Category: INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES

Globally, many organizations are pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, but what that work entails varies from company to company. For Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), it is a data-focused lens we apply to achieve our business objectives. It’s not jargon or a buzzword, but actionable work to strengthen North Carolina.  Our company’s purpose is to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities – we won’t stop until health care … Continue reading “Serving all North Carolinians with intentionality”

Kids and teens need access to mental health services. Providing those services and starting conversations early could dismantle the stigma around mental illness. The term “stigma” comes from the Latin word for branding or tattooing the skin. Its origins reveal how stigma functions: external forces (stereotypes, social pressure, discrimination) penetrate the individual psyche, leaving a wound that is difficult to heal. When it comes to behavioral health, stigma might not literally scar the flesh, but it can have a devastating … Continue reading “Could we end mental health stigma in our children’s generation?”

As the mother of a high school student, I can’t think of any scenario more terrifying than knowing my child was in danger, with no one to call for help. Any caring person recognizes the need to protect children against threats to physical health. Unfortunately, Americans aren’t as attentive to children’s mental health needs. Every year, millions of children and teenagers in the United States find themselves stuck in vulnerable situations because they have no support through a mental health … Continue reading “Children of color face an invisible threat. Here’s how we can support them.”

A year ago, we expected the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to increase during 2021 compared to the previous year. And that was before the arrival of the delta and omicron variants of the virus. COVID-19 is indeed a global pandemic, but it’s also local. Last year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) saw eight of the highest months of medical claims in the company’s history. Claims and medical expenses reached an all-time high … Continue reading “Record-High Claims in 2021 Reflect COVID-19’s Impact on North Carolina”

Health is greater than our medical needs. It happens where we live, work and play. That is why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) invests so heavily in helping our members and communities address the socioeconomic, environmental and behavioral factors that play an outsized role in shaping our health and well-being. As a heath care organization, we are committed to serving populations with the highest needs and at the greatest risk. For example, many of … Continue reading ““Each child is a vast reservoir of potential”- An Interview with Dr. Jacqueline McKnight on Foster Care in North Carolina”

If you need more evidence that substance use has a long-lasting and far-reaching impact, consider this heartbreaking data: The ongoing escalation of opioid use is driving a surge in children and youth entering foster care systems across the nation. Even before COVID-19 upended global health, North Carolina’s foster care system was already experiencing “record levels of need” driven largely by opioid use. During the 2017-18 fiscal year, parental substance abuse was the primary reason children were removed from the household … Continue reading “Substance Use is Driving Children into Foster Care. Here’s What We Can Do About It.”

It’s a story we hear all too often from our members. You visit an emergency room or need medical care that involves services like anesthesia or an x-ray. You pay what you owe for the visit and a few weeks later, a bill arrives in the mail that you weren’t expecting. You open it and find a separate charge from a specialist group for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The questions naturally start from there – What is this? Didn’t I pay for this already? Am I being charged again? Why is … Continue reading “It’s Time to End Surprise Billing and Unfair Pricing”

November is National Adoption Month, when our nation recognizes that families come in all shapes and sizes. The celebration presents an ideal moment to think more deeply about ongoing efforts to improve our nation’s maternal health outcomes. This important work will need to be vast in scope, and some of it should take into account that not all new family relationships are biological. Newly adoptive and foster parents need support through challenges to health and well-being too. Helping parents overcome … Continue reading “Adoptive Parents Can Also Experience the “Baby Blues” – Here’s Why That Matters”

Just last month, the American Heart Association (AHA) ventured into new territory: the organization issued its first Presidential Advisory related to opioid use. Coming in the weeks leading up the National Recovery Month, the announcement reflects the hard reality that the United States is actually losing ground in our battle against opioid overuse. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on our mental health, and this is driving nation-wide increases in substance use. Overdose deaths were up around 30% … Continue reading “New Advisory Marks a First in the Nation’s Efforts Against Opioid Overuse”

When I was in medical school, two of my fellow students died – one by suicide and one from an alcohol use disorder. A third student survived a suicide attempt. At that time, I had not yet become a psychiatrist, and I shared the common misperception of suicide as a largely unpreventable tragedy. In our grief, my classmates and I did not connect these deaths with the pressures inherent in our career path. Even as we mourned the loss of … Continue reading “When Those Who Help Need Help: National Physician Suicide Awareness Day”