Doctors Plan Pilot Program for Missouri Medicaid System
By: Austin Jones
Jefferson City, Mo - Doctor’s all across Missouri plan for a Missouri’s Medicaid program on November 19 in front of the Missouri House Interim Committee. Doctors are planning to make Missouri’s Medicaid program a more like a health club.
The price of a hospital visit or medical specialist would be beyond the flat fee for primary care physicians, almost like personal training costing extra money at a health club.
The House Medicaid committee would set up a pilot project in which primary care physicians would be paid a monthly amount for each Medicaid patient they accept. In return, patients would be entitled to unlimited doctor’s office visits. Hospital visits and services for other specialties would be covered alone by a state-purchased health insurance plan with high deductibles. The plan was made by Republican committee member Keith Frederick, an orthopedic surgeon from Rolla, Missouri. He was endorsed during committee testimony on Tuesday by Dr. Sonny Saggar who already offered a similar plan for non-Medicaid patients at his St. Louis Urgent Cares clinics. Both, Saggar and Fredrick contend their plan known as “direct primary care” or “direct medical care” which could result in better health care for patients at potentially lower costs to the Medicaid program. "Under this system, you'll have doctors lining up to take Medicaid," Saggar said.
Doctors would limit themselves to 400 to 600 patients, instead of carrying a roster of thousands of patients. “The whole concept is that now you've got patients and physicians managing the care,” Frederick told the House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation. A Medicaid expansion would be largely paid for by the federal government under the terms the 2010 health care law signed by President Barack Obama.
Pearl River
Bird viww of the flooding
Flooding of Pearl River
Mississippi officials to discuss flood control options, including dam on Pearl River
By: De’Vaughn Williams
(Mississippi) Officials of Mississippi and the St. Tammany Parish Council are meeting to discuss flood control options for the state of Mississippi. The meeting will include St. Tammany Parish Council, Mississippi officials, and the Pearl River Vision Foundation, where the officials will have information about the flood control options available for any and everyone
The St. Tammany Parish Council is a part of the government in the parish, which is a portion of a country that is established for the purpose of government and is required to manage themselves through their own local government. In September a resolution was passed by the St. Tammany Parish Council, expressing how they oppose the dam, because it could stop the flow of water to the Pearl River in Louisiana, and damage all wetlands and threaten the marine life, but they’ve agreed to discuss flood control options.
Mississippi officials want to widen the Pearl river and build a dam that would then create a 1,500 acre lake. The residents of St. Tammany Parish are more so worried about the already very low river levels. In certain places of the Pearl river it is only 18 inches deep, and if there is any loss of water it could affect everyone severely.
Flood control options include the lake and dam proposal, expanded levee system, moving structures out of the flood prone area, and buying out property owners in those areas affected by the river. Officials are currently undertaking feasibility and environmental impact studies that are expected to be completed next spring. The studies are being funded in part by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce.
North Carolina sued for infringing voter ID law
By: Amariyah Yisrael
The Justice Department sues North Carolina over voter ID law. The law was passed September 30, 2013. The law cuts back on early voting, scraps a program to register young people and requires voters to use government ID’s that thousands of minorities and elderly people lack. The Justice Department plans to cut back the period for early voting by a week, eliminating same-day registration for those early voters, and a part of the North Carolina law that prohibits counting some provisional ballots that are filled in a voter’s home county.
North Carolina was the first state to pass a restrictive new voting law after the summer Court ruling. In order for the Justice Department to overturn this law they have to prove that lawmakers enacted this law with a discriminatory purpose. Unfortunately the track record in these voter ID cases isn’t good for challenges like the Justice Department of minority voters. However the high court left in place another part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act of 1965 that allows the Justice Department or minority voters to sue if there’s a record of intentional discrimination.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prevented African American enfranchisement such as obstacles to registration and voting faced by African Americans which were the major concerns of the framers in the 1960s. this law soon extended to other races and some of them most affected by the law are Latinos. Congress reacted to the Supreme Court decision with the important Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982. The amendments, under section2, prohibit any voting law or practice created by a state or political subdivision that results in denial of the right of any citizen of the U.S. to vote on account of race. Specifically in the U.S Supreme Court case, Allen v.State Board of Elections, 393 U.S. 544(1969), extended federal authority to object to proposed discriminatory alterations in voting decisions.
African-American voter turnout increased in the 2008 and 2012 general elections, and more than 70 percent of the voters in those elections did so during the early voting period. The law would narrow significantly the early voting window that enabled a large number of minority voters, to cast ballots during the last election cycle.
What will the future’s energy be like? Alaska’s pipeline could be the answer.
By: Hayley Perkins
JUNEAU, Alaska- Governor Sean Parnell and his administration are discussing future plans on constructing a natural gas pipeline that would span from the North Slope to south-central Alaska. Although the pipeline would involve a huge cost the government is considering the implementation of an equity stake. If the plans for the pipeline proceed jobs would be created and cleaner, cheaper energy will be available to Alaskan citizens and the citizens in the lower 48.
The Natural Resource committee and major oil and natural gas producers like Exxon Mobil Corp., BP and Conoco Phillips, and TransCanada Corp are discussing the idea and statistics for an equity stake. Governor Sean Parnell’s administration predicted that the equity stake could be between 20 and 30 percent.
An equity stake is this case means that the State of Alaska would own part of the pipeline and the government or other corporations would own the rest. This means that Alaska would still receive profits from the pipeline, but would not have to pay the full cost.
The Estimated total cost could range from $45- $65 billion, but if the state were to decide on the equity stake the state would pay about $9—$13.5 billion.
While making these estimates, Governor Parnell and his administration discussed with Exxon Mobil Corp, BP and Conoco Phillips, and TransCanada Corp on proposals for a natural gas plan that would give Alaska and the other owners to export the liquefied natural gas overseas to other countries.
The proposed gas line would create jobs within the state, create more affordable and environmentally friendly for Alaskan and lower 48 state residents, and advance the energy and fuel economy- increasing the overall exports, money flow, and shares relating to that economy. However, Decisions on this proposal and solutions will be made in the near future.
Forest Parks New Income Tax Credit Plan is Aimed to Absolve the Spending Deficit Gap
By: Amariyah Yisrael
Forest Park Council is planning to change the income tax credit to produce more revenue for the city’s general fund beginning in January. They are getting public opinion on the plan and are considering different plans before anything is finalized.
Forest Park has a spending deficit in its general fund of $1.2 million. Residents who work in municipalities that have an income tax, are eligible for a tax credit up to 100 percent of the 1.5 percent tax , the percent income for residents, levied by Forest Park. The plan calls for a reduction in the income tax credit from 100 to 25 percent which officials estimated this would generate an additional $1.8 million annually for the city.
The credit applies to anyone living in the Forest Park area and works in a different community that has an earnings tax. Expressing concerns county residents argued that the change could discourage people from wanting to live in Forest Park and also put the city at a competitive disadvantage.
Since the beginning of the US there has been the issue of state revenue. Expressed in the Federalists Papers as retained by the federal government to have the authority to have assess domestic exercised taxes this is now giving Forest Park more flexibility to choose how the community would like to choose how it uses tax income credit which is a big step. Not only does this help to dig deeper into what the actually problem is affecting the community but also what can be done to stop the spending deficit. Forest Park’s main issue with getting people to get involved with the public poll will be the biggest challenge but after the plan takes action it can be expected that people will be affected and therefore may increase their participation.
"Reforesting" Forest Park Program for Ash Trees in Community
By: Austin Jones
Forest Park, Ohio- An immense portion of Forest Park’s urban forest consists of Ash trees. Most of the ash trees in the community will soon become diseased with the Emerald ash borer. This is a very exotic, intrusive wood eating insect that infests and kills North American ash trees both in forests and landscape plantings. The Emerald ash borer was identified in Ohio in 2003. The Ohio Department of Agriculture has been engaging the pest through detection, regulation, and public outreach in an attempt to protect the state's more than 3.8 billion ash trees. The trees would have to be chemically treated from the insect or be cut down and removed. If this would happen, it would reduce Forest Park’s large forest canopy which residents have grown to treasure.
The Forest Park Environmental Awareness and Public Works Departments cannot help in the treatment or removal costs of trees on private property. However, they can help the residents with the long-term transformation.
With this conflict, Forest Park has now met up with ODNR Regional Urban Forester Wendi Van Buren. She has joined Forest Park to develop a various list of trees which are known for their increased resistance to insect infestations. Trees like the Black Gum, Blue Spruce, Silver Linden, Swamp White Oak, American Beech, and a few others. The Forest Park Reforesting Program will consist of four steps to qualify. The first step consists of expressing your interest for replacing your old tree for a new one. Secondly, the program manager will visit your property to see where and how the tree will be set up. The third step consists of ordering the tree for your property. Last but not least, the last step will be the delivery of tree to the property it will be planted in.
The City of Forest Park hopes that their urban forest will become more diverse and healthier than it is today.
Renewal of electric aggregation program for Springfield township residents
By: Hayley Perkins
Springfield- This month Springfield Township officials decided to remain in partnership with FirstEnergy Solutions for an electric aggregation program.The competitive rate, from January 2014 to January 2017, is to be 5.28 cents/ kWh.
An electric aggregation program is a new method of supplying more affordable energy , and is becoming common within other communities and cities. Other cities outside of cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, have implemented these programs- along with nearby states, for example, Illinois.
Residents and business owners of communities with aggregation programs, like Springfield Township, are able to have a lower rate on their electricity due to the officials with in their area purchasing the electricity in bulk, rather than individually. In addition, in an electric aggregation program’s cost rate stays the same throughout the contracted years.
Springfield township officials’ data shows that since the adoption of this program that altogether residents and small business owners have saved over $9.3 million. Mr. Traubert, a resident of Springfield township commented that, “ It saved me a lot of money. With the program I am able to use other suppliers than Duke Energy, so I am able to get cheaper rates. I still pay my bill through Duke Energy so it’s very simple. Most people are part of the program, but you are able to opt-out.”
With the Aggregation program residents in the community are able to call FirstEnergy Solutions and sign on to a 4 year contract, however there is a fee for opting out before the contracted year is over. All residents who wish to not participate can return a card stating their desire to opt out by the end of the month. Every participant will still receive a delivery fee from Duke Energy as before, along with the low rate for the energy from FirstEnergy Solutions.
