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Insurance, however prevalent as compared to one year ago, is still in a position of finding its place in the lives of millions. Selecting an insurance plan isn't something to rush into, particularly for the uninsured.
TACT, in the midst of all that has transpired, 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. We encourage you to field your options but allow us to help you understand them. Remember, with TACT, YOU are our business.
We wish you a very Happy Holiday Season and look forward to serving you as we edge on a new year.
You are a partner in health care decision making and you are partnered with a coverage provider that is thriving in the midst of change.
Now serving ALL of Texas Agriculture -
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TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
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2015 Open Enrollment for Dental Coverage is Now Open
REMINDER!!
You are eligible to participate
in the TACT Dental Plan!
December is the ONLY MONTH
for Open Enrollment!
TACT reminds you to review mailed material. All changes and newly completed forms must be received in the TACT office no later than
December 19.
Should you have any questions, please call the TACT office at 806-747-7894.

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2015 Premium Rate
Study Released -
Competition, Choice Increasing
Courtesy CNBC
Dire warnings by Obamacare opponents of dramatically higher insurance premium prices in 2015 are not being borne out nationally, according to new data showing proposed prices are rising moderately, on average, nationally.
While the single-digit average price increases, coupled with a rise in the number of insurers selling Obamacare plans for next year, suggest enrollment could remain fairly strong in the new form of insurance in the short term, questions remain about relative price stability over the long term.
Six states and the District of Columbia already issued approved rates for individual insurance plans in 2015, and the average premium is rising just 2.5 percent, PricewaterhouseCoopers found in its updated report. These plans went on sale Nov. 15.
The average premium in those states-across different price tiers and ages-would be $327 per month. But that average doesn't reflect the effect of federal subsidies that about 85 percent of Obamacare enrollees receive. Those subsidies, which are based on income, can substantially cut actual payments.
And, in the 38 states and D.C. that have finalized rates or released proposed rates for such plans, the average premium would rise 6 percent, PwC said. The average premium would be $382 per month, before subsidies are factored in.
Just one state so far, Louisiana, has reported that rates are proposed to rise more than 10 percent. Cajun State residents are faced with an average proposed premium hike of 15.3 percent for individual plans.
At the other end of the spectrum are Oregon's finalized rates, which are 2.5 percent lower than that state's 2014 premiums.
An interactive map showing details of each state's premium profile can be found here: 2015 rate filings.
"I think it's probably coming as a relief to many that we're not seeing double-digit rate increases," said Ceci Connolly, managing director of PwC's Health Research Institute. "I think that the worries about excessively high costs and prices have not materialized."
Connolly said the 6 percent average tracks "very closely what the average [premium increase] is in in the employer-based market," which is where most Americans get health coverage. And that average is 2.2 percentage points lower than what PwC found when it first began tracking proposed rate hike disclosures in states in mid-summer, she said.
PwC's announced averages are based on all individual plans that will be sold either on the Obamacare exchanges or in the open market. The company said it found no significant distinction between those two submarkets. More than 35 million Americans are covered by individual plans they buy for themselves or have bought by family members, as opposed to the 170 million or so covered by employer-based plans.
Buyer Beware
Still, consumers need to be cautious when shopping for a plan. While the average proposed price increase is moderate, there's "wide variation" in the percentage increases sought by individual insurers, Connolly said. "There are some very high ones," she said.
"Colorado has approved premiums that range from a decrease of 22 percent to an increase of 35 percent," Connolly said. However, the average price increase is just 2 percent in Colorado, which has finalized its 2015 rates.
The wide variation in the individual market reflects, in part, a change in tack by some insurers after their first year selling Obamacare plans.
"Some players went into this last year with different strategies," Connolly said. "Some went in intentionally with very low prices because they wanted to capture market share. ... On the other hand, there were some that were a little uncertain about this new market" and priced their plans higher than they are now, she said.
'Informed guesses'
Regardless of their strategy for the first year, all insurers who are selling plans in 2015 were forced to set proposed prices with little-often very little-knowledge of how their customers in 2014 would use their new benefits during the year.
Nearly half of the more than 8 million people who selected exchange-sold plans this year did so in March and April, right before the end of open enrollment. Insurers began setting proposed rates just several months later, in June, leaving little time to collect meaningful information about customers going to the doctor or hospital, or buying prescription medication with their insurance.
"Last year's rates were almost entirely guesswork, because it was a brand-new concept," Connolly said. "As for 2015, the rates, I would describe them as informed guesses."
Connolly said she expects insurers are viewing the Obamacare exchanges as an opportunity to boost revenue, which is why there is a net increase in the number of issuers of plans this coming year. "That speaks to the growth opportunity that issuers are seeing," she said.
One of those new issuers is Physicians Health Plan, the insurance arm of a community health system in Lansing, Michigan, called Sparrow Health.
PHP, which already sold employer-based plans and Medicaid plans, stayed out of the Obamacare market last year in part because of uncertainty about it, as well as the need to deal with other issues first, according to Dennis Reese, the insurer's interim CEO.
"We were prepared to file [rates] last year, and in fact we did all the preparation, and then in the end we determined we are not going forward," Reese said.
But PHP decided to join HealthCare.gov, the federally run market that serves Michigan and 37 other states, this year. The insurer will be offering 12 separate health plans in eight Lansing-area counties.
"We believe that the exchanges are the wave of the future," Reese said. "We determined that we definitely need to be in the exchange, and it looks like it's going to stay, in some form."
Reese said PHP's premiums are higher than some competitors and lower than others. Michigan residents overall are faced with proposed Obamacare rate hikes of just 0.2 percent, on average, according to PwC.
But Reese said, "I think it's too early to tell" whether Michigan, or other states, will continue to see moderate average price increases in the future.
One reason was "the rates had to be put in before there was really any sound experience on what to base those rates on," Reese said, echoing Connolly. "Right now, it's people's best estimate."
But if those premiums aren't high enough to cover the costs of benefits paid out to enrollees, insurers will have to raise them in coming years, possibly by a much greater amount than they did for 2015.
Another reason rates might rise significantly higher in the future is that two out of the three Obamacare programs that are designed to financially protect insurers from the risks of enrolling too many sick people and not enough healthy people are set to expire after 2016.
Once those programs and the monetary cushion they provide go away, some insurers might be compelled to increase premium prices more aggressively than their competitors.
"That all has to be played out," Reese said.
But he noted that the current presence of those risk-protection programs is one of the reasons that PHP expects it is important to get on the Obamacare exchange now instead of later.

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Consumers Can Once Again Shop for Coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace
Courtesy HHS.gov
Starting November 15, consumers can sign up for 2015 health insurance plans through HealthCare.gov, the call center, or in-person assistance. With more issuers offering coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace this year, the consumers will find more options for themselves and their families.
"When Open Enrollment begins, consumers who are renewing their coverage or signing up for the first time will have an opportunity to obtain quality health coverage at a price they can afford," said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. "Whether consumers visit the simpler, faster and more intuitive HealthCare.gov or contact the call center, they're going to find more choices and competitive prices."
The Health Insurance Marketplace is a simpler way to purchase health insurance for Americans and their families. Consumers can go online to find and compare options, see if they qualify for lower costs, and select coverage that best meets their needs and budget. About 85 percent of those who signed up last year through the Marketplace received financial assistance. Coverage begins as early as January 1, 2015 for people enrolling by December 15, 2014.
Click here to see the story in its entirety.
Further Reading:
HHS announces partnerships to promote Health Insurance Marketplace
Healthcare news such as this can be found on our Facebook Page!

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The Seasons,
They are a Changing
Long Range Weather Outlook
Courtesy Farmer's Almanac
With a change in the air and weather uncertain as to the season, The Old Farmer's Almanac offers the following outlook:
DECEMBER 2014: temperature 53° (1° below avg. north, 1°
above south); precipitation 2" (0.5" below avg.); Dec 1-10: Rain, then sunny, turning warm; Dec 11-20: Showers, then sunny, mild; Dec 21-25: Snow north, rain south, then sunny, cold; Dec 26-31: Sunny north, rainy periods south; cold.
JANUARY 2015: temperature 48° (1° below avg.); precipitation 1.5" (0.5" below avg.); Jan 1-7: Sunny north, rainy periods south; cold; Jan 8-13: Snow showers north, rain south, then sunny, cold; Jan 14-21: Flurries north, rain south, then sunny, warm; Jan 22-27: Rainy periods, then sunny, cold; Jan 28-31: Sunny north, rainy south; turning warm.
Annual Weather Summary:
November 2014 to October 2015
Winter temperatures, precipitation, and snowfall all will be below normal. The coldest periods will be in mid- and late December, early January, and mid- to late January, while the snowiest periods across the north will occur in mid- to late December and early to mid-January.
April and May will be warmer and rainier than normal, on average.
Summer will be hotter and drier than normal, despite a hurricane threat in late July. The hottest periods will be in late June, early July, and early and late August.
September and October will be cooler and rainier than normal, with three hurricane threats in September.
Temperature and Precipitation
November 2014 to October 2015

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Naughty or Nice
The Best Foods To Boost Your Mood
Courtesy Eating Well Magazine
If you're feeling blue-or want to ward off feeling that way-there are some foods to consider adding to your diet that might help. Studies suggest that the following foods may help reduce stress, ease anxiety and fight depression. See which healthy foods to eat to help you boost your mood.
1. Chocolate
This may not be news to you, but it is good to know is that there's some science behind the theory that chocolate makes us happy: eating dark chocolate (1.4 ounces of it, to be exact) every day for two weeks reduced stress hormones, including cortisol, in people who were highly stressed. Experts believe it could be thanks to the antioxidants in chocolate. When you do indulge, be sure to account for the 235 calories that 1.4 ounces of chocolate delivers-or you may be stressed to see extra pounds creeping on.
2. Carbs
Despite persistent myths to the contrary, carbs don't make you fat and they can boost your mood. In a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who for a year followed a very-low-carbohydrate diet-which allowed only 20 to 40 grams of carbs daily, about the amount in just 1/2 cup of rice plus one piece of bread-experienced more depression, anxiety and anger than those assigned to a low-fat, high-carb diet that focused on low-fat dairy, whole grains, fruit and beans. Researchers suspect that carbs promote the production of serotonin, a feel-good brain chemical. Also, the challenge of following such a restrictive low-carb diet for a full year may have negatively impacted mood.
3. Fruits & Vegetables (and other whole foods)
Another reason to eat healthy, whole foods! In a recent study of close to 3,500 men and women published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, those who reported eating a diet rich in whole foods in the previous year were less likely to report feeling depressed than those who ate lots of desserts, fried foods, processed meats, refined grains and high-fat dairy products. Previous studies have shown that antioxidants in fruits and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids in fish are associated with lower risk of depression. Folate, a B vitamin found in beans, citrus and dark green vegetables like spinach, affects neurotransmitters that impact mood. It's possible that the protectiveness of the whole-food diet comes from a cumulative effect of these nutrients.
4. Fish
Eating oily, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout) and mussels will give you omega-3s-a key mood-boosting nutrient and one our bodies don't produce. Omega-3s alter brain chemicals linked with mood-specifically dopamine and serotonin.
5. Saffron
In one study, from Iran's Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 50 women with PMS were given two (15 mg) saffron capsules or placebo capsules daily over two menstrual cycles, keeping track of their symptoms in diaries. By the end of the study, over three-quarters of the women who had taken the equivalent of a micropinch of saffron reported that their PMS symptoms (such as mood swings and depression) declined by at least half, compared with only 8 percent of women in the placebo group. In earlier studies, saffron had antidepressant effects comparable to the antidepressants fluoxetine (Prozac) and imipramine (Tofranil). Researchers believe that the spice works by "the same mechanism as Prozac," helping to make the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin more available to the brain.
6. Coconut
When you're stressed, the scent of coconut may blunt your natural "fight or flight" response, slowing your heart rate. People who breathed in coconut fragrance in a small pilot study at Columbia University saw their blood pressure recover more quickly after a challenging task. The researchers speculate that inhaling a pleasant scent enhances alertness while soothing our response to stress.
7. Tea
Fuzzy brain? Drinking caffeinated black, green or oolong tea may elicit a more alert state of mind, says a study in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers think theanine-an amino acid present in these tea varieties-may work synergistically with caffeine to improve attention and focus. To reap the benefits, the study's results suggest drinking 5 to 6 (8-ounce) cups of tea daily.
To read featured health news
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TACT Christmas Holiday Hours
The TACT office will observe the following for the Christmas Holiday.
Wednesday, December 24th - Closed
Thursday, December 25th - Closed
Friday, December 26th - Open at 8 a.m.
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!
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Texas Ag Coop Trust
915 Austin Street
Levelland, TX 79336 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 Ag Producers Co-op Sunray, TX
Ben Boerner
Texas Grain & Feed Assn.
Fort Worth, TX
Craig Rohrbach
Parmer County Cotton Growers
Farwell, TX
Dean Sasser
Farmers Coop Elevator Levelland, TX
Tony Williams Texas Cotton Ginners' Association Austin, TX
Paul Wilson
United Cotton Growers 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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