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Greetings!
Open enrollment for insurance is less than 100 days away! And, recent breaking news reports the Obama Administration offering a one year break to employers who were to begin offering insurance to their employees in January. (the entire report is available below)
The Health Insurance Marketplace is designed to make buying health coverage easier and more affordable. Starting in 2014, the Marketplace will allow individuals and small businesses to compare health plans, get answers to questions, find out if they are eligible for tax credits for private insurance or health programs like the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and enroll in a health plan that meets their needs. However, TACT, in the midst of such change, finds itself in a unique position of being able to offer the highest quality of insurance and service at the same great rates to which you are already accustomed.
States across the country are working to implement the health care law. States can apply for Exchange Establishment grants through the end of 2014. Learn more about Exchange Establishment grants. Texas specific information is available here.
As we get closer to enacting some of the President's healthcare initiatives, the challenges are becoming clearer, as are some of the benefits.
Texas Ag Coop Trust has always prided itself in providing the best health benefit plans to an underserved industry. So, what does it ALL mean? How does it ALL affect you?
Give us a call! We would love to visit with you. At TACT, YOU own your insurance plan. At TACT, YOU are our business.
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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late-breaking news - July 2, 2013
Employers Get An Extra Year
to Provide Health Insurance
 The Obama administration has offered a one-year break to employers who were supposed to start offering health insurance to their workers next year.
The 2010 health reform law required anyone with 50 or more workers to provide health insurance - something small businesses have been complaining about, loudly, for years. On Tuesday the government said they could have more time to get it done.
Saying the goal is to implement reform in "a careful, thoughtful manner", assistant Treasury secretary Mark Mazur said the administration would spend the extra year finding ways to simplify the process.
"Second, it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees. Within the next week, we will publish formal guidance describing this transition," Mazur wrote in a blog post.
"We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will need to do this reporting already provide health insurance to their workers, and we want to make sure it is easy for others to do so. "
More than half of Americans -- 160 million people -- get their health insurance through an employer, something that was a voluntary perk until health reform.
The story and news byte can be viewed here.
You can also view this story and other healthcare news affecting you on our Facebook page.
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news affecting you
Treasury Assistant Secretary Mark Mazur said in a blog post. "We have listened to your feedback and we are taking action."
In a major concession to business groups, the Obama administration today unexpectedly announced a one-year delay, until 2015, in a central requirement of the new health care law that medium and large companies provide coverage for their workers or face fines.
"A pleasant surprise," said Randy Johnson, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There was no inkling in advance of the administration's action, he said.
Under the law, companies with 50 or more workers must provide affordable coverage to their full-time employees or risk a series of escalating tax penalties if just one worker ends up getting government-subsidized insurance.
Originally, that requirement was supposed to take effect next Jan. 1. Business groups complained since the law passed that the provision was too complicated. For instance, the law created a new definition of full-time workers, those putting in 30 hours or more. But such complaints until now seemed to be going unheeded.
The delay in the employer requirement does not affect the law's requirement that individuals carry health insurance starting next year or face fines. That so-called individual mandate was challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled last year that requirement was constitutional since the penalty would be collected by the Internal Revenue Service and amounted to a tax.
Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett cast the decision as part of an effort to simplify data reporting requirements.
(portions courtesy - Associated Press July 2)
The entire report is available here.
You can also view this story and other healthcare news affecting you on our Facebook page.
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what's being said...
Insurance Prices
Set for a Jolt
By Louis Radnofsky,
Wall Street Journal
July 1, 2013
Healthy consumers could see insurance rates double or even triple when they look for individual coverage under the federal health law later this year, while the premiums paid by sicker people are set to become more affordable, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of coverage to be sold on the law's new exchange.
The exchanges, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health-care law, look likely to offer few if any of the cut-rate policies that healthy people can now buy, according to the Journal's analysis. At the same time, the top prices look to be within reach for many people who previously faced sky-high premiums because of chronic illnesses or who couldn't buy insurance at all. 
Several big provisions in the law taking effect in six months affect rates for the estimated 20% of Americans who don't have coverage through an employer, Medicare or Medicaid. Plans must be available to consumers regardless of their health and must cover certain items such as hospitalization, maternity care and prescription drugs. The exchanges are set to open Oct. 1 selling plans effective Jan. 1.
A review of rates proposed by carriers in eight states shows the likely boundaries for the least-expensive and most costly plans on the exchanges. The lower boundary is particularly important because the government wants to attract healthy people to the exchanges, and they may choose to pay a penalty and take the risk of going without coverage if they believe they can't get an acceptable deal
For a 40-year-old single nonsmoker-in the middle of the age range eligible for exchanges-a "bronze" plan covering about 60% of medical costs will be available for about $200 a month in most places, the proposals show.
Though less generous than "silver" and "gold" plans on the exchanges, a bronze plan would still include fuller benefits than many policies available on the individual market today.
The challenge for the law is that healthy 40-year-olds can typically get coverage for less today, especially if they are willing to accept fewer benefits or take on more costs themselves. Supporters of the law say tighter regulation on insurance practices gives consumers more protection and is worth the extra cost, but they have to persuade people who don't have an immediate need for health care of that. If only sick people buy into the new insurance pools, prices could shoot up.
Click here to read the story in its entirety.
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Immigration Reform 2013:
Senate Passes
Immigration Reform
June 27, 2013
"The Bill as amended, is passed."
See the ABC News video here.
A supermajority of senators passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would grant 11 million undocumented immigrants immediate legal status and a path to citizenship while sending $30 billion to the southern border to beef up security.
Supporters hope the historic vote in the Senate, where lawmakers have been debating the bill for weeks, will put some wind at the back of a proposal to bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. But the future of a comprehensive reform bill -- even one that includes a "border surge" to double the border patrol and flow new money into security -- is anything but certain.
The border security provision was added Wednesday and helped win the support of more Republicans. The final vote was 68-32 with support from 14 Republicans.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D, N.Y.), an author of the bill, said the strong vote would create a "drum beat" of pressure for his Republican colleagues over in the House of Representatives to act on immigration reform.
President Obama, in a written statement from his trip to Africa, praised the Senate for "bringing us a critical step closer to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all."
Senators sat at their desks to demonstrate the historic nature of the vote. Vice President Joe Biden presided over the vote. Asked afterward if he thought the bill could pass the House, Biden said, "Well, I'm hopeful."
This and other ag-related news can be found by visiting us on Facebook!
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Farm Bill Update:
Farm Bill Still in Limbo
After Floor Defeat
June 27, 2013
Courtesy AGFax.com-
 Agriculture leaders and stakeholders remain in limbo after the failure of the House's version of the farm bill on the floor last week. Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) continues to be optimistic that the House will finish its work, but a path forward on completing a farm bill this year before the current extension expires on Sept. 30 is unclear.
Members of House Leadership also continue to weigh their options on the best way to get a bill off the House floor, including the possibility of splitting the bill into two measures, taking up the nutrition portion separate from the rest of the bill.
This idea is reportedly gaining traction with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), but comes with strong objections from Lucas and many in the farm community who feel the best way to kill the farm safety net is by splitting up the farm bill provisions. Across the Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said this week his chamber will not consider any more farm bill extensions, a contention Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack seems to agree with.
House Leadership and the House Agriculture Committee will continue to work toward House passage of a product that can lead to enactment of a long-term, comprehensive farm bill this year.
Congress returns to work this week and will continue working on this issue. For the very latest, be sure to LIKE us on FACEBOOK!
Read this and other agriculture news on our Facebook Page!
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July is UV Awareness Month
Summer is here! For many, summer just wouldn't be the same without a backyard barbecue, a beach trip or a pool party. But admist all the fun and sun, don't forget to protect yourself against the heat. Sunscreen and  sunglasses may not be your first thought when you're collecting beach shells or skiing on the lake, but the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from both the sun and indoor tanning can cause serious damage to your skin and eyes.
July is UV Awareness Month and while you're out enjoying your summer, be sure to take care of yourself and your family. Remember to bring along your summer essentials.
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Keep Your Cool in the
Texas Heat
 Temperatures are beginning to climb into the high 90s and even the 100s on a regular basis. The sun's rays can be especially punishing - both in terms of skin damage and raising body temperature.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) From 1999 through 2009, extreme heat exposure caused more than 7,800 deaths in the United States, In fact, excessive heat causes more deaths than all other weather events, including floods.
Read here to learn more about common sense was to avoid heat-related illness. Or click below to see the article on Facebook!
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Contact Us
Texas Ag Coop Trust
1802 East 50th St., Ste. 107
Lubbock, TX 79404
806-747-7894
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
Officers, Board of Trustees
Kimberly Tullo-Holcomb
TACT Executive Director
Lubbock, TX
George Reed, Chairman
United Farm Industries
Plainview, TX
Gregg Allen, Secretary
Olton Grain Coop
Olton, TX
Bret Brown, Treasurer
Sunray Coop
Sunray, TX
Jim Turner
Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX
Paul Wilson
United Cotton Growers
Levelland, TX
Cary Eubanks
Slaton Coop Gin
Slaton, TX
Dean Sasser
Farmers Coop Elevator
Levelland, TX
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
is endorsed by:
Texas Grain & Feed
Association
Texas Cotton Ginners Association
 Texas Coop Marketing Exchange
Texas Corn Producers |
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