Newspaper Page Text
Friday, August 23,2013
Tribune & Georgian
5A
Beneficiaries see changes in state health plan
I n recent days, I have had
many constituents reach
out to me with regards to
the changes in the state
health benefits plan.
The state’s health care
coverage for state employ
ees, teachers, school system
employees, retirees and for
mer employees on extended
coverage and dependents
will notice a change in the
vendor who will manage and
provide health care coverage.
The Georgia Department
of Community Health is re
sponsible for coordinating
and overseeing the vendors
that provide claims adminis
tration services and insur
ance coverage under the
plan.
Furthermore, the Georgia
Department of Community
Health is subject to Geor
gia’s competitive bidding law,
fason Spencer
Guest column
which sets guidelines for the
department’s competitive
bidding process for eligible
vendors.
As you are aware, Blue-
Cross BlueShield of Georgia
has been awarded the con
tract as the new plan admin
istrator for the state.
BlueCross BlueShield will
provide state plan members
access to an extensive, high-
quality provider network;
approximately 97 percent of
plan members will have the
option of remaining with
their current provider.
For 2014, members will be
able to select from among
three plans — gold, silver
and bronze — with attached
health reimbursement
arrangements (HRA). These
standardized plans are re
quirements under the Pa
tient Protection and
Affordable Care Act.
Furthermore, I have been
informed by the department
that any existing balances
that exist in current HRA ac
counts will be transferrable
and not lost. The transfer of
existing HRA balances may
be delayed initially, but those
balances should appear about
three months after the start
of the new plan on Jan. 1,
2013. In addition, any well
ness points members have
accumulated should also
transfer to the new plan. All
members will have the op
portunity to reduce their
monthly premiums as a re
sult of these changes. More
information about the new
plan options will become
available in this year’s Deci
sion Guide for Plan Year
2014.
Much of the concern
about changing vendors has
some organizations alerting
members that beneficiaries
will not keep the same cov
erage.
Much of the interest gen
erated around this issue
among beneficiaries was a
result of a lawsuit that was
filed by United Healthcare
alleging that the department
of community health did not
follow proper bidding proce
dures.
However, a recent court
decision rejected United
Healthcare’s request to stop
the department’s implemen
tation of the contract to
BlueCross BlueShield. It is
expected that United will
continue to appeal the deci
sion. In the meantime, the
department is proceeding as
planned for open enrollment
from Oct. 21 through Nov.
8. I will continue to watch
the developments of this case
as it progresses.
Let me assure you that the
awarding of the contract to
BlueCross BlueShield was
not a decision on the part of
the members of legislature.
The contract was part of the
routine competitive bidding
process carried out by the
department of community
health. To learn more about
the changes in the plan
please contact your human
resources coordinator or go
to http://dch.georgia.gov/
state-health-benefit-plan-
shbp to review the frequently
asked questions link.
Please do not hesitate to
contact my office if you need
further assistance with this
issue or another other matter
regarding your state govern
ment at Jason.spencer@
house.ga.gov or (404) 656-
0126.
Rep. Jason Spencer represents
residents of House District 180,
which includes Camden County
and portions of Glynn County. He
serves on the game, fish and
parks, special rules and children
and youth committees.
As election season revs up, keep civility in mind
I t is election time again in
Camden County and
there is a lot of specula
tion buzz as to who might be
in the running. You hear it
everywhere you go.
In the past, city elections
have often become inflamed
confrontations between can
didates, but it appears of late
that some of the strong rhet
oric has quieted down.
While there will always be
confrontations during an
election, it is hoped that
these disagreements between
candidates and discussion of
vital issues will be handled
with civility.
As we look forward to
election day, the members of
the Coalition for a Better
Community urge candidates
to look inside themselves and
KayWestberry
Guest column
consider what they have to
offer in service to the citizens
of their districts.
We offer the following as
the traits most desirable in
members of our local gov
erning bodies as well as all
other elections on the state
level and beyond.
It is obvious that the can
didates we citizens elect
should be competent and of
good character.
Honesty and integrity de
velop credibility and trust
which then becomes confi
dence and respect. The word
integrity is a synonym for
honesty and uprightness and
is vital for those in political
leadership. Leaders who can
be trusted are trusted be
cause they never veer from
inner values even when it
might benefit them to do so.
A good leader should have
the trust of his or her follow
ers.
Understanding the suffer
ing of others and wanting to
alleviate that suffering is a
characteristic that converts
knowledge to wisdom. Good
political leaders see the needs
of those they lead and deter
mine the course of action
that would be of greatest
benefit to all those served.
Leaders should never run
on a single issue. Our city
governments are too small to
handle the divide and con
quer method of electing offi
cials. Other traits include
being hard working as run
ning for and serving in office
is not easy.
Candidates should be able
to speak in public and be able
to articulate a message even
in the face of adversity.
Although no office seeker
will be able to agree with all
the voters, he or she should
be willing to listen to all sides
of an issue and communicate
with supporters and oppo
nents. Candidates need to
have a clear message in order
to rally voters who then later
become supporters of his or
her leadership.
Thus, an ideal candidate
knows that his or her leader
ship in office requires a team
effort including volunteers
and government staff to
make his or her town or
county the best that it can be.
Election hopefuls need to
have a knowledge of issues
important to all groups such
as senior citizens as well as
younger members of the
community, small and large
businesses, churches, chari
table organizations and other
entities.
Candidates should be able
to look ahead for the long
term for methods of revital
izing Camden County while
taking steps in the short term
to reach that revitalization.
The coalition hopes that
the emerging spirit of coop
eration between elected offi
cials, city staff, volunteers
and our citizens will lead to
the election of a governing
body made up of those with
the above qualifications, and
we urge voters to attend can
didate forums whenever pos
sible in order to learn which
future leaders best embody
the characteristics of good
leaders.
Kay Westberry is a member of
the Coalition for a Better Commu
nity, which is a group of residents
committed to bettering the com
munity through civility.
Letters
from page 4A
We need to
work together
Dear Editor,
Rep. Jason Spencer called
for the University of Georgia
to return $1.7 million to the
federal government because
he opposes any state agency
receiving federal funds to
carry out the provisions of
the Affordable Care Act.
His position doesn’t serve
his constituents whether they
agree with him or not. Like
his prior opposition to the
creation of a state-based ex
change, the effect of such ac
tions only serves to adversely
affect those who need the as
sistance of the act while mak
ing no difference to the
majority of citizens who have
employer-based health plans
or receive health coverage
under Medicare.
The fact remains that the
act is law and was validated
by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Attempts by elected officials
to subvert the law will ulti
mately have no effect on the
implementation of the law,
will make compliance more
costly and only serve to make
it more difficult for con
sumers to receive the law’s
benefits. Calls to defund the
law, or to refuse grants like
the one to the university, or
to shut down the government
through the budget process
or the debt ceiling resolution
would have more drastic con
sequences to consumers in
areas of their lives than would
be realized by following the
law as it now stands.
Here are some facts that
need to be part of any con
versation about the Afford
able Care Act:
• Congress cannot defund
the act since the most of the
funds for the act do not come
from federal funds and those
that do come from the fed
eral budget are mandatory,
not discretionary, items
meaning that any budget res
olution must provide for
those expenditures.
• Bids by insurance com
panies in states that are pro
ceeding with the exchanges
show that premiums starting
in 2014 will be significantly
lower than they are now.
• Medicare savings over
the next 10 years will be at
least $716 billion due to
changes required by the act.
• Because of the new law,
12.8 million individuals and
businesses got back more
than $1.1 billion in rebates in
2012 from insurance compa
nies that underspent on med
ical care.
• Insurers can no longer
cancel your policy if you get
sick nor can they cancel your
coverage if you make an hon
est mistake on your applica
tion.
• Insurers can no longer
impose lifetime limits on
coverages.
• Insurers can no longer
deny coverage based on pre
existing conditions.
• The independent Con
gressional Budget Office says
the act reduces the budget
deficit by $143 billion be
tween 2010-2019.
• The RAND Corporation
reports the 14 states that have
announced their intention
not to follow the law would
lose about $8 billion in fed
eral aid and have to pay al
most $1 billion out of state
funds to cover the losses the
local hospitals would lose by
treating uninsured patients.
We have many problems in
this country including the
failure of our elected officials
to cooperate to solve the is
sues facing our state and
country. We need everyone
to do what Americans have
done in the past, work to
gether.
Michael J. Rich
St. Marys
Utilize common
sense, please
Dear Editor,
Recently the $t. Marys
Tree Board — I am a mem
ber — gave the go ahead for
public works to plant three
crepe myrtles in the median
on Ready $treet between
Conyers and Dillingham.
The plantings were made to
enhance a formerly open
space while discouraging the
use of the median as a park
ing space. Grassy medians
were not meant to be park
ing spaces, a fact overlooked
by many people.
A new twist arose when
some people disposed of a
tree trunk and yard waste in
this median against one of
these new plantings. Public
works sent a crew to remove
this mistake in judgement
made by people unknown. It
cost you and I for the time
and effort of public works to
pick up this pile. And it
might eventually cost to re
place this new tree.
As a resident, I see many
instances as above, people
not using common sense or
just not caring about their
surroundings, leaving yard
waste and other items in
places not intended. There
are published instructions on
how and where to leave
these. Try reading them.
$ome people may answer,
“That’s the way we’ve always
done it.” Well, news flash: $t
Marys will never be a world-
class town with that kind of
attitude.
Ed Torgersen
St. Marys
Sullivan to run
for state office
Dear Editor,
I am writing today to an
nounce my intent to seek the
District 180 seat in the Geor
gia House of Representa
tives. I will be running as
a Republican in the 2014
election. I have been a $t.
Marys resident for 21 years
and graduated from Camden
County High $chool. I cur
rently work as a fire-
fighter/EMT in Camden
County and have been with
my current employer since
January 2005.
My dream of becoming a
firefighter began at age 14,
when I joined the local junior
firefighter program in Kings-
land. Today, I take great
pride in helping the commu
nity and continue to further
my career by pursuing new
training and certification op
portunities that allow me to
protect citizens and visitors.
The decision to seek state
office was considered for
quite some time, and I look
forward to the opportunities
and challenges of running a
campaign and representing
the people of District 180.
The tough choices I’ve had
to make as a firefighter and
EMT have prepared me for
making the tough decisions
that are necessary in our
state’s capital.
I am excited about meeting
with our local residents and
working together to bring
careers, industry and educa
tional opportunities to our
area. I invite questions and
comments from those inter
ested in learning more. My
email address is sullivanfor-
georgia@gmail.com.
Stuart Sullivan
St. Marys
Still time to choose your COLORS
W.H. Gross Construction Company ^SjN
1209 East King Ave., Kingsland, Ga. 31548
Awhgross.com 912-729-4393
WWW.'
Building from Brunswick
to Fernandina Beach
Homes from $149,900 - Over $1 million
Residential | Commercial | Multifamily
62970 whg 8/16
Call Diane for details — (912) 729-4393
Jfetf
★ Lake Lot ★ Open Floor Plan ★
■River 123 Oarsman Crossing
$249,000 3 Bedroom/3 Bath
Sunflower Cottage
UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
CUS TOMIZE NOW!
Enjoy the Savannah Club and fabulous
pool with no club dues!