Jerry Ballard & Associates, Inc. partners with Independent Benefit Advisors located in the Triangle area who was ranked NUMBER ONE agency in the State of North Carolina for Medicare products through Blue Cross Blue Shield and now handles all of our senior products.  See the doctor you prefer and enjoy all value-added discounts.  Keep control of your care, savings and peace of mind.  Medicare only covers some of your medical costs, which is why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) offers Medicare Supplement plans for Medicare beneficiaries and helps cover costs that Medicare doesn’t.

With the largest market share of Medicare supplement policyholders in the state, BCBSNC serves more than 125,000 North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries with over 75 years of experience in the health care industry. (more…)

Health care reform became a reality when President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 23rd, 2010. A reconciliation bill, which made changes to PPACA, was signed into law one week later.

Health care reform will extend access to millions of people who need health insurance. It’s a historic step in the right direction. But there’s still a lot of work to do to give Americans a health care system that they can both depend on and afford.

In keeping with the needs of North Carolinians, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is preparing for the many changes the new law requires. However, because it’s more than 2,000 pages long, there’s a process to “translate” legislative language to best serve our customers. Federal regulations will also be required to implement many aspects of the law. When those regulations will be finalized is uncertain. (more…)

Save with generic drugs, they are the same as brand name drugs in dosage, safety, active ingredients, and quality.  Generic co-pays are usually lower too.

When a pharmaceutical company develops a new drug, it gets a patent that allows it to be the only seller of that drug. When the patent expires, other companies can offer medications with the same active ingredient which are referred to as generic drugs, and they are generally less expensive, they could be as much as 75% percent less than their brand name equivalents.

Generic drugs are approved by the FDA, and are identical to brand name drugs in terms of quality. Generic drugs also have active drug ingredients that are identical to their brand name equivalents. In fact, the FDA reviews data showing the drug is bioequivalent to the brand name drug, monitors manufacturing practices of the drug, and reviews the active and inactive ingredients used in the drug before it is marketed. (more…)

For the last year, the nation’s attention has been fixed on reforming our healthcare system. On behalf of our nearly 100 million members, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committed to working with the Administration and all other parties to implement this new law.

As we have done throughout our 80-year history, we will continue to help people navigate the healthcare system, especially at this time when many people are confused and unsure of what reform means to them. Being a part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield family is about so much more than a simple membership card. It is a commitment to service excellence regardless of where you live or what kind of health plan you have. It is financial security in times of healthcare necessity. It is investments in the communities where you live, work and play. (more…)

The federal health care reform legislation, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by the President on March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act approved by Congress, signed by the President today, will expand the availability of health care coverage to millions of Americans. While some of the measures will be implemented this year, many do not take effect until 2014 and some extend out to 2020.

Below is information we have received which is a high-level overview of the timeline.  It is important to note that many of these reforms and their effective dates are subject to the rules and regulations process both at the state and federal levels – which could alter the intended timing of implementation.  Also, keep in mind, anything is subject to change.

2010

New Programs:
* Temporary retiree reinsurance program is established
* National risk pool is created, small business tax credit is established
* $250 rebate for Medicare members who reach the ”doughnut hole”

Insurance Reforms:
* Prohibits lifetime benefit limits – based on dollar amounts
* Allows restricted annual limits on the dollar value of certain benefits
* Coverage rescissions/cancellations are prohibited (except for fraud or intentional misrepresentation)
* Cost-sharing obligations for preventive services are prohibited
* Dependent coverage up to age 26 is mandated
* Internal and external appeal processes must be established
* Pre-existing condition exclusions for dependent children (under 19 years of age) are prohibited
* New health plan disclosure and transparency requirements are created

(more…)

Historically, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has not differentiated rates for children between the ages of 1 to 18. As the medical costs for children have increased, the company needed to begin studying the costs within life stages of the children, too. What was found was that the age cost curve for children does not progressively go up like all other age groups.

The company has seen that the costs of newborns to age 1 have the highest cost of any age under the age of 18. When these changes were made, the two year old rate was actually lowered to more properly reflect the lower costs children have after their first year. And the nine month-old  is also scheduled to get that lower rate when they turn two years old.  Without considering medical trends or other shifts, the decrease could be approximately 33%.

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.

Each year,  BCBSNC  rates are adjusted based on what is believed what medical trends will be overall, as well as how it will be distributed within the portfolio. Example, rating for male customers between the ages of 35-39 who live in the Triangle area of our state are currently less than females aged 50-54 that live in the eastern part of our state. In general, females submit more claims, and generally so do people as they get older, and the cost of care in the east is generally more than in the Triangle. As any of those factors shift relative to one another for those groupings of customers they will be adjusted, so that the low-cost customers are not unfairly burdened by the purchases and practices of the higher cost customers.

While high rate increases garner all the headlines, consumer -driven health plans continue to see lower medical trend. The good news is that in January, 3O% of new Individual customers chose HSA products.  We need to continue to tell the utilization story, something that the current debate on reform continues to ignore. To personalize this, just this week a family was at the doctor, and they asked whether the next wellness visit for their very healthy 12 year-old should be every two years or every year, and the physician replied, “Every two years is fine, unless it is covered by your insurance, in which case you may as well take advantage of it.”

Consumerism and personal accountability are the most powerful tools we have in the fight against higher medical costs. Consumer driven health plans incent both. It requires effort and understanding by the customer, the doctors and those who market the products, but it is the opinion, they will certainly be worth that effort. The more customers buy these products, and feel good about exercising their right to understanding what procedures cost, the more it will become a normal part of how care is delivered.

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.

As stated in the 2009 financial summary, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA’S profit margin was 2.1% with 87% of premiums collected going towards medical expenses. As is statutorily required, rates are reviewed and approved by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. It is hard to measure market share in the individual market accurately because the people in the market move in and out regularly. However, member population helps BLUE CROSS BLUE SHILD OF NORTH CAROLINA negotiate lower rates with hospitals and other providers.

When shopping for your health coverage, rates do not vary between agents or the company. Rates are established and set each year, regardless who you purchase your coverage through.

Trust the agent you are working with – what makes the difference in who you purchase your coverage through – CUSTOMER SERVICE is the ONLY difference, don’t let any agent tell you their premiums are cheaper or their products are better. If you are told that, you need to find someone else to work with.

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.

Chances are your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina prescription drug benefit is provided through Medco, Inc. If so, you may want to take advantage of the services offered by Medco’s mail order pharmacy (Medco By Mail). Note: not all members have access to Medco’s Medco By Mail. One way to check is to look for “Paid BNCDRUG” listed on your ID card next to “Rx Service:”.

You can use Medco’s Medco By Mail two ways:
Call at 1-800-711-0926
Visit the Web site:Medco.com

Phone and Online:
Order refills, Renew prescriptions Check order status , Check mail order account status, Request mail order forms and envelopes, View prescription claims history (local and mail order)Prescription drug pricing and coverage information, Find a participating pharmacy (NC and nationwide), View summary of prescription drug benefit, Find health and wellness articles Drug information

Registration and Login for Medco.comTM
To access the above features online at Medco.com, you will first need to register and login using a login and password that you choose. The registration process will ask you for your member ID which can be found on your Blue Cross and Blue Shield ID card (enter the last 9 digits beginning with the W). Medco.com offers the following services:

Mail order transactions
Order refills. Renew prescriptions. Check your order status. Check your account status. Now you can do all these things online through Medco.com. It’s a simple way to conduct all your mail order business with Medco’s Medco By Mail.

View your prescription claims history

Need an easy way to keep track of all your prescriptions for tax purposes? Whatever your reason, now you can view your prescription claims history online. You’ll be able to review them through both your local retail pharmacies or Medco’s Medco By Mail.

(more…)

Posted on 21. Dec, 2009 in A Closer Look
 

MYTH: Most Americans support the idea of a government-run health insurance plan.
FACT: There is simply no consensus. Where the majority stands on this issue depends considerably on how the question is phrased. If a public option is couched as simply another choice — one independent of the options they have now — of course most people say they’re for it. But when more detail is provided in evaluating the concept, opinions tend to be more negative.

For example, while a Washington Post/ABC News poll[1] did find that 57 percent of respondents supported a public option (versus 40 percent opposed), an NBC/WSJ poll[2] found that 48 percent of respondents felt a public option would “reduce access to their choice of doctors and would lower costs by limiting medical treatment options,” versus 45 percent that believed it would “help lower health care costs and provide coverage for uninsured Americans.”

Other recent polls indicate public skepticism about the direction of current health care reform proposals – particularly as they relate to a government-run health plan and health coverage costs. An October Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that significantly more Americans think health care costs will increase under reform (47 percent) than believe reform will reduce costs (13 percent). Around the same time, a poll of likely voters conducted for the Civitas Organization[3] found North Carolinians deeply divided on this issue, with 49.3 percent of voters saying they disapprove of the health care plan being proposed by President Obama and Congress and 40.3 percent supporting it.

MYTH: Proposed health reform legislation will not tax the middle-class.
FACT: The Senate health reform bill includes indirect taxes on health care consumers, in the form of $11 billion in taxes on health insurers, drug companies and medical equipment manufacturers. Consumers will pay those costs in higher premiums. Some middle-class consumers could also see their cost impacted by the Senate’s 40 percent excise tax on “Cadillac Plans.”

If cost is the number one problem in health care, then reining in costs should be the number one priority in health care reform. New taxes and fees will increase costs for those who already have coverage.

(more…)

Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL), Ruptured Cruciate, Ruptured Ligament

 Ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Torn ACL, Torn ligament.

Affected Animals: Commonly, dogs and humans; less commonly, cats. Obese animals are at greater risk for suffering this injury. In addition, certain breeds of dogs are more susceptible than others to developing a ruptured cruciate ligament. Most commonly, these breeds include the rottweiler and cocker spaniel. The Labrador retriever, German shepherd, mastiff, golden retriever, miniature and toy poodle, Lhasa apso, and bichon frise are likely to suffer from the problem as well.

Overview:
A normal dog’s knee joint works like a hinge, keeping the animal’s leg stable as it bends. When the knee has a ruptured cruciate ligament, the “hinge” becomes loose and no longer functions as effectively. This looseness prevents the knee from maintaining stability of motion. As a result, the dog suffers pain, inflammation, and eventually develops arthritis. This is a very common orthopedic disease in dogs.
When a knee injury occurs suddenly — as it usually does among humans who suffer from injuries to the cruciate ligament due to a skiing, football, or other sports-related accident — the ligament will tear rapidly. But usually with dogs, the tearing is partial and occurs gradually, resulting in low-level lameness that may improve initially over time. However, progressive injuries can be quite damaging; because of the trauma to the ligament, the knee joint becomes inflamed, leading to arthritis, which only grows worse with continued weight bearing.

Trochlea of Femur – Tibia; Fibula – Cranial Cruciate Ligament – Caudal Cruciate Ligament- Lateral Meniscus – Medial Meniscus

In more severe chronic cases, the “shock absorbers” of the knee — quarter-moon shaped sections of cartilage called the medial and lateral menisci — tear or become crushed because of exposure to abnormal stress that occurs when the knee is loose. Animals with this condition often are severely lame and may not be able to put any weight on the affected leg.

Both surgical and non-surgical methods for treatment are available. Generally, dogs have a good chance of recovering normal, or almost normal, movement after surgery, but the arthritis that has occurred already will not be reversible. Additionally, dogs that have ruptured the cruciate ligament on one side are more likely to tear the ligament in the other knee.

Obesity is a major risk factor for this injury and certain breeds of dogs are more likely than others to rupture their ligaments. (more…)

Mission Statement:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leading health services company.  We deliver quality products, information, and services to help our customers improve their health and well-being.

History and Facts:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is a leader in delivering innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.7 million members, including approximately 900,000 served on behalf of other Blue Plans. The company offers its members discounts and information on a wide variety of health-related services at no additional cost. BCBSNC also offers dental and disability insurance products. For 75 years, the company has served its customers by offering access to quality health care at a competitive price and has served the people of North Carolina through support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health.

*The content of this post is provided by BCBSNC.

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.