 years, if normal
Colon cancer (1) starting at age 50
Mammogram every year for women ages 40 and over
Pap smear every year for women (testing less often may be recommended by your physician)
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