Tag: creating healthy communities

Posted on

Julia Storm

Julia Storm serves as Agromedicine Information Specialist at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Cooperative Extension. She is actively involved in the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, a partnership of East Carolina University, NC State University and NC A&T State University, whose mission is to promote the health and safety of farmers, foresters, fishers, workers, and their families and communities through research, education, and outreach.

Julia grew up in a small town in East Tennessee. She went to school …

Posted on

What Can I Do to Promote Energy Conservation with Trees in My Community?

The best ways to promote energy conservation with trees in your community are educating others about the benefits of urban trees, advocating for tree planting and protection, and taking action to increase local tree canopy cover.

Although most people can appreciate the comforting shade of a tree on a hot summer’s day, many do not realize how large an impact that trees can have on energy consumption for both cooling and heating buildings. Therefore, most people under-estimate the energy conservation …

Posted on

Bonnie Braun

Bonnie Braun was born, raised and educated in Missouri. The Midwest vantage point framed her understanding of the diversity of people and perspectives. She was introduced to ideas and ways of living “back East, out West, up North and down south.” Over the years, her positions with Extension in multiple states and at the USDA took her to those areas where she experienced life in all four geographic regions. She moved from living on a farm, to small towns, to …

Posted on

Andrew B. Crocker

Andrew B. Crocker

As Extension Program Specialist III – Gerontology and Health, Andy Crocker’s focus is to support education and outreach regarding the health and well-being of the aging population in the State of Texas. His main role is to support the County Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Sciences in their outreach efforts to older adults, caregivers and the professionals who serve them.

Since joining AgriLife Extension in 2003, Mr. Crocker has worked to develop resources to help older adults improve their …

Posted on

What happens if even the bronze plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) costs too much?

The Affordable Care Act mandates that most people are insured either through their place of employment or purchasing a policy on their own. Remember, beginning in October 2013 there will be options in every state for purchasing insurance through a state-wide Marketplace.

There are exemptions from that mandate for several reasons including financial hardship, which is an official definition based on income and family size. The good news is that, depending upon your income level, you may qualify for …

Posted on

Can grandchildren being taken care of by grandparents be on our insurance until age 26 and what if we go on Medicare?

Grandparent

Grandparent

If you are the legal guardian or foster parent, your grandchildren can be added to a healthcare plan you purchase on your own through your employer until they reach the age of 26. If you are not the legal guardian, they will not be covered in your individual or employer plans and you will have to look at other options.

Medicare is and will remain as individual health insurance only for those 65 and over. If you are on …

Posted on

What is the difference between a premium, a co-pay and and out-of-pocket expense?

Health Insurance Plan costs can be broken into two categories: cost of having the plan and costs of using the plan. In order to purchase and continue to have health insurance coverage, you have to pay a premium. The premium is paid on a regular basis such as a certain amount monthly, quarterly or yearly. It is typical that when purchased through your employer, the plan premium is deducted from each paycheck. Basically, the premium buys you the health …

Posted on

What do EPO, PPO and POS mean?

In the world of health insurance, there are separate and distinct types of insurance plans. In general, the three types of plans are Exclusive Provider (EPO) network, Preferred Provider (PPO) network, and Point of Service (POS) network. These plans differ by cost and types of coverage provided.

The Exclusive Provider network or EPO is a managed care plan where services are covered only if you go to doctors, specialists, or hospitals in the plan’s network (except in an emergency). This …

Posted on

Are all hospitals supposed to accept any or all insurance?

In the past, each hospital has been able to select which insurance plans it will accept. This could mean that if you got sick or injured while traveling, for example, and you had to visit an emergency room that you may have had to pay entirely out of pocket for care provided at that distant hospital if they “didn’t take your insurance.”

This will no longer happen to a large degree. All Marketplace plans will offer the same set of …

Proudly powered by WordPress