EBS is the premier provider for HEALTH INSURANCE offering BlueCross
BlueShield of NC for individuals & families. Blue Cross Blue Shield of
North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health Insurance plans to choose from,
go to www.ebs-ins.com & look over all
the different options.

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

EBS is the premier provider for HEALTH INSURANCE offering BlueCross
BlueShield of NC for individuals & families. Blue Cross Blue Shield of
North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health Insurance plans to choose from,
go to www.ebs-ins.com & look over all
the different options.

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

A child can become very ill quickly and need immediate professional quality care.  If you are

covered by group health insurance through your employer your child should be covered for

the doctor and hospital charges.  But do you know how generous your employer’s sick leave

posicy is with small children?  Some employers provide sick leave when you have a sick

child and allow time off for doctor’s visits and home  aftercare.  Others are not flexible at

all.

If you do not have employer provided health insurance for your child, it is important that

you purchase an  individual policy to provide for them in case of serious illness.  Our staff

can assist you in selecting the best coverage  for your needs and at the lowest cost to you.

Further, we provide excellent  continuing customer service to you.

More North Carolina top small business companies choose Blue Cross and Blue Shield than

any other.  This information was taken from the 2008 Government Accountability Report.

We are a company with long years of success in serving the health insurance needs of

North Carolina residents.

The odds that you will need long-term care are likely greater than you think.  According to

AARP statistics, 1 out of 6 in North Carolina cares for a family member or friend age 60 or

older.  As reported in a study in the journal Inquiry, 70 percent of all Americans age 65 and

older will likely need some form of long-term care.  That includes nursing home care as well

as assistance with activities of daily living: toileting, bathing, dressing, eating, transferring

out of bed and incontinence care.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that it was dropping the

CLASS Act, which would have set up a public LTC insurance program, from the Affordable

Care Act.  This leaves citizens having to obtain coverage for themselves on the open market.

On average people need care for three years, but 20% of today’s older adults will need care

for five years or more and more than 40% will need care in a nursing home.  This was

reported by the HHS Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.  The annual average

cost of nursing home care is $75,000 a year and can quickly eat up your savings if you don’t

have insurance.  Medicaid doesn’t kick in until you basically spend all of your money on

long-term care.

It is very important that you protect yourself and your family by getting long-term care insurance

before you actually need it.  Our office staff can give you a free quote on cost when you call

out office.

It is of vital importance that individuals needing health care coverage work with a licensed agent

to help them find the best options for their individual needs.  While dependent children are now

able to remain on their parents health care plan until age 26, this may not be suitable for

everyone.  When it becomes advisable to find an individual policy, there are several variances

to consider. (e.g. If you have a pre-existing health condition and have  trouble finding coverage,

your experienced Blue Cross agent can guide you through what is available and what is required

for you to secure this coverage.)  In addition, the area where you reside may be a factor in

choosing the right plan for you.   You may also want to consider whether you need dental

coverage and/or prescription coverage and the amount of deductible you are comfortable with.

Individual policies from major insurance companies are routinely paid on a month-to-month

basis with no contracts or cancellation fees and the insurance can then be cancelled in the

event a job is found that offers group health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health
Insurance plans to choose from, go to www.ebs-ins.com
& look over all the different options.

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

As a small business owner, you may have considered whether or not you could afford group

health insurance for your employees. The answer is  ”yes, you can.”

If you operate a small business, you may qualify for tax credits to offset part of the cost of

offering health insurance to your employees.  An estimated 2.8 million to 4 million small

businesses are eligible for the credits.

To be eligible for the tax credit, your business must have 25 or fewer employees with average

annual wages under $50,000.  Your business must also pay at least 50 percent of the cost of

health care coverage for your employees.  The tax credits are retroactive to Jan.1, 2010, and

the amount of the tax credit depends on how many employees you have and their average wage.

The full credit is available to businesses with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages

of up to $25,000.  The full credit will help pay 35 percent of your premium expenses. In 2014,

the value of the credit will increase to 50 percent of premiums.  Tax credits are also available

to firms with 10 to 25 employees who have average annual wages between $25,000 and $50,000.

The amount of the credit will be based on the number of employees and their wages.

EBS is the premier provider for HEALTH INSURANCE offering BlueCross
BlueShield of NC for individuals & families. Blue Cross Blue Shield of
North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health Insurance plans to choose from,
go to www.ebs-ins.com & look over all
the different options.

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

Beginning this year (2012) the government will charge a new fee to your health insurance

plan for research aimed at finding which drugs, medical procedures, tests and treatments

work best.  The 2009 economic stimulus bill included $1.1 billion for medical effectiveness

research, mainly through the National Institutes of Health.  It was not considered particularly

controversial.  However, it began to change during the congressional health care debate,

after former GOP Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, made the claim that they were

setting up “death panels” to ration care.

As a result, lawmakers changed the new institute.  It was set up as an independent nonprofit

organization, with a .org Internet address instead of .gov.  The government cannot dictate

Selby’s research agenda, and there are limitations on how the Health and Human Services

department can use the research findings in decisions that affect Medicare and Medicaid.

Major insurers already are carrying out their own effectiveness research, but some feel it lacks

the credibility of government sponsored studies.  Much of the medical research that doctors and

consumers rely on now is financed by drug companies and medical device manufacturers,

who have a built-in interest in the findings.

EBS is the premier provider for HEALTH INSURANCE offering BlueCross
BlueShield of NC for individuals & families. Blue Cross Blue Shield of
North Carolina, Charlotte offers several Health Insurance plans to choose from,
go to www.ebs-ins.com & look over all
the different options.

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

treatments for conditions that affect veterans,” says Joel Kupersmith, M.D., the VA’s chief

research officer,  and study “whether there are underlying genetic factors that contribute to

disorders.”  Volunteers must provide blood samples and complete health questionnaires at one

of the nation’s 40 VA health centers.  The samples are tested for DNA and other genetic

characteristics.  Procedures are in place to protect participants’ privacy.

This is a very worthwhile study and could possibly benefit future veterans as well as the

present ones.

One of the advantages for employees in a group health plan is the contribution most employers

make toward the cost of  health coverage .  In many cases, employers pay one-half  or

more of the monthly premium for an employee.  Although employers are not required to offer

health insurance to employees at this time, many do so because they believe that health coverage

helps them to attract and retain top employees.  Insurance is regulated in large measue by each

state and varies by the size of the company.

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.

The insurance companies then use this information to determine rates.  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, small employer health

insurance companies 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.

As an employer, if you want to attract and retain the best workers for your company, it is

important that you provide excellent health coverage.  When you are interviewing a prospective

employee and they are aware that 40% or more of their total compensation will contain

employee benefits, it is a large selling point when you can offer them the very best in group

health insurance coverage.  This  might be the turning point that will make them seriously

consider a position with your company if they are selected.  Naturally, the best coverage should

also be at a price that is comfortable for you and your employees.

Insurance is regulated in large measure by each state.  The laws regarding health insurance

may vary from one state to another.  The laws regarding how coverage can be issued to large

groups are not the same as those for small groups.  The manner in which premium rates are

determined is also different.  The requirements for sole proprietors purchasing health insurance

coverage varies from state to state as well.   Therefore, it is important for your company that you

seek the advice of a health insurance professional when selecting group health coverage.

With over 20 years experience, we can guide you into selecting the policy that best suits the

needs of your employees and which laws pertain to your particular situation in the State of

North Carolina.