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Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family |
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| Issue No. 40 |
July 23, 2013
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Greetings!
In a matter of months, historic changes to healthcare will go into effect for all Americans. TACT is positioned in such a way as to be able to offer you the coverage you have come to know and expect at the same great rates of which you have become accustomed.
In an effort to keep you abreast of federal healthcare reform information, we invite you to visit our home page at www.txagcoop.com. Visit Healthcare Reform on the rotating header. Federal Resources, TDI Resources, Insurance Provisions, Mandates and Contact Information is all available with one click.
Helping you stay informed. At TACT, YOU are our business. What questions can we answer? What can we do to help?
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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in the news...
States Prepare for Seamless Exchange of Records
After Disaster
Ten state HIE programs have established infrastructure for secure exchange of health information
As part of an effort to help make sure their residents' health information is available after a hurricane or other wide-spread disaster, four Gulf states have partnered with six states in the East and Midwest to help patients and providers access critical health information when they are unable to visit their regular doctors or hospitals.
Working with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), health information exchange (HIE) programs in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and West Virginia today announced their partnership to allow for the exchange of health information among providers caring for patients who are displaced from their homes.
All of the state HIE programs participating in the initiative currently have established at least one operational interstate connection and are working with other states including Arkansas and Mississippi.
The 10-state initiative is being made possible through information technology infrastructure provided through Direct. Direct is a tool developed by an ONC-led collaboration with broad health information technology (IT) industry participation that allows for the secure exchange of health information over the Internet.
"Through disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy and large tornadoes in Alabama and Joplin, Missouri, in 2011 and more recently in Moore, Oklahoma, we have learned the importance of protecting patients' health records through electronic tools like health information exchanges," said Farzad Mostashari, M.D., national coordinator for health IT. "Patients are better off when states and health information exchange organizations work together to ensure that health information can follow patients when they need it the most."
A guidebook, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, can also help primary care clinicians connect their patients' electronic health records to a local HIE hub and regional health information organizations. The guide, Regional Health e-Decisions: A Guide to Connect Health Information Exchange in Primary Care, is available at www.healthit.ahrq.gov/RegionalHealtheDecisionsGuide.pdf.
The Southeast Regional Health IT and Health Information Exchange Collaboration (SERCH) is leading the collaborative effort. SERCH was funded through ONC's State Health Policy Consortium and its members include Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Since SERCH began in April 2010, similar collaborations, using a variety of methods, have helped to resolve cross-border barriers toward facilitating the multi-state exchange of health information.
In 2012, SERCH completed an analysis of barriers to health information exchange and issued recommendations for developing HIE infrastructure to support disaster preparedness and response. In their final report, SERCH recommended a phased approach to use existing data sources such as health plans and state agencies to overcome barriers to HIE across states. The report can be found at http://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/SERCH-White-Paper.pdf
"The SERCH effort will enable health care providers to contact a patient's health plans and available health care providers for information about the patient's medical history when it is most needed," said Nicole Lurie, M.D., assistant secretary for Preparedness and Response. "But patients can help protect their own information and that of their children by saving it electronically."
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In a matter of months, historic changes to the healthcare system will go into effect to ensure Americans have access to quality care and insurance. Click here to take a closer
look at the timeline.
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Farm Bill Update:
Finalizing Farm Bill - Stalled
July 15, 2013
Courtesy Reuters-
 The Senate is ready to start conference proceedings to finalize a new farm bill but the House of Representatives has not sent its version of the bill for consideration, the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee said.
"I'm very concerned that the process start moving this week," Senator Debbie Stabenow said, noting that there are just 24 scheduled legislative days in the Senate before the current bill expires.
The Republican-controlled House on Thursday narrowly passed a farm bill that stripped out the parts that cover food stamps for poor Americans, the costliest part of the bill, over a veto threat from President Barack Obama.
Four days later it has not sent that bill to the Senate, drawing last Monday's rebuke from Stabenow.
"We can't go to conference unless we have something that relates to the farm bill from the House," Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, told reporters on a conference call. "We fully expected to receive it in the Senate right away."
Under the conference process, lawmakers from the Senate and House typically meet to work out differences between their respective versions of a bill. But Stabenow said she would be open to other approaches.
The Democratic-run Senate passed its version of the farm bill on June 10 - a five-year, $500 billion measure that would expand taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance and make small cuts to food stamp funding.
Stabenow ruled out passing a farm bill that did not include food stamps. "We could not pass that through the Senate, nor would the president sign that kind of bill," she said.
Food stamp payments would continue without a farm bill, because funding comes through the appropriations process. But Democrats have said the House strategy is to isolate food stamps for larger cuts by making them subject to annual funding.
The current farm bill was extended once before, over the new year, and will expire on September 30 without passage of a new version or a second extension. At that point U.S. farm policy would revert to 1949 "permanent law," which among other things would lead to a doubling of milk prices in U.S. grocery stores.
"Given the strange process we have had in the House, I would support any fair and open process that gets us a bipartisan, comprehensive farm bill," Stabenow said. "We're not going to negotiate with the extreme elements of the House who basically believe we should not support agriculture."
The Senate also passed a bipartisan farm bill in 2012, when the House version was never brought to a vote.
"This feels like 'Groundhog Day,' the movie, to me. Every day we get up and do the farm bill again," said Stabenow.
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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The Importance of Sunscreen
 If you regularly soak up the sun's rays without proper protection, you could be setting yourself up for serious skin damage.
The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can begin to harm your skin within only 15 minutes of being outside, even on cloudy and cool days. When it comes to using sunscreen, keep these tips in mind:
- Try to put on sunscreen before you go outside to get full protection. And remember to reapply every 2 hours, more frequently if you are in water.
- Always use a sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher. The higher the SPF number, the higher the protection.
- Put a thicker layer of sunscreen on the most exposed body parts: arms, legs, neck, back and face.
- Protect your lips with sunscreen lip balm.
- Avoid using sunscreen on babies younger than six months-use hats, clothing and shade for protection.
- Think about using cosmetics that contain sunscreen. Even these should be at least SPF 15.
- Choose a broad spectrum of products that guard against the sun's ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
Other ways to protect yourself include:
- Clothing: Shirts and pants made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection.
- Hats: To get the most protection, wear a hat with a brim that shades the face, ears and back of your neck.
- Sunglasses: They protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays and lower cataract risks.
- Shade: Get under an umbrella, tree or anywhere else with shade.
Getting sunburned or tanned could be a red flag about your skin's health. When you're in the sun, make sure to slather on some sunscreen and reapply after being out for more than two hours to keep beauty-and your health-skin deep.
Sources: Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC); American Cancer Society
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Refer Us!
Click above to learn more or
to contact the TACT office. |
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Facebook Feature
Find us on Facebook and access more detailed,
industry-related information.
Interact with us!
We're waiting to talk to you!
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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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Healthcare Reform -
The Marketplace, The Law, You
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. As well, in
a major concession to business groups, the Obama administration 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. (access the stories in TACT's Archive)
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. 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.
Next Issue: August 6, 2013
Newsletter Archives - click here
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