Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) today announced two senior–level promotions to enhance company–wide efficiency and excellence.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) announced today that it is launching a new group Health Savings Account (HSA) product with Mellon Financial Corporation’s Human Resources & Investor Solutions (HR&IS) business for North Carolina employers. The new offering, called HSA BlueSM, consists of a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) from BCBSNC and a health savings account (HSA) administered by Mellon.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) will hold free flu shot clinics for members who meet the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) "high risk" criteria.

Fit Together, one of the most comprehensive state obesity prevention campaigns in the nation, unveiled a new website on Tuesday as well as advertisements that begin running throughout North Carolina this week.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina's (BCBSNC) net income for the nine months ending September 30, 2004 declined 16 percent, compared with the same period in 2003. The state's leading health insurer reported net income of $145.5 million for the period ending September 30, 2004, compared with net income of $173.1 million for the same period last year.

With more than half its members overweight or obese, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) announced today that it will pay doctors to work with their patients to understand how weight impacts health. The state’s largest health insurer will cover physician office visits and diagnostic tests to treat obesity as a primary condition.

Though more than half of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) members are overweight or obese, many perceive their weight as “just right” – an apparent perception gap in how body weight impacts health.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) today announced plans to offer members significant savings on out–of–pocket prescription drug costs. The company is waiving copayments for members who fill a generic drug prescription from October through December of 2004.

The N.C. Health & Wellness Trust Fund Commission (HWTFC) and BCBSNC launched Fit Together, a long–term, comprehensive statewide overweight and obesity prevention initiative uniting $4.5 million in public and private resources.

“We had a year that was financially exceptional, but not repeatable,” BCBSNC President and CEO Bob Greczyn said. “Just as we expected, as the year went on, we saw medical costs increase and profitability decrease compared to the unusual results we saw early in the year. We expect this trend to continue into 2004.”