Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family
Issue No. 55

February 18,  2014

 


 

 

 

February is National Heart Month. Statistics show that heart disease remains one of the most significant health concerns in the United States. 

 

Staying current with healthcare trends is crucial. National Heart Month is a great time to brush up on heart disease knowledge and current information.

 

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death among American adults; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, which amounts to approximately 2,200 deaths per day. This statistic emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about heart disease trends and a need for adequate health care.

 

 

 

You are a partner in health care decision making and you are partnered with a coverage provider that is thriving amidst pending change.

 

 

Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -

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TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.  

 

 

 

 

  

February is National Heart Month

  

 

  Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, but heart disease is preventable and controllable.


We can start by taking small steps every day to bring our loved ones and ourselves closer to heart health.

ONE STEP AT A TIME
As you begin your journey to better heart health, keep these things in mind:
* Don't become overwhelmed. Every step bring...s you closer to a healthier heart.
* Don't go it alone. The journey is more fun when you have company. Ask friends and family to join you.
* Don't get discouraged. You may not be able to take all of the steps at one time. Get a good night's sleep and do what you can tomorrow.
* Reward yourself. Find fun things to do to decrease your stress. Round up some colleagues for a lunchtime walk, join a singing group, or have a healthy dinner with your family or friends.

PLAN FOR PREVENTION
Some health conditions and lifestyle factors can put people at a higher risk for developing heart disease. You can help prevent heart disease by making healthy choices and managing any medical conditions you may have.
* Eat a healthy diet.
* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Exercise regularly.
* Monitor your blood pressure.
* Don't smoke. Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease.
* Limit alcohol use.
* Have your cholesterol checked.
* Manage your diabetes.
* Take your medicine.
* Get a physical exam. Become aware of your health risks.

Courtesy Hines Healthy Tomorrows, adapted from CDC Website.

 

 

  

 

 News Affecting You

 

 

  

follow up - 40 Hour Work Week Being Challenged on Capitol Hill

  

 

Follow Up -  The National Association of Health Underwriters released information on pending change of full-time employ that TACT is now closely monitoring. The issue deems 30 hours per week as full-time vs. the normally accepted 40 hour work week and is rapidly gaining traction on Capitol Hill!

 
Following Up - The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House on Tuesday, February 4, passed legislation to define full-time employment as 40 hours per week. The legislation awaits a vote on the House floor.
 

The Committee held a hearing on the challenges the 30-hour rule creates for employers and how it will hurt the nation's employees in 2015. NAHU has been present at the mark up of the bill and TACT will keep you up to date on the issue.

 

In the meantime, TACT urges any concerns by those affected to be addressed by contacting your member of Congress about this issue! NAHU has published form to help you make contact! Click here to view.

 

http://capwiz.com/nahu/issues/alert/?alertid=62846376

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

Employer Mandate Delayed Again

  

 

Businesses employing fewer than 100 full-time workers now have until 2016 to provide qualifying health benefits, the Obama administration announced Monday. The new regulations do not affect employers with more than 100 workers, who will still be subject to fines in 2015 unless they offer coverage.

The year-long delay of the so-called "employer mandate" is the second to come from the White House, who originally intended all businesses employing more than 50 people to provide health insurance or face tax penalties this year. The mandate was first delayed until 2015.

The new changes will allow producers working with businesses of between 50 and 100 people an additional year to navigate the new marketplace and find appropriate coverage for clients.

 

Read more here.

 

 

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 Healthcare In The News

 

  

Healthcare Law Relies

on Youth Outreach

  

 

 

 

WASHINGTON - Facing a rapidly approaching deadline, the White House and its allies are racing to enroll young people in new insurance plans offered under President Barack Obama's signature health care law, a sweeping effort that underscores how crucial the so-called young invincibles are to the measure's success.

 

An army of workers and volunteers is targeting people between the ages of 18 and 34 on college campuses, in bars and even in laundromats. The recruiting effort is based in part on lessons learned from Obama's presidential races, which revolutionized the way campaigns tracked voters.

 

"On the campaign, you want to be able to find an Obama voter, and you want to get them to vote," said Matt Saniie, who worked on the 2012 campaign's data team and is now analytics director at the organization Enroll America. "In the enrollment world, you want to find someone who is uninsured, and you want to get them to enroll."

 

More than any other group, participation from the young invincibles will be crucial to the law's success. Young people tend to be healthier, and the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that they need to make up about 40 percent of enrollment in the new health program to balance out the higher costs of insuring older, sicker people.

 

Click here to read more.

 

 

 

  

 

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Agriculture News
  
Congress Completes Work on Farm Bill
  
  

 

 

 

 WASHINGTON - After years of delays and contentious negotiations that threatened to derail the farm bill, Congress completed its work on a new five-year package.

 

The Senate voted 68-32 on a $500 billion farm bill that will end direct payments to farmers, expand the popular crop insurance program and cut spending on food stamps for some poor Americans by 1%.

 

The White House announced last Tuesday afternoon that Obama was going to sign the farm bill during a visit to East Lansing, Mich.

 

The bill, which had been mired in Congress for nearly three years, was passed in a dizzying blur of action. It took just over a week for the legislation to be introduced by House and Senate negotiators and approved by lawmakers in both chambers. The House passed the bill by a 251-166 vote last week.

 

 

FURTHER READING:

East Lansing, Michigan (CNN) - As he signed the nearly $1 trillion farm bill into law, President Barack Obama touted a new program designed to bolster rural American businesses - marching forward in his bid to advance his agenda without Congress. Read the story in its entirety here

 

Read full text of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

 

 
 

 

  
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 Healthful Hint

  

Dealing with the Flu

 
 
Courtesy WebMD

Coping with flu again this year? While there's no cure for flu, there are some natural and practical flu remedies you can use to ease flu symptoms. Here are some you can try today. (Keep in mind that the FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics are concerned about the safety and effectiveness of over the counter cough and cold medicines in children, and manufacturers now have changed their labels to say not to use these products in children under 4.)

Tip #1: Stay home and get plenty of rest.

On the first day of flu symptoms, follow the rules of flu etiquette. Call your work or school and tell them you're not coming in for a few days because you're sick -- and very contagious! Then, take advantage of these days of flu and let your body have much-needed rest. Pull out your favorite movies, curl up on the couch, and spend the time watching DVDs while your body battles the virus.

Tip #2: Drink plenty of fluids.

Increase fluids such as water, fruit juices, sports drinks, and clear soups (like chicken soup). Fluids help keep your respiratory system hydrated and liquefy thick mucus that can build up to cause infection in your bronchial tubes.

Tip #3: Treat aches and fever so you feel comfortable.

Got fever? Fever is a flu symptom and occurs when your body temperature rises to fight off infection (in this case, the flu virus).

Treat fever and aches with over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve or Naprosyn).

Aspirin should never be given to children and adults younger than 19 years old with symptoms of flu or cold because it is associated with a condition known as Reye's syndrome, a very serious illness that damages the brain and liver.

Tip #4: Use cough suppressants and expectorants to treat the cough.

Over-the-counter cough remedies are available to suppress cough. There are also over-the-counter expectorants that liquefy thick mucus so it can be coughed up. There is some disagreement among doctors about how well these cough medicines work.

Tip #5: Use steam inhalations.

Fill the bathroom sink with steaming water. Add 1 teaspoon of the over-the-counter ointment Vicks Vapo Rub to the steaming water, and then breathe in the steam for several minutes until you get relief. Another alternative is to add a few drops of oil of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) or menthol to the water. Eucalyptus may help open up bronchial tubes, ease congestion, and make breathing a little  easier. There is not enough evidence, however, to say that any of these really help with the symptoms.

Tip #6: Sit in a steamy bathroom.

If you are still congested, sit in a bathroom with the door closed and allow the shower to run hot until the room fills with moist steam. Inhaling the moisture can help to open your airways. Make sure you sit away from the hot shower so you do not get burned by the water.

 

 

Tip #7: Run the humidifier.

If the air is dry, a warm mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. Be sure to keep the humidifier clean, however, to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.

Tip #8: Try soothing lozenges.

Sucking on soothing lozenges will help to moisten and coat your scratchy throat and reduce the cough associated with flu.

Tip #9 Try saline (salt water) nasal drops.

Saline nose drops are available over-the-counter at any drug or grocery store and are effective, safe, and nonirritating, even for children. Put several drops into one nostril, and then gently blow the mucus and saline out of that nostril. Repeat the process in the opposite nostril until both are unblocked.

When Should I Call The Doctor About an Antiviral Flu Drug?

Flu drugs are taken at the onset of flu. These flu drugs may help decrease the severity and duration of flu symptoms.

 

The CDC recommends Relenza or Tamiflu. Relenza and Tamiflu are most effective when given within 48 hours of the onset of illness. These flu medications can decrease the duration of the flu by one day if used within this early time period. They are usually given for a period of about five days. They are also sometimes used to help prevent the flu in someone exposed to another person with the flu.

 

In addition, call your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Earache or drainage from your ear
  • Pain in your face or forehead along with thick yellow or green mucus for more than a week
  • Any temperature 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in an infant less than 3 months of age
  • Temperature higher than 102 degrees Fahrenheit in older children or adults
  • Hoarseness, sore throat, or a cough that will not go away
  • Wheezing
  • Vomiting
  • Persistent or worsening symptoms

Seek immediate medical help for any trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, seizure, fainting, extreme fussiness or difficulty arousing.

 

What about taking an antibiotic? Would that relieve my symptoms?

Antibiotics only work against infections caused by bacteria. The flu is a viral infection, and antibiotics don't treat viruses.

 

To follow CDC recommendations visit www.flu.gov

 

 

  

  


 
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In This Issue
February is National Heart Month
40 Hour Work Week Challenged
Employer Mandate Delayed
Healthcare Law Relies on Youth Outreach
Congress Completes Work on Farm Bill
Dealing with the Flu
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Facebook Feature 
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Contact Us
Texas Ag Coop Trust
1802 East 50th St., Ste. 107
Lubbock, TX 79404
806-747-7894

  

Texas Ag Coop Trust
Officers, Board of Trustees
 
Kimberly Tullo-Holcomb
TACT Executive Director
Lubbock, TX
 
Jim Turner, Chairman
Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX

Bret Brown, Secretary/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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Spanish Forms Available via Website

 

Just a Reminder...

With the need for form availability at the touch of a button, TACT wants to remind you that the Trust's Member Enrollment and Member Request for Change forms as well as TACT's Schedule of Benefit forms available by deductible selection are now available in Spanish and can be downloaded by visiting here. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 806-747-7894.

 

 

 
What can we do to help you? What questions do you have?  We are here to answer your questions.

 

  


 

  

 TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
  you know and trust...like Family. 
 

 

Next Issue:  March 4, 2014
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