We are now in the final weeks of Open Enrollment 2017 and if you still have not enrolled your Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina health plan, now is the time to get covered!  Keep in mind, however, that you must submit an application by January 31st to have coverage beginning March 1st.  If you miss the deadline, you may not be able to enroll in health insurance until the next Open Enrollment.

Under the law of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), you are required to maintain qualified health insurance or possibly incur a tax penalty.  This is known as the individual mandate.  For 2017, the tax penalty is $695 per person or 2.5% of your income, whichever is higher.  In addition, if you do not have health insurance, you will be responsible for the costs of all health care you use over the course of the year.

Blue Cross Blue Shield NC offers qualified health plans in all 100 counties in North Carolina and plans are available both on and off the Marketplace.  Based on your income and the number of people in your household, you may qualify for a premium tax credit (federal subsidy) to help reduce the cost of your plan.  In addition, you could qualify for reduced copayments and deductibles.  For people under the age of 30, Catastrophic plans are available and these plans typically have a lower monthly premium.

At NC Health plans, we are committed to helping our customers choose and enroll the BCBSNC health plan that best suits your needs at a price that fits your budget.  We can help you determine subsidy eligibility, discuss plan options and walk you through the enrollment process.  We can help you submit your application online or directly over the phone in a few short minutes.

Don’t let 2017 come and go without securing the health coverage you need. For more information on North Carolina insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.

The Annual Open Enrollment period for NC Health Insurance is in full swing, but keep in mind if you want your new 2017 health insurance plan to be effective January 1st, you must submit your application by midnight, December 15th!  That means you have one more week to apply in order to secure coverage that begins January 1st.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is offering Affordable Care Act plans both on and off the federal Marketplace in all 100 counties of North Carolina and the application process has never been easier.

You can get a quote, apply for a federal subsidy and enroll a 2017 BCBNSC health insurance plan in a matter of minutes by visiting our website at www.nchealthplans.com or by calling 888-765-5400.  You can do your application online or over the phone with one of our authorized representatives and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you and your family are covered.

Don’t miss this important deadline!  Apply and enroll your 2017 coverage by midnight, December 15th.  For more information on North Carolina insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced today that they will be offering individual health insurance plans on the federal Marketplace for 2017!  This is good news for North Carolina residents and comes as a sigh of relief for consumers in the wake of Aetna’s announcement earlier this summer that they would no longer be participating in the ACA in NC.  Aetna was the second major health insurance company to pull out of the Market, following United Healthcare’s similar announcement in April.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC’s decision to participate in the Marketplace reaffirms the North Carolina-based company’s commitment to providing quality, sustainable health insurance to the residents of North Carolina.

For 2017, BCBSNC will be the only health insurance company offering Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans in all 100 counties of North Carolina, meaning the company will absorb over 250,000 more customers than originally anticipated.  In light of this news, Blue Cross Blue Shield NC announced they will be revising their initial rate filings, with new rates being public sometime in October.

Over the past two years, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has weathered Marketplace changes, reporting $405 million in losses on Affordable Care Act plans alone. These losses have played a major role in BCBSNC’s debate over whether to participate this coming year in the ACA and similar losses are what Aetna and United Healthcare cited as their reasons for exiting the market in 2016.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina reiterated today that they are “doing everything [they] can to make the ACA work for North Carolina.”  Without Blue Cross Blue Shield NC’s participation in the Marketplace, 600,000 residents of NC would be at risk of losing their coverage, which is not something the company was willing to risk.  “This is our home too,” says Brad Wilson in an article released by BCBSNC earlier today, “and it’s important that our families, friends and neighbors – our customer – have access to the coverage they need.”

For more information on North Carolina insurance coverage, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our experienced and professional agents.

Blue Advantage plans are available in all metallic levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The levels differ by how much of your medical costs a plan will pay on average. They are based on approximate values for standard medical expenses.

• Bronze plans pay 60%
• Silver plans pay 70%
• Gold plans pay 80%
• Platinum plans pay 90%

All plans have a maximum out-of-pocket (OOP) limit of $6,350 for individuals. Some plans have an even lower OOP limit.  If you qualify for a subsidy, this can impact your total OOP.  Click Here to generate your quote and see if you qualify for a subsidy through the Marketplace.

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). It would be our pleasure to help you navigate through the Health Care Reform changes in accordance with the new regulations of Obama care. Call us for details.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) announced today that they have filed the necessary documents with the North Carolina Department of Insurance (NCDOI) to allow most of its non-grandfathered individual customers to keep their current health plans for another year. Customers with Blue Advantage, Blue Advantage Saver, Blue Value and Blue Options HSA policies whose plans were in place as of Oct. 1, 2013 will be eligible to renew their plans.

The NCDOI will be responsible for reviewing and approving rates for these renewed plans. BCBSNC submitted a rate increase of 16.4 percent for its Blue Advantage plans; 22 percent for Blue Value and 23.6 percent for its Blue Saver and Blue Options HSA plans. 2014 plan premiums reflect changes in the cost of care for all non-grandfathered customers with individual BCBSNC plans. This includes the price of care as well as the quantity of services used by this pool of customers. New taxes and fees under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – which also apply to these plans – also contribute to the increase.

BCBSNC expects to mail revised renewal notices to eligible customers by Dec. 1. These customers will be automatically renewed in their 2013 plan for another year or may choose an ACA-compliant plan, which might come with additional benefits and a subsidy.

Renewing 2013 plans will delay some of the more challenging consumer impacts of the ACA for another year and alleviate concerns of consumers who have had difficulty accessing the Exchange. Non-grandfathered customers will need to move to ACA-compliant plans for 2015.

This information was released by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina 11/19/13.

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). Call us for details.