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Dedicated Insurance Professionals you know and trust...like Family |
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| Issue No. 56 |
March 4, 2014
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Change - the current state for health care, health insurance, new medical research, disease prevention, drug treatments, etc.
Confused about how healthcare reform will impact you? Unsure when politicians are fudging facts?
It can all be very overwhelming. Thankfully, as a member participant with Texas Ag Coop Trust, you are a partner in health care decision making and you are partnered with a coverage provider that is thriving amidst all of the change and uncertainty.
What are you hearing? What has you concerned? With TACT, YOU are our business. How can we help you?
Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -
Contact us for more information
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Of cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the Nation.
Colorectal cancer affects all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people age 50 and older.
If all men and women age 50 and older were screened regularly, 6 out of 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to encourage people to get screened.
Make a difference! Spread the word about strategies for preventing colorectal cancer and encourage communities, organizations, families, and individuals to get involved.
How can Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month make a difference?
We can use this month to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and take action toward prevention both at home and in the larger community.
Here are just a few ideas:
- Encourage families to get active together - exercise may help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
- Talk to people in your community about the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50.
- Ask doctors and nurses to speak to people age 50 and older about the importance of getting screened.
Preventable. Treatable. Beatable.
 Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. It is one of only a few cancers that can be prevented through screening; among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with advancing age. More than 90 percent of cases occur in people aged 50 or older. Building awareness is an important part of helping to increase screening and decrease mortality rates. Visit the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable Web site to learn more.
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30 Hour Work Week Now
Challenged by GOP
Courtesy - The Fiscal Times
Congressional Republicans returned to Capitol Hill with Obamacare in their crosshairs.
They are taking aim at a provision in the law that defines "full- time employees" as those working 30 hours or more. Under Obamacare's employer mandate, companies with 50 or more "full-time" employees will be required to offer health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty if at least one of their employees purchases a plan through the healthcare marketplace with a federal subsidy.
In an Op-Ed published in the National Review Online, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said the House will be focusing on changing the law's definition of "full-time employees" to workers logging more than 40 hours a week or 174 hours a month for full-time equivalents.
Republicans and business proponents of the legislation say the current provision incentivizes companies to shift their full-time workers to part-time status just below the 30 hours threshold in order to avoid paying for employee health insurance.
Some health policy experts say changing the full time status to 40 hour work weeks makes it easier for companies to circumvent the requirement that medium to large firms provide health coverage to their workers. "The change would make it a lot easier for employers to get around the law," said Larry Levitt, senior vice president for special initiatives at the Kaiser Family Foundation. He explained the current threshold was put in place because it is more difficult for employers to reduce their full-time employee's hours below 30 hours, than cutting hours short of the 40-hour threshold which would be closer to employees current work schedules.
Another potential problem with the change, as noted by University of Chicago economist Casey Mulligan in The New York Times is that it could further magnify "the already strong disincentives for working full time." Mulligan explains that by taking a 39-hour position, the employee can have comprehensive health insurance coverage and actually make more money than he would in a full-time position, since premiums under Obamacare are likely cheaper than employer based plans, and many people qualify for a federal subsidy.
The National Association of Health Underwriters has been present at the mark up of the bill and TACT will keep you up to date on the issue.
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Next edition of electronic health record technology certification criteria issued
Progress by HHS increases interoperability and supports clinical and delivery reforms
The HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued proposals for the next edition (the "2015 Edition") of electronic health record (EHR) technology certification criteria.
This proposed rule marks the first time ONC has proposed an edition of certification criteria separate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' "meaningful use" regulations.
The proposals represent ONC's new regulatory approach that includes more incremental and frequent rulemaking. This approach allows ONC to update certification criteria more often to reference improved standards, continually improve regulatory clarity, and solicit comments on potential proposals as a way to signal ONC's interest in a particular topic area.
"The proposed 2015 Edition EHR certification criteria reflect ONC's commitment to incrementally improving interoperability and efficiently responding to stakeholder feedback," said Karen DeSalvo, M.D., M.P.H., national coordinator for health IT. "We will continue to focus on setting policy and adopting standards that make it possible for health care providers to safely and securely exchange electronic health information and for patients to become an integral part of their care team."
Compliance with the 2015 Edition would be voluntary - EHR developers that have certified EHR technology to the 2014 Edition would not need to recertify to the 2015 Edition for customers to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Similarly, health care providers eligible to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs would not need to "upgrade" to EHR technology certified to 2015 Edition to have EHR technology that meets the Certified EHR Technology definition. "This provides the opportunity for developers and health care providers to move to the 2015 Edition on their own terms and at their own pace," said Dr. DeSalvo.
The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on Feb. 26, 2014. ONC will accept comments on the proposed rule through April 28, 2014. The final rule is expected to be issued in summer 2014.
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USDA Chief Economist says Farm Bill will affect income not plantings
 Courtesy Ag Week
The U.S. Department of Agriculture increased its estimate of U.S. agricultural exports to $142.6 billion for fiscal 2014, up $5.6 billion from November's estimate and $1.5 billion higher than the previous record level in fiscal year 2013.
In his annual address Feb. 20 at USDA's annual Agricultural Outlook Forum being held in Arlington, Va., USDA Chief Economist Joseph Glauber noted that the forecast varied by product. Glauber also noted that U.S. agricultural imports for fiscal year 2014 are forecast at $110 billion, up slightly from the November estimate. This forecast is 5.9 percent greater than the fiscal 2013 import total and reflects the relatively weak to moderate recovery of import demand. With regard to U.S. production and farm income, Glauber said the new farm bill will have a "minimal" impact on crop farmers' decisions about what to plant, but the elimination of direct payments has already had an impact on the decline in farm income in 2013. Glauber said the farm bill will force farmers to make choices between the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, but "Since both the PLC and ARC programs are based on producers' base acres rather than on their actual planted acres, the programs will likely have limited impact on acreage decisions." But Glauber also noted that net cash income for 2014 is forecast at $101.9 billion, down almost 22 percent from 2013, but still more than $5 billion above the previous 10-year average. Most of the decline is a result of the decrease in crop receipts, he said, but the elimination of the $4.9 billion in direct payments that crop farmers have been getting whether prices are high or low also played a role, he told the audience. Other key points Glauber made: *The elimination of direct payments under the Agricultural Act of 2014 results in a projected 45 percent decline in government payments. Any expected payments under the new ARC and PLC program would not be paid until calendar 2015. But net indemnities under the crop insurance program have increased in recent years and are expected to exceed $5 billion in 2014. *Global grain and oilseed consumption has grown faster than the population in the past 10 years and demand for those products is expected to be at record levels in 2014.Global grain consumption grew by 2.1 percent per year in the past 10 years, compared with a global population growth rate of only 1.2 percent per year. The growth rate varies by grain. *The biggest wild card in agriculture for 2014 is the drought in the Western states. *Global trade is expected to increase in the next 10 years by 15 percent for wheat, more than 30 percent for corn and almost 40 percent for soybeans, but U.S. agriculture will face intense competition in export markets from Brazil in soybeans and corn and the Black Sea countries in wheat and corn. *Despite proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard, corn use for ethanol will remain at 5 billion bushels in 2014 and 2015 because of strong export demand. *Despite the drought of 2012 and record prices for many commodities, food inflation remained low in 2013. Prices for food consumed at home rose, on average, only 0.9 percent. But meat and poultry prices will likely increase by an estimated 3 to 4 percent in 2014, which will help push food inflation back toward more historical levels. Read full text of the Agricultural Act of 2014
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Eat Breakfast, Cut Diabetes Risk
Courtesy WebMD Your mom was right, again. Don't skip breakfast!
 A new study shows that people who eat breakfast every day are less likely to become obese, develop type 2 diabetes, or gain fat around their tummy.
Even having breakfast just four to six times a week may help, says researcher Andrew Odegaard, PhD, MPH, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
That's sensible advice, although it doesn't prove that breakfast made the difference, says Robert E. Ratner, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association.
"Having regular eating habits with three balanced meals is probably better than random eating, which may lead to weight gain and dangerously high or low blood sugar," Ratner tells WebMD. "But scientifically, the study does not offer proof," Ratner says. People who eat breakfast daily are likely to have other healthy habits that could also explain the association, he says.
Click here to read more on the study.
To see this and other health news,
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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
Jim Turner, Chairman
Dalhart Consumers Fuel Association
Dalhart, TX
Bret Brown, Secretary/Treasurer
Sunray Coop
Sunray, 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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Are You Affected by the Employer Mandate Delay?
Businesses employing fewer than 100 full-time workers now have until 2016 to provide qualifying health benefits, the Obama administration announced. 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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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 18, 2014
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