insurance which you purchase on your own.  When you begin a new job, you should first

find out how to sign up for your health coverage, when it starts and how much your costs

will be.

You can add new dependents to your plan when you marry, have a baby, or adopt a child.

In some cases, you may also be able to add a domestic partner.  Of course when you add a

dependent, your monthly premium cost will most likely increase.

The group health plan cannot refuse to cover you if you have a pre-existing condition.

However, some plans have a waiting period before the pre-existing condition is covered.

This waiting period cannot be longer than six months.

benefit by providing health coverage to your employees. Whether you have 2 or 20 or more,

your business can offer coverage at a reasonable cost to you and to your employees.

In addition, significant tax advantages may be available to employers who offer group

health coverage to their employees.  Employers most often can deduct 100% of the health

insurance premiums they pay on qualifying group health plans.  As part of a total

compensation package and  providing health coverage to employees, it may also result in

reduced payroll taxes for employers.  Further, when the employer offers group health

coverage, it is possible for an employee’s share of the premium to be paid with pre-tax

dollars, which results in tax savings for the employee.

At present, North Carolina has 16.03% of uninsured residents (those who do not have health

care coverage).  An average NC hospital cost per inpatient day (before insurance) is – $1,433.00.

If you and your spouse or domestic partner are looking for a health insurance plan, it is

advisable that you look at quotes both together and individually in order to find the plan that

best and most affordable.

NC  individual and family health insurance rates for couples may  be based on the age

of the youngest person on the policy, depending on the health insurance company.  Some couples

with an age difference of several years may find  they can save money by applying for the

same plan rather than  individual ones.  Couples that are only a few years apart may be able

to reduce their total costs by applying for separate health insurance plans.  However, if you decide

to apply for a health insurance plan as a couple, be sure the plan you have chosen covers the

benefits that meets the needs of both of you.

call 704-321-9491 to talk to a local Blue Cross
Blue Shield agent

Office hours

8:30 to 5  Monday-Friday

Located @

9709 Northeast Parkway suite 200

Matthews,
NC  28105

704-321-9491   phone

704-3211690     fax

www.ebs-ins.com

Effective January 1, 2012, a new law requiring specific infection control training for staff at

assisted living facilities in North Carolina took effect.  The law was passed with bi-partisan

support in the last legislative session in response to the deaths of six people at a facility in the

eastern part of the state in 2009 due to infections resulting from reusing fingerstick devices and

other instruments needed to test blood and administer insulin.

By the end of this year, medical technicians and their supervisors at facilities will receive a

training course developed by the state divisions of Health Service Regulations and Public

Health.  Additional infection control training requirements will go into effect October of 2013.

AARP North Carolina supported and advocated for the passage of the legislation which

established these new requirements.  Approximately 26,000 older or disabled adults reside

in assisted living fcilities in North Carolina.  This information appeared in the February

issue of AARP.

many choose to do so because they believe it is a magnet for attracting and keeping high

quality employees.  Insurance is regulated in a large part by each state and varies by the size

of the company.

The federal HIPAA law mandates that no matter what pre-existing health conditions small

employer group members may have, no small employer or an individual employee can be

turned down by an insurance company for group coverage.  However, in most states they

are allowed to look back at applicants’ medical histories for pre-existing conditions and

may decide not to cover certain conditions for a specified period of time.

When small group plans are medically underwritten, employees are asked to provide health

information about themselves and their covered family members when they apply for coverage.

Insurance companies use this information to determine rates.

plans, even without employees.  However, in most states, self-employed persons buying

health insurance on their own need to purchase individual and family plans.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, a small business/group plan might be best for

your needs.  If you are healthy and had few or no health insurance claims in the past year,

you may be able to reduce your monthly premium cost by choosing a plan with a higher

deductible.  But, if you decide to choose a higher deductible plan, make sure the deductible

amount is affordable in case an unexpected medical emergency occurs.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health Insurance plans

to choose from.  Go go www.ebs-ins.com and look over all the different options.

are flexible plans that can be tailored to your specific needs and the size of your company.

If you already have group coverage for your employees, you may want to explore other options.

If your business grew a lot in the past year and you added new employees, you may find that

your single health insurance option may not meet the needs of your employees in the new

situation.  Many small businesses offer second or third health insurance options from which

their employees can choose.

Also, if perhaps you downsized and maybe are paying for benefits you don’t use, you may be

able to find a plan with a lower premium that will exclude those benefits.

call 704-321-9491 to talk to a local Blue Cross
Blue Shield agent

Office hours

8:30 to 5  Monday-Friday

There are many changes that have taken place in medicine, and it is unlikely that we will

return to the “old days” when our family doctor was responsible for patient care both in

and out of the hospital.  Therefore, patients need to be proactive in seeking the best possible

care for their hospital stay.  Since your family doctor may not be the one responsible for your

care during the hospital stay, but rather the hospital’s staff, it is important to understand

your doctor’s policies for patient in-hospital care.  Some concerns are as follows:

a. Does your personal physician care for you in the hospital or rely on the hospital staff?

b. If there are several hospitals to choose from, which does your doctor prefer and do you have a choice?

c. Is there a plan to ensure communication between the hospital and your doctor regarding aftercare?

d.  Are there programs that assist you with care transitions or follow-up?

insurance as well to take care of the part of your expenses that Medicare does not pay.

Of course you will also want to go with a company who is the most prominent in its field

and can provide you the best coverage.  Blue Cross & Blue Shield is that company and our

experienced staff can guide you in selecting the plan that is right for you.

Medicare Supplement plans have no deductibles or copayments.

Medicare Supplement plans allow you to keep the doctor you have now.

Medicare supplement plans do not require referrals to see a specialist.

Coverage is limited to Medicare-eligible expenses and benefits vary by plan and the premium

will vary with the amount of benefits selected.

to be used for research to determine which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments

work best.  Major insurers are already carrying out their own effectiveness research, but some

feel it lacks the credibility of government sponsored studies, because much of that research is

financed by drug companies and medical device manufacturers, who have a built-in interest

in the findings.  Also, a drug maker only has to show that a new medicine is more effective

than a sugar pill and not a competing medication, to win government approval for marketing.

The 2009 Economic Stimulus Bill included $1.1 billion for medical effectiveness research,

mainly through the National Institutes of Health. It was not controversial until after the

former GOP Vice Pres. candidate, Sarah Palin, claimed they were setting up “death panels”

to ration care.  As a result, lawmakers changed it to an independent nonprofit organization.