Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:19:46 -0400
From: Victoria Thomas
Subject: State Plan is Self-Funded
Unfortunately, health care is costly and confusing. The main reason our costs are so high is that 80% of the issues we face are Preventable. Obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes (90-95% are type 2). Lifestyle is the cause.
What most folks may not realize is, the state health plan is self-funded. Which also means the states sets the design of the plan. If generic drugs are required -The state designed that as part of their plan. If local chiropractors treatment is not covered, that is part of the state design.
The traditional (not self-funded) BCBS plans do cover local chiropractors and well as any drugs the docs prescribe – generics or otherwise. In addition, BCBS also offers free generics through June. And any generic drug for BP, cholesteral, congestive heart failure or diabetes is free indefinitely. The goal being to keep people taking their meds and stay healthy. Subscribers can also visit a licensed dietician, or nutritionist for Free – 6 visits.
So the issue of what is covered or not is actually with the State, not BCBS.
Victoria Thomas
Forrester & Associates
Employee Benefits and Consulting
Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:44:44 -0400
From: Joy Hewett
Subject: Blue Cross and local health care?
Blue Cross is the required health insurer for state employees, yet it won’t cover the treatment by? local chiropracters who contribute to the local economy and it requires generics that are not regulated as well as prescription drugs. Instead, our required contributions to this big insurance company go to:
a. pay the CEO a million dollar bonus
b. pay Ms. Easley’s enormous salary at NC State before she got fired due to scandal
c. pay for PR to try to defeat the national health care plan.
If we had sliding scale clinics in the counties, we could have everyone receiving basic health care, and Chatham county nurses and medical assistants and doctors being employed. Insurance companies, even when they claim to be “not for profit” become profiteers taking money from local coffers.