Now serving all of Texas Agriculture, we want to bring needed service to an underserved industry. Help us to highlight those that go unrecognized in their efforts - the HEART of Harvest.

NOTE From TACT: The purchase of health insurance can be a very challenging experience. TACT's industry-leading approach has simplified the process for hundreds by:

• Speaking in easy-to-understand terms
• Providing objective advice so that you don't feel you're  listening to a sales pitch
• Simplifying the quoting process
• Presenting plan options quickly

TACT is consumer-focused. Our approach is simply to provide an underserved industry with a great product, information and advice. YOU ARE our business. We want to present you with the best plan options, and provide as much guidance as we can. 

Changes, Compliance -

You Are Affected

 You have asked, we have listened. Still, we understand the grandfather rules have resulted in uncertainty. There are questions facing many employers - questions of which have already been posed to TACT.

Obamacare Milestone Reached

Americans still have a number of questions and concerns about how the health care law will work.

The confusion over the law is to be expected: deliberations about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) rollout are ongoing at the state level, political grandstanding persists in Washington, and all the while, consumers are seeing a stream of television ads with competing messages about the law.

What's Going to Happen?

TODAY Americans looking for health coverage should be able to enroll in a private insurance plan through a state-based exchange -- online marketplaces where consumers can in theory comparison shop for health coverage, "just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets," as President Obama said in August.

States are also opening exchanges on which small business owners can purchase coverage for their employees. Not every state, however, is ready to launch their small business exchange.

Since the exchanges are designed primarily for low- and middle-income Americans who don't already have health insurance, insurers are making an effort to keep costs down. They're doing that in part by scaling down the network of hospitals and doctors included in their plans.

"Some health plans will offer limited access to large academic medical centers, which tend to treat high-risk patients, by including only select hospitals and physician groups in their exchange offerings," the Health Research Institute of PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a report released last week.

While open enrollment marks an important step in the implementation of Obamacare, it's just one of many significant milestones.

On Jan. 1, 2014, coverage through the exchanges actually starts. Furthermore, the requirement for all Americans to obtain insurance or pay a fine to the IRS starts on that date. Also on Jan. 1, several states will expand Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, to cover all residents who fall below 138 percent of the poverty line. A number of consumer protections begin in Jan. 1, such as the rule barring insurers from turning away people with pre-existing conditions and the end of yearly limits on coverage.

On March 31, 2014, open enrollment on the exchanges closes.

In 2015, the mandate requiring employers with at least 50 full-time employees to offer their workers insurance goes into effect (a year later than originally planned).

A number of provisions of the Affordable Care Act have already gone into effect, including new preventive services for women, prescription drug discounts for seniors, and consumer protections such as the rule requiring insurers to spend at least 80 percent of the money they collect from premiums on actual health care rather than overhead.

...and Texas? 

 Health Alert Issued:

Pertussis Prompts Texas Health Alert

News Release
Sept. 3, 2013
The Texas Department of State Health Services is urging people to make sure they're vaccinated against pertussis after projections show the number of people sick with the deadly disease this year is on track to reach the highest level in more than 50 years.

"This is extremely concerning. If cases continue to be diagnosed at the current rate, we will see the most Texas cases since the 1950s," said Dr. Lisa Cornelius, DSHS infectious diseases medical... officer. "Pertussis is highly infectious and can cause serious complications, especially in babies, so people should take it seriously."

DSHS issued a health alert today advising doctors on diagnosing and treating pertussis. The state health department also strongly encourages people to make sure their children's and their own vaccinations are up to date. While infants remain the most at risk, people of all ages can still get pertussis.

DSHS has reported nearly 2,000 pertussis cases so far this year, and the annual total likely will surpass the recent high of 3,358 cases in 2009.

 

To read more, click here.

 

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