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HBR Training
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), on behalf of the State Health Plan, has scheduled a three-day training session to be held August 10, 11 & 12, 2010. The training is recommended for, but not limited to, health benefits representatives (HBRs) and billing contacts who have been in their positions for less than two years. If you would like to attend this training session, please complete and return the registration form by July 23, 2010. Click here for more information. |
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Notice to Members Mailing
 The State Health Plan has mailed a letter and notice to all members with important information. Members should receive the mailing by July 1, 2010. The notice explains the State Health Plan's exemption from the federal requirement for parity in the application of certain limits to mental health benefits. The Plan's mental health benefits are specifically set forth in separate state laws. The current mental health benefits are in compliance with these state laws.
The notice also details the rules prohibiting discrimination against individual participants and beneficiaries based on health status-related factors, for the purpose of administering the Comprehensive Wellness Initiative as it pertains to tobacco use.
The notice contains other updates about the State Health Plan. Click here to view the notice. |
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NC HealthChoice Effective July 1, 2010, the North Carolina HealthChoice (NCHC) program will be administered by the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance. Your agency may have employees who have enrolled their children in the NCHC program. Please let them know that the toll free number for questions regarding NCHC medical benefits and claims will remain the same: 1-800-422-4658. However, there is a new toll-free number for members to call with questions regarding pharmacy benefits: 1-800-466-4115.
Employees who are interested in applying for NCHC coverage for their children should be directed to the Division of Medical Assistance Web site at: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/healthchoice/index.htm, or contact the County Department of Social Services in the county in which they reside.
Information regarding the transition of NCHC to the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance will be posted on the State Health Plan Web site prior to July 1, 2010. |
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Law Passed Extending Coverage for Dependents
 On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. The provision to allow dependents up to age 26 to remain on the Plan, regardless of student or marital status, will take place at the Plan's first renewal following six months after the legislation was signed into law. The federal legislation will go into effect for the State Health Plan on July 1, 2011. For more information on the regulations for group health plans relating to dependent coverage of children to age 26, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website at: http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/index.html#dependent_coverage.
On June 7, 2010, House Bill 1707 became law. This law allows dependents enrolled on the Plan as of May 1, 2010, to remain on the Plan if they are under age 26, regardless of their student status. This is provided that the dependent child is not eligible for other employer-sponsored health benefit coverage, as a primary beneficiary or spousal dependent. Click here to read more. |
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