I
FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon
Wednesday, November 20,2013
COVER OREGON CRUMBLES
-Continuedfrom PAGE ONE
to O re g o n In s u ra n c e
C o m m is s io n e r L a u ra
Cali, about five percent of
Oregonians buy individual
health plans for various
reasons. About 145,000
of those will need to shop
for new coverage after
receiving letters from their
insurance providers stating
that their plans will be
cancelled as o f Dec. 31,
2013 because they don’t
meet minimum coverage
requirem ents under the
ACA. A nother 193,000
O regonians are covered
by small employer plans
that will not be renewed,
many also ending as soon
as Dec. 31.
W ith th e w e b s ite
and its online enrollment
unavailable, navigating the
exchange and its 19-page
application has become
more difficult and time-
consuming. State officials
have told Oregonians who
need coverage to fill out
paper applications and send
them in to receive help
signing up for insurance.
Morrow County Health
District is currently helping
county residents with that
process.
“We’re just at the same
spot as the rest of the state,
having to do it by paper,”
said Elizabeth Peterson,
S u p erv iso r o f P a tie n t
Business Office at MCHD.
“We’re still providing
our clien ts w ith paper
a p p lic a tio n s , we can
help them fill them out
if they like, and we take
responsibility for getting
them to the state. We’re
faxing them and, whatever
we can’t get faxed we’ll
send out, because their
fax lines are busy,” she
said, adding that staff at
the health district has had
to fax applications after
hours because they can’t
get through during the day.
“We submit the paper
applications, they work
them up and send them
back, the client has to figure
out what plan they want,
then it gets sent back to
Cover Oregon. This all
has to be done by Dec. 15
to get it completed by Jan.
1, and that affects people
that have been notified that
their coverage doesn’t meet
Oregon standards,” said
Peterson.
Peterson added that
people who, for instance,
have only catastrophic
insurance or carry high
deductibles don't meet the
state guidelines. Many of
those have received notice
that their insurance will end
Dec. 31.
“Those people will
have a break in insurance if
that process isn’t complete
by Dec. 15,” she said.
Peterson said the health
district has only had around
20 individuals come to
them for assistance. She
says this number concerns
her, because she believes
there are more people in
Morrow County who need
help and she’s not sure they
know they can turn to the
MCHD. She says this is,
in part, because the Cover
Oregon website fails to list
Morrow County Health
District as a community
partner, which it is. The
district has been doing what
it can to bridge the gap and
let people know help is
available.
“ We’re trying to let
people know by word of
mouth,” she said.
The state announced
recently that it will hire
or reassign 400 people to
process those insurance
applications by hand. While
state officials haven’t been
able to give a date by which
the website exchange will be
up and running, Oregonians
have had to proceed with
enrollment under the current
Obamacaredeadline.
Locally, Peterson said
the paperwork itself isn't
the difficult part.
“The actual paperwork
is very sim ilar to what
we have to fill out for
M edicaid and H ealthy
Kids right now,” she said,
saying the difficulty lay in
communication and delays
at the state level.
With no fix in sight,
i n d i v id u a l s an d th e
organizations helping them,
like the health district,
have to plug along as best
they can under current
conditions.
“1 don’t know how long
(it will be),” said Peterson.
“ It sounds like they have
to have these 400 people
to help process it. We’re on
a...deadline here.”
In resp o n se to the
p ro b le m s w ith C o v er
Oregon, as well as President
O bam a’s announcem ent
T h u rsd ay th a t fed eral
regulators w ould allow
states to decide whether
insurers can extend plans
that were in effect Oct. 31,
Cali announced last week
that she is giving insurance
companies the option to
extend health plans in the
individual and small groups
market for up to a year, to
Dec. 31,2014.
“If an insurer chooses
to offer extensions, it will
need to notify the Oregon
Insurance D ivision and
contact customers directly
about their options,” Cali
said.
The c a v e a t to th e
e x te n s io n is w h e th e r
insurance companies who
have a lre ad y sen t out
cancellation letters will
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want to turn around and
issue extensions, or whether
those consumers will still
be left out in the cold.
“ I w ould d efinitely
check with my insurance
company,” said Peterson,
adding that, though the state
will allow the extension,
not all insurance companies
may decide to issue them.
Despite
the
announcements by Obama
and Cali, Peterson said it
is business as usual as the
health district tries to help
people meet the deadline.
“ We got word from
Cover Oregon late Friday
saying to keep enrolling
people, so that’s what we’re
doing,” she said. “They’re
saying it could take up to
45 days (to process all these
applications), but they’re
still telling us to meet the
Dec. 15 deadline.”
P ete rso n also said
that people fillin g out
applications do need to
be sure their chosen plan
covers their local healthcare
providers, since not all plans
on Cover Oregon cover all
providers in Oregon. In
fact, she said, one o f the
questions on the application
is, “Do you want a plan that
covers your primary care?”
Meanwhile, at Morrow
County Health D istrict,
Peterson said it as “business
as usual” as they try to
help customers navigate
the waters of Obamacare,
doing everything they can,
she says, to make sure those
who need help get it.
"We are definitely here
to help even though it’s a
manual process,” Peterson
said. “We’re going to make
sure those applications get
to the state.”
Morrow County Health
D istrict is offering free
a ssista n c e th ro u g h o u t
Morrow County to help
area residents navigate the
Cover Oregon insurance
marketplace. To schedule
an appointment, call 541-
676-9133 or 1-800-737-
4113.
Mini wine tasting
* Wish list registry
*
ATTENTION MEDICARE PATIENTS
OPEN ENROLLMENT IS NOW
THROUGH DECEMBER 7, 2013
^ Miutojj'i D m ~
217 North Mam St H eppner • Phone 676-9158 • FtoraH 676-9426
Serving Morrow, Wheeler & Gilliam counties Since 1959
\
Beginning Nov. 1 and
continuing until Dec. 13,
each Com m unity Bank
branch is conducting the
Change for Charity Drive.
T he H e p p n e r b ra n c h
will collect funds for the
Neighborhood Center.
The program is an
effort to collect funds from
the community, to be used
in that same community.
Community Bank matches
.50 on every dollar, up to
$5,000. In the previous
three years of the program
structured in this way, over
$52,100 has been given to
charities in Eastern Oregon
and Southeast Washington.
Each branch manager has
selected a local charity that
directly benefits the citizens
in the area. Last year was
the first year of the charity
drive where the bank’s
contribution reached the
$5,000 mark.
Also, two regions of the
bank will compete to raise
the most money for their
charities. Community Bank
donates an extra $1,000 to
the charities in the region
where the most donations
are co llected ; M orrow
County is in Region 2.
T h e t o t a l fu n d s
collected will be calculated
after Dec. 13, when the
w inning region will be
determined.
All branches will have
donation ja rs available
through Dec. 13. Coins,
b ills and c h e c k s are
accepted. For questions
about the drive, contact
the local Community Bank
branch manager.
‘A Christmas Carol’ to be held at lone
A special theatrical
p re s e n ta tio n o f “ A
Christmas Carol” will be
held at the lone Community
School for students and the
public on Thursday, Dec. 5,
at 2:30 p.m.
The program will be
presented by the nationally-
a c c la im e d T r a v e lin g
Lantern Theater Co. and
is sponsored by the lone
Public Library and Libraries
of Eastern Oregon (LEO).
“A Christmas Carol”
is the classic tale o f a
m ise r’s redem ption. In
this theatrical adaptation,
E benezer Scrooge is a
mean old man who cares
for nothing other than his
money. His one-and-only
friend visits him as a ghost
and starts him on a journey
that melts his icy heart and
teaches him the joys of
caring for, and giving to,
others.
The Traveling Lantern
Co., based in Portland, has
presented perform ances
for the past 19 years at
civic cen ters, schools
and libraries nationwide,
following tradition and
style from the M iddle
Ages, when small traveling
troupes of actors toured the
countryside.
Each production team
o f the theater company
travels in a vehicle equipped
with all props and costumes
needed to quickly set up and
take down.
For further information,
see www.travelinglantem.
com , or co n tact Anne
The Traveling Lantern Co. of Portland will present “A
Christmas Carol” at lone Community School on Dec. 5. -
Contributed photo
Morter at the lone Public leolibraries@gmail.com.
L ibrary or Lyn C raig,
Bank of Eastern Oregon announces
dividend for 2013
B an k o f E a s te r n
A ccording to board
Oregon announced its 2013 chairman Bob Armstrong,
shareholder dividend last “ BEO Bancorp has paid
Wednesday.
a dividend 27 o f
“I am pleased
the past 28 years.
to announce that the
D iv id ends are a
board of directors
reflectio n o f the
o f BEO Bancorp
financial stability
has voted to declare
and profitability of
a $0.55 per share
the bank. We are
dividend for 2013.
very happy to be
JefT Bailey
The dividend will be
able to provide this
paid to shareholders
d iv id e n d to our
o f record as of Nov. 29, shareholders.”
2013, payable on or before
“The dividend of $0.55
December 15, 2013,” said per share is 10 percent
President and CEO Jeff higher than last y e a r’s
Bailey.
d iv id en d o f $0.50 per
share and is indicative of
Bank of Eastern Oregon’s
strong capital position,”
said Bailey. “Most of the
lingering effects o f the
prolonged ‘great recession’
are behind us.
“The board of directors
and employees work hard to
improve the overall strength
of the bank, add value to
our shareholders, as well
as provide the brand of
banking that our customers
appreciate and expect from
Bank of Eastern Oregon.
We continue to look for
opportunities to expand
our market share in eastern
Oregon.”
Bailey concluded the
announcement by saying,
“ T he s u p p o rt o f our
shareholders, communities,
and e m p lo y e e s have
made it possible for us to
succeed. We are pleased
to be in a position to
provide this dividend to
our shareholders.”
For further information
on the company or to access
internet banking, visit the
w ebsite at http://w w w .
beobank.com.
lone students to sell Christmas trees,
wreaths
T he lo n e s c h o o l
horticulture class will begin
selling Christmas trees and
wreaths during the week
following Thanksgiving.
Hours are Dec. 2-5 from 11
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Dec. 6
from 9 a.m. till noon; and
Dec. 8 from 1-3 p.m.
D o u g la s F irs and
Nobles will range in price
from $40-$80, with wreaths
starting at $25. All trees
and wreaths will be at the
lone school greenhouse.
Some delivery is available.
Contact Erin Heideman
at 541-422-7131 or erin.
heideman@ione.k 12.or.us
for more information.
Christmas tree permits available
Pendleton, Oregon—
Christmas tree permits for
the Umatilla National Forest
are now available at all
forest offices and at several
local businesses. Permits
are valid on National Forest
System lands only.
P e rm i t s c a n be
p u rchased for $5 each
and are lim ited to one
per household. Christmas
tree perm its and forest
maps are available during
re g u la r o ffic e h o u rs,
Monday through Friday,
at the U m atilla Ranger
District offices in Ukiah
- OPEN HOUSE -
D E C E M B E R 5TH
Open until 7pm!
Bank’s Change for
Charity Drive to
benefit local charity
pS)Y
and Heppner, as well as and
Walla Walla and Pomeroy,
Washington.
Local businesses will
be set up to sell Christmas
tree permits by Friday, Nov.
22 and include Heppner
Shell, Heppner, as well
as R hode’s Supply and
Granny’s Store, Ukiah.
M ore in fo rm a tio n
about Christmas tree cutting
permits and road conditions
can be obtained by calling
local Forest Service offices
and visiting the forest
website at www.fs.usda.
gov/umatilla.
Sunday, November 24 lone
at 5:00 p.m. library
St. Patrick’s Parish Hail board to
Bobby Harris will lead
discussion following the
play; Father Gerry Condon
will direct. Coffee and
punch will be served
following the discussion.
Admission is free. Evervone is welcome.
I
meet
T he lo n e L ib ra ry
District Board of Directors
w ill hold its m onthly
m eetin g on T hursday,
Nov. 21, at 2:30 p.m. The
meeting will be held at the
lone Public Library, 385 W.
2nd Street, lone. The public
is welcome to attend.
1