Healthcare News & Stories

A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for Medicare products in North Carolina, including Blue Cross NC, is available for those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Eligible individuals can enroll from September 25, 2024 – May 31, 2025. Proof or verbal attestation is required.

Residents in certain counties impacted by Hurricane Helene now have an extended opportunity to apply for or adjust their Blue Cross NC individual health insurance plans. The Special Enrollment Period (SEP) has been extended for these counties, offering a chance to secure health coverage or switch to a plan that better suits your needs.
Who Is Eligible?
Residents in the affected counties can use this SEP to enroll in a new plan and apply for coverage with Blue Cross NC or another carrier. They can also switch plans, updating their coverage to align with their current healthcare needs.

Blue Cross NC members can now enjoy the convenience of home delivery for prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy, simplifying medication management while maintaining trusted benefits.

Starting January 1, 2025, Blue Cross NC members can join FitOn Health for access to over 13,000 gyms and studios.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) offers Healthy Blue + Medicare (HMO-POS D-SNP), a plan for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. It combines medical, hospital, and prescription drug benefits with over $10,000 in extra services at no cost.

For Medicare, the Annual Enrollment Period for 2025 runs from October 15 to Dec 7, 2024. For individual and family plans, Open Enrollment starts November 1, 2024 and ends January 15, 2025. For more details about enrollment periods for 2025, feel free to reach out to one of our agents.

If your senior parent, relative or friend asks for your help in choosing health insurance coverage, there are several things you can do to support them.
How can I help a senior parent, relative or friend find health coverage?
Whether Medicare or other coverage, there are things to consider when trying to help your senior parent, relative or friend find health insurance. It’s not an easy subject to discuss, and it involves talking about sensitive topics like personal health and finances. It will take time and research to select the best plan. Here are four things to consider.

Are you a senior enrolled in Medicare? Are you considering additional coverage options to help with your healthcare costs?  Recent research shows that more and more seniors are turning to Medicare supplement plans.  Also known as Medigap plans, these plans are specifically designed to help you fill in the gaps often left by traditional Medicare coverage.

A new concerning health insurance trend has emerged: unauthorized plan switching.  KFF Health News reports that this switching is happening with surprising ease in the 32 states that serve the Federal Marketplace. Customers find themselves enrolled in new plans without their knowledge or consent. The result? Profound implications for their financial well-being and;  Not being enrolled in the right plan to meet their healthcare needs.  

If you’re a senior entering the world of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for the first time, it can be overwhelming due to the many options available.  With an average of 43 plans on offer, knowing where to start and how to navigate the complexity of these plans to make an informed decision can seem impossible. That’s where Medicare Advantage agents come in.  In this article, we’ll explain the crucial role agents play in helping you sift through the myriad options to help you you choose the most suitable plan. Let’s get started.

Medicare is undergoing a significant shift, bringing hope to millions of beneficiaries grappling with the high costs of prescription drugs.  The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has led to major changes in the Medicare Part D program, including a new prescription drug cap of $2,000. The Act focuses on reducing out-of-pocket patient expenses to curb Medicare's spending on prescription drugs. Let’s examine the changes, who will benefit, and when the new rules will take effect.

As you may be aware, a State of Emergency has been declared in North Carolina due to the severe weather affecting much of the state. The emergency is effective January 8 until February 7 (unless the governor rescinds the order earlier).  For anyone living in North Carolina, a Special Enrollment Period is now available for Medicare until April 7, 2024.

If you’ve just started researching health insurance coverage options, you’ll know that the industry can be complex. There are countless coverage options available at multiple price points.  Unfortunately, the confusion surrounding health insurance can sometimes lead to exploitation. We’ve seen operators selling inadequate health insurance products to customers throughout North Carolina that don’t deliver the benefits clients are promised.

Using a local agent or broker can offer plenty of benefits if you're in the market for a new health insurance plan. Not only can you access quotes for plans that support your future medical needs, but getting advice from someone nearby can mean they understand the nuances of different plans specific to North Carolina. At Health Plans of NC, our experienced agents know how to find the best health insurance plans for North Carolina residents. 

Did you know that over 50% of online shoppers in the US find customer reviews helpful when searching for products or services online? Using reviews in this way can apply to a range of products and services, with more and more Americans turning to various review sites, including Google, to help make purchase decisions.

In today's digital age, many Americans use technology to manage various aspects of their everyday lives, from buying groceries to sourcing financial advice.  With the rise of computer-generated assistants and helpful chatbots, saving time and using automated tools for the more complex things in life can be tempting - like finding the right health insurance coverage. But while you can enroll in a health insurance plan online, it's essential that you first understand your coverage options before choosing a plan.  When searching for the right health insurance for your health and budget, nothing beats getting advice from an experienced and knowledgeable health insurance agent. Particularly, one who specializes in understanding the needs of people like you who live in North Carolina.

Accessing the right level of healthcare coverage at a price that’s right for you helps ensure you can access the healthcare you need when you need it. While searching for the best health insurance plan for you and your family can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be.  At Health Plans of NC, we can help you choose an affordable and comprehensive health insurance plan. We can also explain how open enrollment periods work and when enrollment starts in 2024. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced changes this year to protect your information and reinforce consumer rights. The new requirements, which help ensure greater transparency when working with health insurance agents and brokers, are part of the 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP). What does this mean for you?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have introduced new requirements that aim to protect consumer interests. The requirements, which help ensure greater transparency when working with health insurance agents and brokers, are part of the 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP). These enhanced consumer protections were introduced in response to various complaints and disputes about who can act on an individual’s behalf. The rules apply to all enrollments by agents, brokers, and web-brokers, regardless of which platform they use.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently released changes to how health insurance agents and brokers can market to customers. These changes aim to improve your experience when sourcing Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.  Ensuring agents and plan providers follow the new guidelines helps you to make a more informed decision about your coverage.

Health insurance for one person can be extremely intimidating and an exhaustive process. Now, imagine the pressure for a growing family who has to balance doubled premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums.
If you’re struggling to understand the overall benefit of family insurance and why your family may benefit from it, we’re here to help. This article will answer and expand on the question, “What is family insurance?”
What Are Family Insurance Policies?

Health plan costs have risen substantially, yet salaries have remained nearly flat, up only 15% per year. At the beginning of every year, working Americans are demoted as health care costs unsustainably rise more than salaries.
In 2015, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that medical bills caused one million adults to declare bankruptcy. Its survey found that 26 percent of Americans aged 18 to 64 struggled to pay medical bills, which, according to the U.S. Census, represents 52 million adults.
However, most people eligible for Medicare hesitate to enroll because no one has told them the benefits they may qualify for. In this article, we’ll compare Medicare to other kinds of commercial insurance and answer the question, “Is Medicare commercial insurance?”

Coordination of Benefits, primary insurer, and secondary payer are terms that many people with multiple insurers are familiar with.
While some may think that Medicare is a one-and-done deal and think that they have to give up their current insurance plan – this isn’t true. In fact, with the proper knowledge and know-how, Medicare can expand your coverage and ease your financial burdens.
But that all depends on your insurance, medical situation, and more. In this article, we’ll be exploring how Medicare works with other insurance plans. 

As the workforce ages, associated statistics play a prominent role in claim cost projections. Statistically, employees aged 65 and older incur two to three times the claim cost of average employees aged 40. However, claims equal risk, and unfortunately, this drives up health insurance premiums or self-insured costs.
Employees who know their health coverage options use a Medicare Advantage Plan to help with these costs. But knowing which medical insurance plan is the most beneficial for you and what you’re eligible for involves a lot of research.
Below, we’ll discuss a Medicare Advantage Plan, your options, and how it works with employer insurance. We also answer, “Can you have a Medicare Advantage Plan and employer insurance?”