RichDayHealthPlans Blog

The world in an unstable place.  As you know, you work very hard to make travel arrangements.  You work on your itinerary for weeks.  You go to the travel agent.  You look online for information about the place you want to visit.  Most likely, you will talk with your friends to ask them what they thought of the place they visited.  Careful planning helps to ensure that you will have an enjoyable experience.

Now comes the scary music…remember the Jaws music…can you hear it?

You have spent money on deposits for hotels or B&Bs.  You have spent money for airline tickets, cruise line tickets, tour operator deposits.  What do you do if you can’t go on your trip? Are you prepared to lose all this money?  Try to get it back, if you’d like, but you might as well save your time.

So what types of things can go wrong?

• You, your spouse, or even your travel mate might get too sick to go on the trip.
• Perhaps one of your party gets sick while on your trip.
• There may be an earth quake, tsunami, or economic problems at your destination.
• What if there is a terrorist incident at the travel destination?
• If you have a medical problem while on your trip, who is going to interpret to the medical personnel for you?
• If your medical problem causes you to have to be repatriated back to the United States, who is going to pay for the medical evacuation or repatriation?
• The tour company you sent your deposit to may go out of business.

Many things can go wrong and do go wrong on a daily basis.  If you travel very often, you will probably have some stories to tell.

There is insurance that will cover your trip of up to 30 consecutive days.  They have people on the insurance company’s staff that will be available 24-hours a day to answer questions, help you with travel emergencies, talk with medical personnel, and reimburse you for your deposits, and any covered non-refundable expenses. Medical evacuation can be extremely expensive, as you may surmise.

It is called Travel or Trip cancellation insurance.  Believe me, it makes sense to protect yourself against any of these types of eventualities.

Surprisingly, it isn’t very expensive.  For example, you might be able to protect $1,500 of your trip for about $100.  Look into protecting yourself from great disappointment with travel cancellation insurance.

• $4.2 million in rewards paid to doctors during Bridges to Excellence quality program
• Study finds lower health care spending per patient among recognized physicians
• Patients incur fewer costly imaging tests, ER visits

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) has found a payoff– both in health quality measures and in lower health care spending – for encouraging physicians to meet national quality standards.

Patients of physicians meeting standards for efficiencies in practice management receive fewer high-cost imaging tests such as CT scans, a data analysis by BCBSNC shows. They also don’t visit the emergency room or medical specialists as often. As a result, annual health care spending is less per patient than for the BCBSNC customer population as a whole.

The findings are from an analysis of claims conducted by BCBSNC’s Clinical Informatics unit.  The analysis was completed at the conclusion of the company’s three-year pilot for health care quality under the national Bridges to Excellence program.

“We’ve believed for years that quality improvement leads to better health outcomes and lower costs, and now we have data that demonstrates it,” said Don Bradley, MD, BCBSNC senior vice president and chief medical officer. “Our investment in Bridges to Excellence over the past three years has made a difference for patients and physicians.”

Based on the success of the Bridges to Excellence pilot, BCBSNC is considering ways to expand the concept of providing rewards and recognition to doctors meeting quality standards. Since launching the pilot in 2006, BCBSNC and its partner in Bridges to Excellence incentives, the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees, have paid $4.2 million in incentive compensation to participating physicians.

Doctors have embraced BCBSNC’s efforts to bring Bridges to Excellence to North Carolina. The pilot program included 194 physicians, representing 41 practices, who earned rewards for meeting at least one quality standard. Counting all physicians in the BCBSNC network, regardless of whether they participated in the pilot, more than 970 had achieved at least one quality standard as of April 2009. When the company started the Bridges to Excellence pilot, fewer than 100 physicians in the state were recognized as having met the standards.

“The health care quality movement is here to stay, and it’s imperative that we keep this focus on quality as we embark on reforming the nation’s health care system,” Dr. Bradley said.

Jennifer Lail, MD, a pediatrician with Chapel Hill Pediatrics and Adolescents who participated in the Bridges to Excellence pilot, said the pilot was an important first step in supporting North Carolina physicians’ efforts to provide quality-based, patient-centered care.

“Ongoing self-assessment and quality improvement efforts are a critical part of any medical practice,” Dr. Lail said. “While caring for patients, physicians need some external structure and compensation as they review their practices’ data and processes. The financial benefits of Bridges to Excellence have been very useful in continuing our quality improvement efforts.”

BCBSNC’s data analysis of the Bridges to Excellence pilot shows the following:

• Patients of the doctors in the program for better efficiencies in practice management –which includes information systems, patient education and care coordination – received high-cost radiology services (such as CT scans and MRIs) at a rate 12 percent lower than the control group of non-participating physician.
• These patients were also 34 percent less likely to visit the ER and 24 percent less likely to see a specialist.
• There was no statistical difference in hospital admission rates between the two populations.
• Among diabetes patients, those who were treated by a doctor meeting the Bridges to
• Excellence diabetes standards for care were much more likely to have a good blood pressure reading (defined as 130 over 80 or less).

Bridges to Excellence, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of care by recognizing and rewarding health care providers, has active programs in 17 states, sponsored by health plans, employers and physicians. Bridges to Excellence uses standards of care established by organizations such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Nationally, 14,000 physicians representing 2,700 practices have met the program’s quality standards.

Under BCBSNC’s Bridges to Excellence pilot, physicians could participate in one or more of three programs: diabetes care, heart/stroke care, and physician practice management efficiencies.
Should you have any further questions, feel free to post a comment or question below.

For beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part B

• Choose the plan that’s right for you

• See the doctor you want

  Get A Free Rate Quote

• Value-added discounts

• Control of your care

  Compare Plan Benefits

  
  

Savings and peace of mind

Medicare only covers some of your medical costs. That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) offers dependable Medicare supplement plans for Medicare beneficiaries, to help lessen the worries over costs that Medicare doesn’t cover. Choose from our 10¹ Blue Medicare SupplementSM plans to find the plan that best fits your needs and your budget.
• Wide selection of plans
• Protection against unexpected events

A local company you can trust

With the largest market share² of Medicare supplement policyholders in the state, BCBSNC serves more than 125,0003 North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries with over 75 years4 of experience in the health care industry.
• Largest market share² of Medicare supplement policyholders in the state
• One of the most trusted Medicare supplement plans in the state

See the doctor YOU want

No matter which Blue Medicare SupplementSM plan you choose, you’re free to select your own Medicare participating doctor or visit any Medicare-participating hospital. And in most cases, your Part A and Part B Medicare claims and supplement claims are handled automatically by BCBSNC.
• Choice of Medicare-participating doctors
• Easy to use, virtually no claims to file

Value-added discounts

You’ll also have access to Blue ValuesSM, our value-added discount programs available to you at no extra cost.5 You’ll be eligible for discounts on health-related products and services, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids and more. You can also earn rewards for being more physically active and participating in wellness activities.
• Discounts on eyeglasses, hearing aids and more!
• Discount programs exclusive to BCBSNC members

Incentives for early enrollment

Lock in your entry age6

There are many advantages to enrolling in Blue Medicare SupplementSM coverage within the first six months of enrolling in Medicare Part B. When you enroll, you lock in your entry age forever.6 Rate increases are only due to medical inflation or claims experience.6 So, if you enroll when you’re 65, you’ll always pay the rate of a 65 year old, even when you’re 80!
• Lock in your entry age6
• Convenient costs

No waiting periods

If you enroll early, you may be eligible for this plan without medical underwriting and waiting periods for pre-existing conditions. Pre-existing conditions are conditions for which medical advice was given or treatment was recommended by or received from a physician within six months before the effective date of coverage. If you wait until after the deadline to enroll, you may have a waiting period for pre-existing conditions and may have to complete a medical questionnaire.
• No medical underwriting
• No waiting periods for pre-existing conditions

Guaranteed acceptance by enrolling early

You cannot be turned down for Blue Medicare SupplementSM with BCBSNC® if you meet all of the following:
•You are age 65 or older, or under age 65 and are eligible for Medicare by reason of disability (Plans A, C, and J) 7
• You enroll within 6 months of enrolling in Medicare Part B
• You are not covered by certain Medicaid programs
• You are a resident of North Carolina

For More information about BCBSNC’s Blue Medicare SupplementSM plans, including a free rate quote, call RichDayHealthPlans.com at 828-606-6922 or 888-759-1738 Toll Free.

For costs and further details of the coverage, including exclusions, any reductions or limitations and terms under which the policy may be continued in force, contact your agent or the company.

1 Plan A: BMS A, 07/08, Plan B: BMS B, 07/08 Plan C: BMS C, 07/08, Plan D: BMS D, 07/08, Plan E: BMS E, 07/08, Plan F:
BMS F, 07/08, HI DED Plan F: BMS HDF, 04/09. Plan H: BMS H, 07/08, Plan I: BMS I, 07/08, Plan J: BMS J, 07/08.
2 “Medicare Supplement Loss Ratios in 2007.” National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), 2008.
3 Based on BCBSNC enrollment data, 2008.
4 Based on BCBSNC internal data, 2008 and Crossing the Centuries, Committed to Care: Blue Cross and Blue Shield in North
Carolina, 1933-2008. Diana J. Newton. BW&A Books, Inc., 2007.
5 Blue Values programs may change or be discontinued at any time. BCBSNC provides these programs for member convenience and is not liable in any way for the goods and services received. These programs are not part of a member’s policy or benefits, but are value-added discounts available for their use. BCBSNC does not profit from the Blue Values programs.
6 When members enroll, they will lock in their entry age forever as long as they stay in the Blue Medicare Supplement plan in which they initially enrolled. Any rate adjustments will only be due to medical inflation or overall claims experience. Rates are subject to change April 1st of each year and are guaranteed for 12 months, but you alone will not be singled out for a premium increase based on health or age. Any change in your rate will be preceded by a 30-day notice.
7 Guaranteed acceptance is limited to (Plans A, C and J) for those under age 65 who have Medicare due to disability.

®, SM Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. SM1 Mark of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Richard Day is an independent authorized producer licensed to sell and promote products from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina® (BCBSNC®). The content contained in this site is maintained by Richard Day. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina® is an independent licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
U4093, 4/09

Many people think that Universal Health Care is the answer to our problems.  People have looked at universal health care plans in Canada, Britain and other countries and wish that we had their universal health care.  Not so fast.  It isn’t very pretty up close.   Countries with universal health coverage are economically worse off than the U.S. Also,  A hard lesson about socialized medicine

Let’s look at what is wrong with the current solution.

• Pre-existing conditions can make health insurance unavailable or unaffordable.
• Forty-Five million people are not covered by a plan.  (That number is not true, but we will use it for now.)
• [Read more →]

Current Economic Conditions Are Affecting Health Insurance Choices:
Most of us are struggling financially, since our economy has changed for the worse recently. People have lost their jobs, or they are worried that they might lose their job. There is no doubt that families and individuals have cut back their spending to more sustainable levels. In short, people are looking for bargains in just about everything they buy - including health insurance plans.

What is happening in the health care business?
In 2009, approximately sixty-two percent of the plans being sold by agents in North Carolina, are health savings account plans (HSA plans).  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has a plan called Blue Options HSA. The Blue Options HSA plan costs so much less than the traditional copay plan that it is being chosen more frequently. This was not true in previous years.

Why are people choosing health savings account type plans?

Lower Premiums:
[Read more →]