Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance Health Plans from Blue Cross NC
in North Carolina
← Compare all Blue Cross NC plans
Triangle area
Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance is a Blue Cross NC plan built around UNC Health's provider network, including more than 1,900 primary care providers, UNC Medical Center (nationally ranked in 4 adult and 9 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report), and UNC Rex Hospital (rated high-performing in 1 adult specialty and 21 adult procedures and conditions).
Like the other Blue Home plans, this is a single-system regional network offered at a lower premium than broad-network options — only UNC Health Alliance providers are in-network. We recommend it for Triangle-area residents who already rely on a UNC Health doctor, especially for complex or pediatric care.
Good fit if you have an ongoing relationship with a UNC Health specialist, especially for a complex or chronic condition, prefer pediatric care coordinated through UNC's academic health system, or live in one of the eligible Triangle-area counties.
Poor fit if your regular doctors are with Cone Health, Duke Health, or WakeMed — all three are out-of-network here.
Regional network – Triangle area
Network: UNC Health Alliance only1 (incl. UNC Medical Center).2
Out-of-area care: Emergency / urgent only.
Offered in Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers.
Notes
Blue Cross NC has collaborated with UNC Health to bring you Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance. Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance is a health insurance plan offered by Blue Cross NC that provides access to a limited network of providers. UNC Health is an independent company that is solely responsible for the physicians and medical facilities it owns and operates. UNC Health does not offer Blue Cross or Blue Shield products or services.
UNC Health, www.unchealthcare.org/health-alliance/ (Accessed August 2024).
U.S. News and World Report, www.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/nc/university-of-north-carolina-hospitals-6360260 (Accessed August 2024).
U.S. News and World Report, www.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/nc/rex-healthcare-6361210 (Accessed August 2024).
Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance is available on and off Marketplace to residents of these North Carolina counties: Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Lee, Nash, Orange, Person, and Wake.
This plan is built around a single system, UNC Health Alliance, which keeps the premium lower than Blue Cross NC's broad-network plans. Only UNC Health Alliance providers are in-network — outside of emergency and urgent care, Duke Health and WakeMed are not covered, even though both operate in the same Triangle-area counties.
The network includes more than 1,900 primary care providers, UNC Medical Center — nationally ranked in four adult and nine pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report — and UNC Rex Hospital, rated high-performing in one adult specialty and 21 adult procedures and conditions.
For members managing a complex or chronic condition, or families needing pediatric specialty care, having that care coordinated through one academic health system is often the main draw of this plan over a broader but less integrated network.
The lower premium is the trade-off for narrowing to one system. It's offered in Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers, and most applicants qualify for a premium tax credit based on income and household size.
This plan is available across 11 Triangle-area counties, including Wake, Durham, and Orange. If your doctors are with Duke Health or WakeMed instead, this plan won't cover them outside of an emergency.
You can enroll during the annual Open Enrollment Period (November 1 – January 15) or during a Special Enrollment Period if you've had a qualifying life event — a job change, a move, a new dependent, or losing other coverage.
A licensed Health Plans of NC agent can confirm your UNC Health providers are in-network, check your subsidy, and compare this plan against Blue Advantage and Blue Care — at no cost. Call 800-797-0327.
Yes — UNC Medical Center, nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in several adult and pediatric specialties, is part of this network, along with more than 1,900 primary care providers across the Triangle.
No. Duke Health and WakeMed are out-of-network on Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance, along with their affiliated providers. If your regular doctors are with Duke or WakeMed, this isn’t the right plan.
No. UNC Health is an independent company solely responsible for its physicians and facilities. Blue Cross NC partners with UNC Health to offer this plan design, but UNC Health does not sell Blue Cross or Blue Shield products.
Every Blue Cross NC individual plan comes in three “metal” tiers that describe how you and the plan split covered costs. Bronze plans have the lowest monthly premium but pay about 60% of covered costs, so you pay roughly 40% when you use care. Silver plans pay about 70% (you pay ~30%), and Gold plans pay about 80% (you pay ~20%) in exchange for a higher premium.
As a rule of thumb: Bronze suits people who rarely use care and want the lowest premium, Gold suits people who use regular or ongoing care, and Silver is the middle ground. Silver is also the only tier that unlocks Cost-Sharing Reductions (CSRs) — extra savings on deductibles and copays if your income qualifies — so many subsidy-eligible shoppers get the best overall value from a Silver plan. A licensed Health Plans of NC agent can run the numbers for your situation at no cost.
The most important step before choosing any plan is confirming your doctors, specialists, and preferred hospitals are in that plan’s network. Networks differ a lot between Blue Cross NC plans — a doctor who is in-network on one plan may be out-of-network, and far more expensive, on another.
You can check each plan’s provider directory on bcbsnc.com, or — the easier route — call a Health Plans of NC agent at 800-797-0327 and we’ll verify your specific providers before you enroll, at no charge.
Most North Carolinians who buy their own coverage qualify for a premium tax credit — a subsidy based on your income and household size that lowers what you pay each month. Subsidy amounts and eligibility rules can change from year to year, so the only way to know your real price is to run a personalized quote.
Health Plans of NC can check your subsidy eligibility and show you the after-subsidy premium for any of these plans for free. Call 800-797-0327 or request a quote online.
You can enroll during the annual Open Enrollment Period, which runs each fall (generally starting November 1) for coverage that begins the following year. Outside that window, you can still enroll if you have a qualifying life event — such as losing other coverage, moving, marriage, or having a baby — which opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period.
Because enrollment dates and rules can change, it’s worth confirming the current deadline. A Health Plans of NC agent can tell you whether you’re eligible to enroll right now — call 800-797-0327.
Nothing. Health Plans of North Carolina is an independent, authorized agency licensed to sell Blue Cross NC plans, and our help — comparing plans, checking your doctors, estimating subsidies, and enrolling — is completely free to you. Agents are paid by the insurance company, and the plan price is the same whether you enroll with us or on your own.
Call 800-797-0327 to talk with a licensed local agent.
Choose your county to see every Blue Cross NC plan offered there alongside Blue Home with UNC Health Alliance.
