Many small business owners have questions about how the Health Care Reform will effect them….

“I own a small business and want to provide health insurance for my employees and their families. Are there subsidies or other assistance to help me afford to coverage?”

Many small businesses will be eligible for tax credits of up to 35 percent. Businesses that employ fewer than 25 employees, pay average annual wages of $50,000 and pay at least half the cost of single coverage for their employees may be eligible to receive a tax credit.

Employers with 10 or fewer employees that pay annual average wages of $25,000 or less per year may be eligible for up to a 35 percent tax credit in 2010.

In 2014, the tax credit for eligible small businesses will increase to 50 percent of premiums paid.

Full eligibility details will be provided by the Internal Revenue Service. You should review and discuss the full criteria with a tax professional to determine whether your business will qualify.

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As Health Care Reform takes effect, many are asking how and when they will obtain health insurance in the future.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies already offer low-cost health insurance options that you may be able to enroll in today. You can find coverage options through your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield company.

Beginning in 2014, state health insurance exchanges will enable consumers to compare benefits, prices and networks of providers and purchase coverage.

Prior to the establishment of state exchanges in 2014, a temporary high risk pool program will be created by the federal government to provide coverage to high-risk individuals who have not been covered during the prior 6-month period or do not have access to coverage, to purchase coverage. A majority of states already have high-risk pools for their residents.

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Beginning in plan years after Sept. 23, 2010, the new law allows dependents up to age 26 to obtain coverage under their parents’ plans that offer dependent coverage. In April 2010, the nation’s 39 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies recognized that many young people could lose their coverage because of their age, student status, graduation from school or other factors prior to when the new law goes into effect for plan years beginning September 23, 2010. The BCBS companies proactively announced in April that they will offer to their accounts continued overage of these hundreds of thousands of young adults under age 26 on the health insurance policies their parents purchase through the individual marketplace effective June 1. Young adults may be eligible regardless of whether they are financially dependent on their parents. This extension of coverage is also being offered to employer accounts for their members.

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The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation on Wednesday announced a $1.18 million grant to the N.C. Academy of Family Physicians for a mentoring program to help address the shortage of family physicians in the state.

With the grant, the academy will increase medical students’ exposure to innovative practice in family medicine and encourage more of the state’s medical students to pursue a career in family medicine. 

Health officials have worried that the newly passed health care reform bill will increase the number of patients in the state who are insured and can seek regular primary care. (more…)

Chapel Hill, NC – Today Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) filed a rate request with the North Carolina Department of Insurance for a base rate increase of 6.97 percent for Blue Advantage and 2.06 percent for Blue Options HSA. These requested base rate increases are the lowest since 2007. Blue Advantage and Blue Options HSA currently serve more than 300,000 customers under the age of 65.

Seventy percent of Blue Advantage/Blue Options HSA members would see rate changes less than 10 percent, including almost 28,000 customers who would see rate decreases.

“Most of our Blue Advantage and Blue Options HSA customers will see smaller rate increases for 2011,” said BCBSNC President and CEO Brad Wilson. “However, the only way to make premiums affordable over the long term is to get soaring medical costs under control.”

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Our agency writes only for the best – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, a name and company you can always count on and trust.  Whether you are looking for coverage for your newborn, teenager, spouse, parents or your company, you can find it all here.

You can select from Blue Advantage 100% plans with 0% co-insurance or Blue Options HSA high deductible plans coupled with a tax savings account.  Blue Advantage offers co-payments as low as $15.00 for your primary care physician and $30.00 for a specialist with 100%, 80/20 or 70/30 co-insurance.  If you are out of work or between jobs and need to lower your premiums, you can select from Plan B or Plan C, with higher office visit co-payments and co-insurance.   Want to reduce your premium more – look at our HSA Blue Options with deductibles as high as $10,000.00 for a family and $5,000.00 for an individual.

If you are looking for dental coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina offers Dental Blue.   Select from any dentist, no waiting periods or deductible for preventive services. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has the largest network of doctors and hospitals in the State; they expand coverage to every State in the US and extend coverage to over 200 countries.  If you want to check and see if your doctor or hospital are in network, visit our site at www.nchealthplans.com and click on find doctor/hospital to begin your search. (more…)

The term “health care reform” is being used a lot these days. Health care reform became a reality with the passage of two related bills:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law on March 23, 2010  and  The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, signed into law a week later on March 30, 2010. Because these two bills work together, we often refer to health care reform as a single “new law” for the sake of simplicity.  Health care reform law has many separate provisions that will come into effect at different times over the next eight years. Here are some of the most important ones: (more…)

There are a number of factors that are driving health insurance premiums. Increasing utilization attributable to an aging population, obesity and chronic illnesses; new treatments; prescription drugs and expensive new technologies are the biggest causes of increasing healthcare premiums. The new law establishes a few pilot programs, but does not aggressively attempt to control rising healthcare costs. 

We believe that premiums will increase as a result of provisions in the reform legislation that will guarantee richer levels of benefits than most consumers who obtain their own insurance purchase today. Insufficient discounts for the young and healthy will encourage many of them to forgo coverage. New fees and taxes mandated by the new law will also likely increase the cost of premiums as they are phased in. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies will continue to work with doctors, hospitals, employers and consumers to rein-in costs and insurance premiums while improving access to quality healthcare. In doing this, many of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have initiatives to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions, eliminate infections acquired during hospital visits and promote paying doctors and hospitals for quality outcomes to help achieve this goal.

The above information is from a post by BCBSNC in 2010 and located at bcbsnc.com.

 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.

WHEN WILL THESE NEW REFORMS BECOME EFFECTIVE:

Beginning in July 2010 – Consumers with health problems who have been uninsured for 6 months may be eligible to obtain coverage through a new high risk pool program. And a temporary reinsurance program will help employers who provide coverage to their retirees in maintaining this coverage. 

Beginning in plan years on or after September 23, 2010 – Pre-existing condition exclusions are prohibited for children under 19, dependents up to age 26 will be able to obtain coverage through parents’ health plans, routine preventive care will be covered without cost-sharing, limits on lifetime coverage will be eliminated along with other changes. 

In 2014 – Individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase coverage through state-based exchanges. Consumers will be able to purchase health insurance regardless of health status and premiums cannot vary because of health status. Individuals will be required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. Subsidies will be available on a sliding scale to help individuals or families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level to purchase insurance through new state-based exchanges.

The above information is from a post by BCBSNC in 2010. 

 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.

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…)

Get back down to basics and enjoy fresh summer produce from your local North Carolina Farmers Market or local produce stands.   North Carolina offers a wide variety of locally grown fruits and veggies just in time for summer.  Local produce stands are popping up everywhere so find the one “growing” closest to your family.  Are you having a hard time trying to get your children to eat fresh fruits and veggies.  Have you heard the question, “You really want me to eat that?”  If so then try the tips below to get your family back down to basics and jumpstart healthy eating habits for your children.  The strategies are mom tested and kid approved.  Check with your pediatrician to find the vegetable and fruit recommendations for your child.  Vegetable and fruit requirements vary by age and other factors of your child, but generallly children need 2 to 4 servings per day.  There are so many health benefits to eating fruits and vegetables, not to mention the memories your family will make when trying new recipes. Summer is here and it is the perfect time to support your child in creating healthy eating habits.  Your child will thank you later. 

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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…)