The one thing that should be on everyone’s list for the holidays…quality affordable health care!
Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act ends in 12 days! Utahns have to enroll by December 15.
This year, coverage is even MORE affordable than ever. Many can find even cheaper plans this year than in years past. For the last two years, over 4 million uninsured people have been eligible for plans with $0 monthly premiums thanks to financial help.
Get America Covered Co-Founder and former Obama HHS official Joshua Peck is available for interviews as well as Laura Packard, a stage 4 cancer survivor who only beat her cancer because she was able to get ACA Coverage available as well. If you would like to talk to Josh or Laura or for more information, please email me!
5 Vital Facts About Signing Up for Coverage at HealthCare.gov
Sign up by December 15. Open Enrollment starts on November 1, but you must take action by December 15, no matter if this is your first time getting covered or if you are returning to shop and save.
Coverage could be cheaper than you think. Last year, 9 in 10 people qualified for financial help to make their monthly premiums more affordable. In fact, 2 out of 3 HealthCare.gov customers can find a plan for $10 or less this year.
Shop and save. If you had coverage through HealthCare.gov for 2019, you should come back to update your information and compare your options for 2020. Every year, plans and prices change, you could save money by switching to a new plan that still meets your needs.
Accidents happen: Health insurance protects you from the unexpected. Accidents happen and people get sick.
Free help is available. If you have questions about signing up or want to talk through your options with a trained professional, free help is just a call or quick away. Call 1-800-318-2596, visit localhelp.healthcare.gov or make a one-on-one appointment now.
Health care is a very personal, kitchen table issue. Even when we disagree on politics, we can agree that getting health insurance to cover you in case something bad happens is a good idea. With a shortened Open Enrollment period this year, make sure you enroll by December 15 - you can even enroll from your cell phone! - and while you’re at it, help your uncle, cousin, parents, or friends enroll too.
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Thursday, 8:45AM: Sens. Coons, Lee event on facial recognition technology legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday at 8:45 a.m., U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) will join the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation for a bipartisan conversation about facial recognition technology. In November, the senators introduced the Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act that would require federal law enforcement to obtain a court order before using facial recognition technology to conduct targeted ongoing public surveillance. You can register to attend the event here.
Nicol Turner Lee, Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, and Darrell M. West, Vice President and Founding Director, Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, will be moderating the discussion.
WHO: U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)
WHEN: Thursday, December 5, 2019, 8:45-9:30AM EST
WHERE: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium
RSVP: To register to attend the event, please RSVP here
LIVESTREAM: To register to watch the live webcast, please RSVP here
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USDA Invests $12.8 Million in Rural Broadband for Illinois Families
LOUISVILLE, Ill., Dec. 4, 2019 – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Bill Northey announced USDA has invested $12.8 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve e-Connectivity for more than 1,650 homes in rural Illinois. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“We know that rural communities need robust, modern infrastructure to thrive, and that includes having access to broadband e-Connectivity,” Northey said. “Broadband is no longer an amenity. It is essential for education, health care and public safety. I’m excited about the tremendous benefits broadband will have for farmers here in Illinois. USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities in deploying this critical infrastructure, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Wabash Telephone Cooperative, Inc. will use a $12.8 million 50 percent loan-grant combination to deploy 298 miles of fiber-optic cable in unserved areas of Jefferson and Wayne counties in Illinois. This investment is anticipated to reach 1,684 households, 31 farms, 29 businesses, nine educational facilities, two critical community facilities and one health care center.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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Top Financial Resolutions for Generation Z
National nonprofit credit counseling agency Take Charge America helps young adults gain financial security now and long into the future
PHOENIX – (Dec. 4, 2019) – Financial goals are likely top of mind for the oldest members of Generation Z — those born after 1997 — with 72% of them feeling stressed about money, according to the 2019 Future of Money Study.
“For those just getting started in their careers, personal finances can seem overwhelming, but they don’t have to be,” said Michael Sullivan, a personal financial consultant with Take Charge America, a national nonprofit credit counseling and debt management agency. “Taking the time to fully understand their financial situation and set realistic goals will help young adults build confidence — and have fun — with their money.”
Sullivan shares four financial resolutions for Generation Z:
For more financial tips and guidance, check out Take Charge America’s Financial Education Center or take a free online debt review.
About Take Charge America, Inc.
Founded in 1987, Take Charge America, Inc. is a nonprofit agency offering financial education and counseling services including credit counseling, debt management, student loan counseling, housing counseling and bankruptcy counseling. It has helped nearly 2 million consumers nationwide manage their personal finances and debts. To learn more, visit www.takechargeamerica.org or call (888) 822-9193.
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USDA Restores Original Intent of SNAP: A Second Chance, Not A Way of Life
With record low unemployment, USDA finalizes rule to promote work
(Washington, D.C., December 4, 2019) – At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a final rule to move more able-bodied recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) towards self-sufficiency and into employment. The rule restores the system to what Congress intended: assistance through difficult times, not a way of life.
“Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. Government can be a powerful force for good, but government dependency has never been the American dream. We need to encourage people by giving them a helping hand but not allowing it to become an indefinitely giving hand,” said Secretary Perdue. “Now, in the midst of the strongest economy in a generation, we need everyone who can work, to work. This rule lays the groundwork for the expectation that able-bodied Americans re-enter the workforce where there are currently more job openings than people to fill them.”
More from Secretary Perdue can be found in his Arizona Daily Star op-ed: The dignity of work and the American Dream.
Background:
In 1996, when then President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform instituting the current work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) he said, “First and foremost, it should be about moving people from welfare to work. It should impose time limits on welfare... It [work] gives structure, meaning and dignity to most of our lives.”
With a booming economy that has more jobs than workers to fill them and the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years, now is the time for every work-capable American to find employment. In fact, the latest U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) figures show the unemployment rate is 3.6% and there are 7.0 million job openings. The longer an individual is out of the workforce, the harder it is to re-enter. Now is the time for these individuals to enter, reenter, and remain in the workforce.
To put things in perspective, in 2000, the unemployment rate was 4% and the number of Americans receiving SNAP benefits was just over 17 million. In 2019, during the longest economic expansion in history, the unemployment rate is 3.6% and yet the number of Americans receiving SNAP is over 36 million.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule promotes work for able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 49 without dependents and does not apply to children and their parents, those over 50 years old including the elderly, those with a disability, or pregnant women.
Long-standing SNAP statute limits these adults to three months of benefits in a three-year period – unless they work or participate in work training for at least 20 hours per week. The law allows states to apply for waivers of this time limit due to economic conditions, but prior to the rule, counties with an unemployment rate as low as 2.5% were included in waived areas. Under USDA’s rule, states retain their statutory flexibility to waive the time-limit in areas of high unemployment and to exempt a percentage of their ABAWD caseload. Even when working, those who qualify from an income perspective, will still receive their SNAP benefits.
There are multiple ways for individuals to engage and maintain their SNAP benefits, from working, to preparing for work, and volunteering. States have a responsibility to assess individuals as work-capable and must renew their focus on helping SNAP participants to find a path to self-sufficiency. There are a number of tools to assist with challenges. For example, states are provided funding to operate Employment and Training programs, which can provide everything from job training to necessary work supports, such as boots, uniforms, and transit subsidies. States also have access to programs and services provided by other Federal agencies, state and county governments, and local service providers.
USDA’s FNS administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.
