Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) presented a new greenway trail called the Blue Loop on April 13. This mile-long loop, which is conveniently located on the museum’s 164-acre Raleigh campus, is an important component of BCBSNC’s Get Outside North Carolina! initiative (GO NC!).

The Blue Loop contains a system of recreational trails on NCMA’s campus and links the Museum Park to the Capital Area Greenway System. The new trail provides NCMA visitors with physical activity and art. There is no charge for North Carolinians and visitors to use the trail for walking, cycling and running.

Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO said, “Studies show that physically active people can save $500 per year on their health care costs, which is something that should get everyone’s attention,”. “By collaborating with organizations such as the North Carolina Museum of Art to support new opportunities for exercise, we’re giving North Carolinians opportunities to be active and stay healthy, which can make a real difference in their health care spending.”

BCBSNC is offering new opportunities to help North Carolinians get active, reduce obesity rates and control their medical costs with the four-year GO NC! initiative.

The City of Raleigh first founded the Capital Area Greenway System in 1974 to provide citizens with a place for outdoor recreation when the city began to grow rapidly. Today, the system has grown to an 88-mile, 3,700-acre system.

Lawrence J. Wheeler, director of the NCMA said “As America’s largest museum art park, we have the opportunity to offer North Carolinians and visitors with a unique recreational destination that promotes healthy living and provides public access to art,”. “The Blue Loop allows us to offer a new experience to our members and area visitors.”

One can now easily search for each drug by name from the alphabetical glossary, and find the information listed below:

• The type of review required (prior review, quantity limitation, or restricted access / step therapy)
• The criteria required to meet approval
• If the drug is automatically covered under all BCBSNC formularies (Basic and Enhanced)

The new web link is www.bcbsnc.com/umdrug.  Feel free to bookmark this page for future reference.

Please note that this new site does not apply to the State Health Plan, Federal Employee Program, or Blue Medicare^SM.

BCBSNC has jumped to the next level in educating consumers about the many factors driving rising health care costs with a comprehensive communication campaign that commenced on Monday, February 25.  The campaign includes TV commercials, various types of advertising, and a newly formulated website, www.LetsTalkCost.com.

BCBSNC began the Let’s Talk Cost campaign in 2011 to begin a beneficial statewide conversation about soaring medical costs and to provide solutions for this perplexing problem. Even though most residents of North Carolinia are aware that their medical expenses and insurance premiums increase each year, many still don’t understand the reasons for the their incurred costs.

Most people agree that there are many reasons why costs continue to climb, but this dilemma cannot be solved without understanding the sources of the problem. Let’s Talk Cost helps uncover the elements that trigger these rising medical costs, which help us all collaborate together so that costs can be controlled and reduced.

To check out the new site and view the TV commercials, click below.

http://connect.bcbsnc.com/lets-talk-cost-2013/the-cost-problem/posts/cause-overview/

http://connect.bcbsnc.com/lets-talk-cost-2013/the-cost-problem/waste/posts/cause-waste/

ABC News’ Alex Perez reports that this is the earliest flu season onset in a ten years. This eruption of the flu has arrived a full four months earlier than 2009′s outbreak of the H1N1 “swine flu” virus, unmistakably the worst flu epidemic to hit the U.S. in recent times. That outbreak began in late April, well into spring. Most flu seasons kick in around mid-January, but this year’s flu season started snowballing towards the end of December.

This flu season brings back the H3N2 variety of influenza, a strain that brings on stronger symptoms than common flu strains and stays around longer. The strain was rampant in 2004, which had elevated death rates from the flu. Dr. William Hanage, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, proclaims that “this is a bad year,” but also says that an H3N2 pandemic doesn’t appear to be quite as severe the threat from 2009′s H1N1 outbreak. Fortunately, the good news is that these strains are well-matched by current vaccines. That said, only 37% of Americans got a flu shot this season and it’s only effective in 60% of people.

Reports of Chicago hospitals being so overwhelmed that they’ve had to turn some flu patients away may sound scary. And admission rates are much higher than usual — four percent of Boston’s doctor visits are flu-related right now, up from the usual one percent. But it’ll take a lot more admissions to reach levels from the 2009 outbreak. CDC researchers anticipate that as many as 1 out of every 100 people visited hospital emergency wings during that pandemic.

According to the CDC, 18 children have died from the flu so far this season. However these numbers are only accurate up to December 29th. So far, it’s too soon to know whether the death toll will surpass that of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, which took somewhere between 8,870 and 18,300 lives.

Click here to find out how you can better protect yourself from the flu!

Every person is unique and requires personalized assessment based on the best medical evidence.

Preventive screenings help you get familiar with your numbers and tackle health concerns before they become more serious—or to prevent health problems in the first place.

For example, a high waist circumference number indicates a greater level of abdominal fat which is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services women with a waist circumference of more than 35 inches, and men with a waist circumference of more than 40 inches are at increased disease risk.

Of course, you inherit some risk for these diseases from your family. But the majority of chronic disease risk is in the lifestyle we lead – specifically linked to smoking, poor diet and an inactive lifestyle. These are things you can change.

Before you visit your doctor for your next health checkup, try to be prepared to talk about which preventive screenings you need:

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Fasting glucose (blood sugar)
• Body mass index (BMI)

• Blood Pressure – This is one of the strongest markers for heart disease risk. It is measured as two numbers. Systolic pressure is the first number and is the pressure when the heart is contracting. Diastolic is the second number and is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. Normal blood pressure is 120 / 80 or below.
• Cholesterol Levels – Too much bad cholesterol can lead to a hardening of your arteries. This can put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. When it comes to cholesterol, there are two important numbers you should know. LDL, is the bad cholesterol, and should be below 130 mg/dL, and lower is better. HDL, is good cholesterol, and should be above 40 mg/dL. Your total cholesterol (TC) level should be below 200 mg/dL.
• Blood Sugar – A blood sugar test is commonly used to diagnose the presence of diabetes. A fasting blood sugar (taken when you haven’t eaten for 12 hours) should be below 100 mg/dL.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) – This is calculated from two other numbers that you probably know – your weight and height. Your BMI will be one way to gauge if you are classified as being overweight. However, it is not a perfect measure. In people with above normal muscle mass, like bodybuilders, the BMI may indicate the individual is overweight when they are in great condition. For most of us, however, BMI is a great way to gauge how our weight compares to recommended levels. Here is an easy way to calculate your BMI.

If you know your numbers, solving the total health equation is a lot easier.

The company began their ’5 Ton Challenge’ and kept employees on track with monthly weigh-ins, nutrition classes and even credit on their health care premiums.

To help with the motivation , BCBS also chose 25 ‘weight warriors’ and invited them to post their stories online. Stacey Royal, one of those warriors, lost 23 pounds and said she feels fantastic.

“I gained more energy because I was more active and able to keep up with my kids. For me, it didn’t mean I had to spend hours in the gym, we would go walking, we would go run. I actually completed my first 5k this year,” said Royal.

In addition, the company launched another wellness initiative called ‘Maintain Don’t Gain,’ to help employees keep the weight off as they went through the holidays.

Another ’5 Ton Challenge’ begins again in 2013.

New eye-opening research done at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in Spain, revealed that people who ingested more than 2 grams a day of this type of fat, were about 50 percent more likely to suffer from depression. This type of fat can be found in stick margarine, fast food, and packaged baked goods like cookies, crackers and cakes.

Researchers found that a diet that is high in transfats may lead to inflammatory changes inside the body. These changes seem to interfere with the brain’s neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. This interference has a negative affect on mood.

If you are not sure whether a particular food contains trans-fat, look for the words “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”. This is simply another word for trans-fat.

Try to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes. When you want to eat meat, make sure it is baked, broiled or grilled; never fried. When you cook, use a healthier fat like olive oil. The participants of the study who consumed more than 20 grams of olive oil per day had a 30 percent lower risk for depression than those who consumed a very low amount.