Çortlanb (Obstruer Page A6 Health Insurance Form Simplified H ealth W atch Cancer Resource Center—Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the American Red Cross have joined forces to create the first in-hospital resource center providing books, printed material, computer access and more for individuals and families dealing with cancer. The center is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lead Poisoning Prevention — Learn how to protect your family from lead poisoning. Ideal for folks in live in older homes with children or pregnant women. Qualified participants receive a free kit of safety and testing supplies. Call 503-284-6827. Parenting Classes — Newborns don’t come with instruction manuals but parents and parents-to-be can learn about a variety of topics from pain and childbirth to breastfeeding to infant CPR and much more. For a schedule of events, call 503-574-6595 or visit: providence.org/classes. Heart Talk Support Group — Meets on the second Monday of each month; from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 503-251 -6260. Families with Mental Illness—A free, 12-week course for people whose family members live with mental illness is offered at Emanuel Hospital, Mt. Hood Medical Center and Providence Medical Center. The course has been described as “life-changing” by former participants. Registra tion is required by calling 503-203-3326. Chronic Pain Support Group — Meets the first Wednesday at 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the third Wednesday of each month, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 503-256-4000. Cardiac-Rehab Exercises— A medically supervised exercise program for people dealing with heart conditions. For information, call 503-251 -6260. A NEW SCHOOL IS OPENING! Emmanuel C H R IS T IA N ACADEM Y Building Tomorrow's Leaders An affordable education option fo r families living, in North Portland We invite you to an Open House! May 4 (Saturday) 10-11:30 AM May 23 (Thursday) 7-8:30 PM at the University Park Baptist Church facility 4340 N. Lombard St. Portland 97203 www.emmanuelchristianacademypdx.org Paperwork is for benefits under health care law (AP) — The first draft was as mind-numbing as a tax form. Tues day the Obama administration un veiled simplified application forms for health insurance benefits com ing next year under the federal health care overhaul. The biggest change: a five-page short form that single people can fill out. That total includes a cover page with instructions, and an extra page to fill out if you want to designate someone to help you through the process. B ut the application form for fami- lies still runs to 12 pages, although most households will not have to fill out each and every page. The paperwork takes on added importance because Americans re main confused about what Presi dent Barack Obama's health care overhaul will mean for them. A Kai ser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday found that 4 in 10 are un aware it's the law of the land. Some think it's been repealed by Con gress, but in fact, it's still on track. At his news conference Tues day, Obama hailed the simplified forms as an example of how his team listened to criticism from consumer groups and made a fix. The law's benefits will be available to all Ameri cans, he emphasized, even if Re publicans in Congress still insist on repeal, and many GOP governors won't help put it into place. When the first draft of the appli- Local Lawyers fo r Your Legal Needs (503) 288-5522 - « ? \x A-K \ Q X X • *v, X X **•<. X* 'S Ni* V. * _ i This application shows the short form for the new federal Afford able Care Act. The first draft was as mind-numbing as a tax form. Tuesday the Obama administration unveiled simplified application forms. cation turned out to be a clunker, "im m e d ia te ly , e v ery b o d y sat around the table and said, 'Well, this is too long, especially.. .in this age of the Internet,'" Obama recounted. '"People aren't going to have the patience to sit there for hours on end. Let's streamline this thing.'" Consumers will start getting fa miliar with the new applications less than six months from now, on Oct. 1, when new insurance markets open for enrollment in every state. Most people with job-based benefits will not have to bother with the applica tions, only the uninsured. U nder the law , m iddle-class people who don't get coverage through their jobs will be able to purchase private insurance. Most will be able to get tax credits, based on their incomes, to make their pre miums more affordable. Low-income uninsured people will be steered to government programs like Medic aid. Benefits begin Jan. 1, and nearly 30 million uninsured Americans are eventually expected to get cover age. Caffeine Energy Boosts Investigated (AP) — For people seeking an energy boost, companies are in creasing their offerings of foods • • • • • • • • ATTORNEYS May I. 2013 Fam ily Law Bankruptcy C rim inal L aw E xpungem ents Anim al Law R eal E state M atters W ills & T rusts P ro b ate w ith ad d ed c a ffe in e . A new caffeinated gum may have gone too far. The Food and Drug Administra tion said Monday that it will inves tigate the safety of added caffeine and its effects on children and ado lescents. The agency made the an nouncement just as Wrigley was rolling out Alert Energy Gum, a new product that includes as much caf feine as a half a cup of coffee in one piece and promises "the right en ergy, right now." Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner o f foods, indicated that the proliferation of new foods with caffeine added — especially the gum, which he equates to "four cups of coffee in your pocket" — may even prompt the FDA to look closer at the way all food ingredi ents are regulated. The agency is already investi gating the safety of energy drinks and energy shots, prom pted by consum er reports o f illness and death. S u b s c rib e $45.00for3months«$80.00for6mo.»$125.00 for 1 year (please include check with fo rm ) 503-288-0033 Attn\ Subscriptions, The Portland Observer, POBox 3137, Portland OR 97208. N ame : ___ T elephone : A ddress : _ 3537 N. Williams Avenue, Suite 101 w w w .petersonlevine.com or email subscriptions@portlandobserver.com