Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is a division of the major health insurance provider Blue Cross and Blue Shield and has been in business for 75 years. With more than three million members and thousands of doctors, those insured through the program will find they have easy access to the healthcare they need, no matter where they are in North Carolina.

BSBSNC offers an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization), so when you enroll in their program, you will choose your primary physician, the doctor that you will see for your healthcare needs. Should your doctor be out of town or otherwise unavailable, you usually need to see another doctor in that practice and sometimes BCBSNC will require a referral from your doctor stating that he was out of town when you needed care. With HMO plans, you have deductibles that are paid up front when you seek medical care. You may pay $20 for ever doctor’s visit, $50 for every emergency room visit, and $150 for in-patient hospital care. HMOs are restrictive when it comes to seeing a doctor, but the out of pocket expenses are much lower.

If an HMO plan does not suit your needs, they also have a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) option that works similarly only your primary physician offers you extreme discounts every time you seek health care. This allows doctors to draw in more patients, and helps those in more rural areas find doctors more easily. Instead of paying the typical fee for a doctor’s visit that can cost $90 for just seeing the doctor without any tests or blood work, a PPO might slash those prices by 75% making it far more affordable.

One thing to watch with Blue Cross and Blue Shield is their prescription plan. Make sure you ensure they will cover your required prescription, if not, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

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