Our meeting today began with Milt Towle leading the flag salute, Fred Raio leading the song, and Linda LeVine giving the invocation.
Visitors and Guests:
Visiting Rotarian Bryan Ross exchanged flags from his club in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (Sunrise)
Bryan brought along a special guest Linda Mead.
Special Guest: Brian Hynes
Guests: Jennifer Scwabauer, Joan Bumgarner, and Bill Mason
Reminders: District Governor visit is October 9. Board Members and Avenue of Service Chairs will meet with Jack McClenahanat 11:15 that Wednesday. Jack will be our 'program' that day. The evening events are being planned by Edwin Velarde and Ed Pope. We look forward to a great turn-out for this meeting.
Next week (October 2) we are DARK at NRCC. Please RSVP to Bob Marshall to attend our plant tour of Elegant Gardens in Moorpark at noon. Bob is arranging carpools from Sprouts on Agoura/Westlake at 11:15.
District Conference is October 18-20. All members are invited to attend (register on the district website). Board members are especially encouraged to attend this conference, as well the District Training Assembly in Spring 2014.
Thank you to Karen Quigley for wrapping the meeting after the current president made an early departure.
REMEMBER: WE ARE DARK AT NRCC ON OCTOBER 2
Today's program:
Past President Karen Quigley introduced Jennifer Schwabauer from Manna, who updated us on the revamping and social media outreach of Manna. Jennifer thanked the membership for the monetary and food contributions to Manna at today's meeting.
Past President Karen Quiqley then introduced Bill Mason of Word and Brown.
Key notes from the presentation:
Health Care Reform
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the ACA or “Obamacare”, requires people over age 18 to purchase health insurance coverage by January 2014, or face a financial penalty. To make certain you are covered in 2014, you must enroll in a health plan before March 31, 2014.
You can enroll with a private company, e.g., Anthem Blue Cross or Blue Shield, or you can enroll with Covered California, the California Health Insurance Exchange. To help you navigate the upcoming changes, here are list of facts:
Individual Mandate: Individuals will be required to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Options include coverage through an employer (if offered) or purchase of an individual plan.
Guarantee Issue: Individuals buying or renewing a health plan cannot be declined coverage. Children under age 26 can be covered on their parents’ policies regardless of where they live, are a full time student, or married.
Preventative Care: Certain health services are covered at 100%. These services include well woman/man visits, well-baby visits, flu shots, blood pressure screening, and many cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies.
Doctor Choice: You are guaranteed to be able to choose any primary care doctor or pediatrician from your health plan’s provider network. Note, some plans offered in the CA Exchange may have limited networks for doctors and hospitals.
Exchanges: The California Public Exchange “Covered California” will provide a marketplace for buying health insurance. If you are eligible for a tax credit, or subsidies, you can only purchase health insurance from the exchange (not from a private company). Our Agency can assist with choosing whether you should buy health insurance from a private insurer or the State Exchange.
Essential Benefits: Health plans will need to include “essential benefits”, i.e., emergency services, inpatient hospital, lab services, preventative care services, pediatric services, and maternity.
Employers: Employers with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than $50,000 may claim a tax credit for the cost of providing insurance. Coverage must be purchased in the Exchange. Starting in 2015, Employers with 50 or more employees will pay a penalty if they do not offer health insurance. For more information on SHOP, the Exchange for small business owners, please contact us.
