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Issue No. 84
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March 31, 2015
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Rain falling, wildflowers blooming, longer days, warmer days...Spring is in the air! And, just as spring and the Easter season bring about a sense of newness and refresh, TACT aims to bring about a new refresh in health care and insurance.
Health care, health insurance, new medical research, disease prevention, drug treatments...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!
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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Who? How? Get to Know Us!
Who is behind the scenes? How does it all get done?
 ACA, COBRA, HIPPA, TPA....
acronyms that you know of, but where do they fit into the realm of your health benefit plan? And, when in need, how can you be assured that all is compliant for use?
You enjoy ownership and dollar savings with a health plan with which you have assurance of it running smoothly. All regulatory requirements are met and implementation of change is seamless. The person behind the scenes says, "I'm pretty much invisible," but Marcelo Aguilar is always working to benefit you.
Aguilar, the Regulatory and Compliance Coordinator for Texas Ag Benefit Administrators, joined the TACT staff in October of last year. His day to day handlings include operational tasks such as eligibility reporting, new group and renewal implementation and client operations. "It all boils down to making sure the health plan is compliant," says Aguilar.
Aguilar has worked in the area of third party administration since 1996. "I was familiar with TACT when I came on board," notes Aguilar, "and am becoming more and more familiar with the members as I work alongside Karen, Cisti and Anne."
Aguilar says that he has had a front row seat in seeing how the TACT staff really takes a personal approach to service. "From the get-go with TACT, members get consistent answers and swift turn-around."
"From the standpoint of what I do for TACT and TABA, having an all-inclusive, in-house benefits administrator gives members two pieces that are hard to match!" Aguilar continues, "Dollar savings and customer service are huge benefits to members. Cost savings from being completely in-house ensures low costs for participants while providing high quality customer service."
Yes, you enjoy ownership and dollar savings with a health plan with which you have assurance of it running smoothly. The tasks of auditing, reporting, filing and others that are seldom thought of when you review your insurance plan all fall into place behind the scenes because of Aguilar. You can know that the man who calls himself, invisible has been taking care of the day to day 'hard stuff', making your health plan visibly the best.
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National Public Health
Week Recognized
 National Public Health Week, recognized April 6-12, is a time to acknowledge progress made in strengthening and protecting the public health and rededicating ourselves to the work of improving the health and well-being of Americans by preventing disease, supporting medical research, and promoting safer and healthier communities.
This year, one of the main themes of National Public Health Week, "Building Momentum," is particularly appropriate, as we demonstrate momentum is building around a higher commitment to our nation's public health.
The Affordable Care Act's focus on prevention and expanding access to quality care is rooted in the concept of "building momentum." Because of the law, millions more Americans have quality affordable coverage, including preventive services, through the Marketplace or Medicaid. Not only can they get the care they need when they need it, but they can get preventive care as well, many for the first time. Already more than 100 million Americans with private insurance and Medicare have benefited from expanded coverage of preventive services such as recommended cancer screenings without paying coinsurance or deductibles.
The Affordable Care Act also establishes the National Prevention Council, which, through the National Prevention Strategy, strives to move the nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention across all sectors. The Council works in conjunction with the Prevention and Public Health Fund and other efforts to prevent heart attacks, strokes and cancer, reduce tobacco use, prevent obesity, combat health disparities and improve the nation's health.
To help gauge advancements in America's public health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tracks leading health indicators via the Healthy People initiative, which provides science-based 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. (www.healthypeople.gov)
National Public Health Week is an opportunity to recognize not only the important work of public health workers in communities across our country, but also the role every citizen plays in the effort to "Build Momentum"!
By taking better care of ourselves, and supporting friends and family in their efforts to lead healthier lives, we can all play an important role in National Public Health Week.
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Plenty of Eggs for Easter!
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Retail egg prices are now in the $1.30 range, down from last year's historically high $1.98 per dozen. Consumers will find an adequate supply of the protein powerhouses to fill Easter baskets and for Passover meals, according to John Anderson, deputy chief economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Further, "Eggs remain a relatively low-cost source of protein at a time when other meat and dairy product prices are also up," Anderson said.
Recently, global demand for eggs has been very strong. In 2013, U.S. egg exports were up by 39 percent compared to the prior year. Much of the increase was due to an increase in exports to Mexico, which in addition to having strong consumer demand, has also had its domestic egg supply reduced by an avian influenza outbreak that began in early 2012.
"U.S. poultry farmers are working to catch up with the surge in demand. U.S. table egg production has increased in each of the past three years and is expected to increase by another 1.5 percent again this year. Demand remains strong, but exports to Mexico will begin to taper off as that country rebuilds its domestic poultry industry," Anderson concluded.
Top egg-producing states include Iowa, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, California, North Carolina and Alabama.
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The return of the egg?
New dietary guidelines may downplay cholesterol risks
Courtesy foxnews.com
Eating a whole egg, yolks and all, has gotten a bad reputation over the years, but new dietary guidelines may send egg white-only omelets by the wayside. The recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which are now under review, are expected to downplay the importance of lowering cholesterol intake.
The most recent set of guidelines in 2010 recommended consuming less than 300 milligrams per day of dietary cholesterol, which is about the amount in one egg.
In the coming weeks, the committee is expected to release the report for use by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services Departments to write the final version of the 2015 dietary guidelines, due by the end of this year.
For decades, the government has warned against diets high in cholesterol. But now many nutritionists believe that cholesterol intake may not significantly impact cholesterol blood levels or increase the risk of heart disease in healthy adults, according to the Washington Post.
In December, the advisory panel said in its preliminary recommendations that cholesterol is no longer "considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption." That would be a change from previous guidelines, which said Americans eat too much cholesterol. This follows increasing medical research showing how much cholesterol is in your bloodstream is more complicated than once thought, and depends more on the kinds of fats that you eat. Medical groups have moved away from specific targets for cholesterol in the diet in recent years.
It's unclear if the recommendation will make it into the final guidelines. Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver who is a past president of the American Heart Association, told Reuters that there's not enough evidence to make good recommendations on cholesterol right now, but "no evidence doesn't mean the evidence is no."
People can enjoy high-cholesterol egg yolks in moderation, but "a three- to four-egg omelet isn't something I'd ever recommend to a patient at risk for cardiovascular disease," he says.
The nutritional value of the egg and its yolk has been debated by nutritionists for years. While it had a bad reputation with regard to cardiovascular health, most recent research has shown that cholesterol found in foods isn't fully to blame for increased LDL ("bad") cholesterol in the body.
"Eggs are an animal product, and they do contain cholesterol," Lisa Cimperman, a registered dietician for UH Case Medical Center, told FoxNews.com. "But actually, cholesterol in foods doesn't affect our blood cholesterol as much as saturated fat does. Cholesterol in food, in general you do want to avoid, but it's not necessarily the main culprit of high cholesterol."
Compared to other animal products, the average egg actually contains relatively low amounts of saturated fats- about 1.6 grams per egg yolk. Studies from the Harvard School of Public Health and the British Nutrition Foundation have also found that eggs have clinically insignificant effects on blood cholesterol, and are not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Eating only the egg white has been popular because it's considered pure protein and doesn't have the fatty content of the yolk, but some dieticians argue that consuming both the fat and protein can have a positive health benefits when it comes to blood sugar.
"You want the fat, because it not only satiates you, but also slows the absorption of your food," Laura Cipullo a registered dietician in New York City, told FoxNews.com. "So you stay fuller longer, and it won't increase blood sugar. A lot of people have toast with just egg whites, but it's giving them a quicker rise in their blood sugar. But if you have the yolk with it or a different form of fat like avocado, your blood sugar won't rise as quickly, because it takes longer to break (the food) down."
Of course, all fat must be consumed in moderation, which is why many dieticians recommend eating only a few egg yolks each week. And for patients with a history of vascular disease, keeping track of the eggs they eat is critical to their health. A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that patients with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease should limit their cholesterol intake from foods to about 200 milligrams a day.
Despite their fat and cholesterol content, egg yolks are a good source of vitamin A and iron, along with a host of other nutrients.
"Eggs, in general, are also good sources of B vitamin, thiamine is one example, and selenium, which is an antioxidant," Cimperman said. "And folate is a good vitamin, particularly for pregnant women."
As long as consumers are conscientious about how many eggs they consume and the way they're consuming them- frying an egg in butter is worse for blood cholesterol than a hardboiled egg, for example- they shouldn't be overly concerned about their cardiovascular health.
"Even if you're eating something like a nut- that also has saturated fat in it," Cipullo said. "You have to look at the benefits, and the benefits of eggs providing overall protein and vitamins and being easy to eat, that outweighs the fact that it has a few grams of saturated fat."
The advisory panel's guidelines may also change recommendations on how much salt is too much and put limits on sugar consumption for the first time.
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Good Friday Office Hours
The TACT office will be closing at noon, April 3 in observance of Good Friday.
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Contact Us
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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Effective April 1
Want to know how to do your part in keeping your Health Insurance Premiums from Increasing next year?
Use the In-Network Providers in Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)! PHCS contracts with physicians, hospitals and ancillary services (lab, equipment, sleep studies, radiology centers, etc.) at a discounted rate. These providers can be found by visiting the TACT website (www.TxAgCoop.com) and clicking on the "Find your Provider" link, enter your group number and click "find my provider." This will provide you with a link to obtain a list of all PHCS in network providers.
There is a very good reason why your employer has chosen PHCS as your PPO provider. Cost Savings. your employer is self-funding the employee health plan; in simple terms this means your employer is paying for every claim that employees and the covered dependents incur. When your employer is considering next year's health plan, and if there are many out of network claims that cost the health plan a considerable amount of money, the employer has no choice but to raise premiums or reduce benefits.
Example:
If you go to an in-network radiology facility for an MRI, the contracted rate and total cost is $639.73
If you go to an out of network radiology facility, there is no contracted rate and the total cost is $2,850
Let's say your deductible is $500 and your plan pays 80%. (With your out of network benefits - guess what - you and your employer will end up paying more of the cost.)
Make sure that you and your physician use PHCS providers. You can go to the TACT website (www.TxAgCoop.com) and click on the "Find your Provider" link, enter your group number and click "find my provider." This will provide you with a link to a list of in network providers with Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS).
If everyone would do their part in keeping costs down, you might be pleasantly surprised at health plan renewal time!
****see your office manager for New ID cards****
If you have questions or need assistance locating an in network provider,
PLEASE CALL Texas Ag Benefit Administrators at 806-568-2600.
TACT - Dedicated Insurance Professionals
you know and trust...like Family.
Next Issue: April 14, 2015
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