Many overlook the fact that children can get sick from germs in the water of pools, lakes, and water parks. Consider a few easy steps that can help keep your children as well as everyone else — safe while swimming.
One danger when swimming is that water can be contaminated with germs that can cause recreational water illnesses (RWIs), including: (more…)
As with most child safety measures, that usually starts with proper supervision which is one of the best ways to keep your children safe in the water. That means watching your children when they are in or around water, even if they know how to swim. Remember that swim lessons don’t make children, especially younger children, drown proof. Note other important water safety tips to consider with warm weather finally approaching.
1) Childproof your swimming pool so that it is enclosed by a permanent fence (which is better than a removable pool fence) with a self-closing and self-latching gate that is difficult for younger children to open;
2) Have everyone wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and not just those cute floaties, on boats, jet skis, and on other personal watercraft;
3) Make sure you know water depth before you let your children dive; (more…)
When it comes to torture, we could all learn a thing or two from kids. Who knows better than they how to extract most anything they want within minutes of applying the technique? I’m talking about whining, of course — that grating mewling that causes us to do anything (anything!) just to make it go away. But you can break the habit. And the rewards of victory can be rich for both of you.
Toddlers
Why they do it: Early talkers whine like babies cry. Some experts say that whining tends to peak in a child’s development when she’s feeling out of control and overwhelmed — emotions that pretty much sum up toddlerhood. She lacks the vocabulary to articulate her frustrations, and that whimpering is the natural default noise.
Certain triggers, such as hunger and fatigue, can also cause breakdowns (true for kids of all ages), so keep that in mind the next time you take your toddler grocery shopping close to naptime.
How to stop it: Patience becomes the first rule when confronted with these early bouts of whining. When her son, Matthew, who’s almost 3, melts down because he can’t wait ten more minutes for dinner, Rae Sullivan of Durham, North Carolina, gives him a little extra attention, like five minutes of lap or snuggle (more…)
A recent publication from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina titled, A Guide to a Healthier You 
outlines all of the benefits and features of My Member Services. This online tool allows members to manage their health insurance policy and opens the door to valuable resources provided by BCBSNC.
“With Member Services, the Web site exclusively for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina members, taking charge of your health plan is easy. It’s all designed with you in mind. Online. Secure. In real time. The site is organized into two sections, Your Plan and Better Health.
Your Plan is designed to give you secure online access to the basics of our health plan. Click on these links: My Account, My Benefits & Claims, or Doctors, Rx & Hospitals
You Can: View Claims in real time, Get up-to-date information on your benefits, Find a doctor with our comprehensive in-network provider search, Access comprehensive drug information that compare drug costs, outlines tier structures and provides information on generic drugs.
BCBSNC Constructing 100,000-Square-Foot ‘Green’ BuildingChapel 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).
(more…)
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…)
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…..
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.
With Health Line Blue , the answers to questions about your health are just a phone call or click away. It’s like having your own personal nurse.
BCBSNC’s trained nurses can assist you over the phone. Call toll free 1-877-477-2424.
It’s health information at your fingertips. Health Line Blue also provides you with access to the Dialog Center, an online resource that can help you get current information on health conditions, diseases and more.
Often, healthcare consumers don’t have a clear understanding of just how much medical services cost. For many years, health plans insulated members from the true cost of these services by making payments directly to doctors or hospitals.
Did you know:
The national average cost of an MRI is nearly $2,000
Heart bypass surgery costs about $57,000
The average cost of a 30-day prescription of one name brand drug is $71 compared to $22 for the generic equivalent
National healthcare expenditures are expected to nearly double over the next 10 years
Knowing what you’re spending and keeping an eye on healthcare costs are important parts of keeping healthcare affordable for all of us. Here are some things we can all do to make a difference:
Ask for FDA-approved generic drugs instead of more expensive name brands
Make sure you’re getting the right treatment, and always ask your doctor any questions you may have
Review all explanation of benefits for accuracy, and ask about any costs that you don’t recognize or understand.
The content of this post is from “Coverage Basics: How Much Things Actually Cost” – BlueCross Blueshield Association.
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.
BCBSNC Sheds Light on Medical Costs
Insurer Publishes Typical Costs for Hundreds of Visits, Procedures and Diseases
Chapel Hill, N.C. (Jan. 17, 2008) – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is taking some of the mystery out of health care costs. 
BCBSNC, the state’s largest health insurer, is publishing online the average prices it pays statewide for physician office visits, diagnostic procedures and screenings, prescription drugs, and disease treatments. The Health Cost Estimator, now available to members at bcbsnc.com, includes one of the most comprehensive listings of total average costs related to diseases and conditions of any health insurance plan. Along with its effort to promote health cost clarity for its members, BCBSNC supports initiatives to increase the quality, safety and effectiveness of health care.
“Our Health Cost Estimator will give our customers a much clearer idea of where their health care dollar goes because the prices we pay translate to the premiums that customers pay.” said BCBSNC President and CEO Bob Greczyn. “Consumers are paying an increasing share of health care costs, but until now they’ve had little way of knowing what medical services actually cost.”
Who they are. What they face.
Yes, the uninsured are the poor, the homeless, the less fortunate. But they’re also your neighbors across the street. Your child’s best friend at school. The small business owner who waves from her shop every morning. They are every race, religion, ethnicity and creed.
The 15.6 percent* of North Carolinians – that’s 1.3 million of the state’s residents – without health coverage come from every socioeconomic class, every level of education and every region of this diverse state. There is no one “face” of North Carolina’s uninsured. There are many faces – perhaps more than you ever imagined. But the challenges they’re dealt are very similar – such as greater risk fordeveloping debilitating illnesses, an increased number of hospital stays and significantly reduced (more…)
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