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Indiana HIP 2.0 waiver approved

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Working in the health care industry, I know how important it is to have the best health care options available. As the country continues to struggle with the changes under the Affordable Care Act, Indiana has made strides by offering a consumer-driven health care program, known as the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP).

HIP empowers Hoosiers to take charge of their health care options and promotes preventative care to reduce emergency room visits. It also has a high satisfaction rate among those who participate in the program. However, under the guidelines of HIP, a large number of uninsured Hoosiers were not eligible to receive it.

That is why I applaud Governor Mike Pence for his dedication to expanding HIP, referred to as HIP 2.0, to offer health care options to those uninsured Hoosiers. However, in order to move forward with HIP 2.0, it required approval from the federal government.

Back in June, the state submitted a waiver application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to allow us to expand this program as an alternative to the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. This week, Indiana’s waiver request was granted, further opening the door for Hoosiers who cannot receive Medicaid, but still fall under the federal poverty line, to receive health insurance. With this approval, Indiana will continue to offer the first-ever consumer-driven health care plan for a low income population.

Specifically, HIP 2.0 will add new pathways for coverage that promote employer-sponsored coverage and continue HIP’s private market model, which incentivizes members to take accountability for their health.

Starting now, Hoosiers can apply at any time to see if they qualify for this program in the state or federal marketplace. For those of you who are already on HIP, you will automatically be rolled into HIP 2.0 once it becomes fully implemented, with the same coverage and no breaks in your plan.

 

While HIP 2.0 is health care oriented, at its very core, it is about personal responsibility. Not only does it place important decision making in the hands of Hoosiers, but it also links any Hoosier who completes the application for HIP coverage to job training and job search programs presented by the state of Indiana.

 

Since the idea first surfaced, I have been an out-spoken critic of the Affordable Care Act, and I could not be more pleased that we have a governor who is willing to stand up for our state in the face of a federal mandate and defend what is best for the people of Indiana. Not only does this mean that 350,000 uninsured Hoosiers now have access to quality care, but it also means that more Hoosiers will be able to receive the care they need, at a price they can afford.

 

HIP 2.0 is a step in the right direction for all Hoosiers and places important personal health decisions in the hands of the people, not the government. This proven model for Medicaid reform will ensure that more tax dollars stay in Indiana to improve the health and well-being of its citizens and is a win-win for our state. If you or someone you know would like to enroll, please visit HIP.IN.gov or call 1-877-GET-HIP-9.

 

IS IT TRUE February 2, 2015

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IS IT TRUE the City County Observer was stunned to hear about the decision of the Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS) to increase the fee for a ride into the stops in unincorporated Vanderburgh County from $5 per trip to $15 per trip?…these routes have been challenged to get any riders with the $10 round trip fare to employers in the County like Ameriqual at $10 per day and the latest increase will be the death blow to the routes because is will no longer be even close to cost effective?…at $10 per round trip it would cost a rider $200 per month to commute by METS to the hinterlands of the unincorporated county?…the $5 per trip cost was just about a break even proposition for a worker when choosing between a solitary commute in a private car or riding the METS bus?…at $30 per day the monthly cost will be $600 which will eat up more than 25% of the earning of most of the workers and will cost double what it would cost to buy an inexpensive economy car and put the gas in it to commute?…rather than going to the trouble of raising the price to $15 each way it would have made more sense to just declare the routes to be too expensive to continue and cancel them?…cancellation is at least an honest way to defeat the whole purpose of public transportation which is to provide cost effective, safe, and reliable transportation to the general public?…it seems as though Evansville and METS are not quite ready to provide the kind of public transportation that is provided in real cities?…judging by the ridership, the population may not be ready for it either?

IS IT TRUE the front page attention that the shell game of paying one account with the other and serially overdrawing some accounts by the City of Evansville should raise lots of people’s eyebrows about the state of the City’s finances?…it is a well established fact that the total of the available cash in the City of Evansville accounts has been falling in recent history?…it has also been common practice to rob Peter to pay Paul who then robs Mark to pay Luke who then robs everyone in sight to pay Judas?…we could have gone on and on with that one but since there were only 12 apostles and the City of Evansville has some 40 separate accounts we would have run out of pseudonyms for the various accounts?…it seems as though a competent planning a funding process for the 40 accounts (assuming they are all really needed) would eliminate the need for all of this robbing and paying that looks more like a ponzi scheme to a non-governmental observer?…while we understand that in a world of federal grants and federal rules there are some mandates for this sort of nonsense, it certainly is inefficient and cash wasting to spend the time and effort to keep up with all of this robbing and paying?…such a system is a good poster child for not only what is wrong with Evansville’s mess of finances but it applies to the United States of America as well?…if the books were reconciled and the line items were continuously solvent this complex shell game would be entirely unnecessary?

IS IT TRUE it is now pretty close to official that the Evansville Mayor’s race will come down to a choice between incumbent Republican Lloyd Winnecke and Democrat challenger Representative Gail Riecken?…with the obstacles that have emerged to the independent candidacy of Steve Wozniak, there is a low probability that he will be on the ballot?…it is a shame that there is such a low probability that there will be a third person on the ballot to challenge the ingrained campaign between two stalwarts in local politics for over 20 years?…some new ideas from a new face would have been good for the campaign?…perhaps there will be another aspiring Mayor come forth with some curve balls for the major party candidates?

IS IT TRUE the plans to renovate the former Riverhouse seem to be having the same level of success as the plans to renovate the McCurdy Hotel and to build a new downtown convention hotel?…the stark reality is that there is no proforma to be constructed for a hotel in downtown Evansville that will be a profitable venture?…it was also made abundantly clear with the failure of the heavily subsidized attempt to finance a downtown convention hotel that even with nearly half of the project cost consisting of handouts of some type there is still no home in downtown Evansville for a financially successful hotel?…we guess we will see the next rendition from the rooftop martini crowd in March when the Mayor and his minions roll out there latest cross between Buckner Towers and the Riverhouse in a last ditch effort to get something that rents by the night to support the ghost conventions that they are confident on bringing to town?

Please take time and vote in todays “Readers Poll”
Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

EPD Activity Report

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

Epd Activity Report

Southern Indiana legislators participate in Suits and Sneakers at the Statehouse

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STATEHOUSE –Members of the General Assembly, including local lawmakers and staff wore sneakers at the Statehouse on Thursday in support of the “Suits and Sneakers” challenge to raise awareness of the fight against cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), in 2012, 35,000 Hoosiers heard the words “you have cancer,” and of those, 13,000 lost their lives to the disease. The Suits and Sneakers challenge is an annual event sponsored by the ACS and the National Association of Basketball Coaches to help raise cancer awareness and support those affected by it.

“I am honored to stand with my fellow legislators to support the American Cancer Society as part of the Suits and Sneaker challenge,” said State Representative Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville). “Cancer impacts every Hoosier in one way or another, making the fight against cancer personal for everyone.”

State Representative David Wolkins (R-Warsaw), who is currently fighting cancer, has been allowed to remove his tie during session in order to be more comfortable, which male legislators are normally required to wear. In order to show support for their fellow legislator, the Speaker encouraged staff and legislators to remove their ties, while female legislators were encouraged to creatively incorporate a tie into their wardrobes. Legislators and staff also donated to the ACS.

“I will never forget the day my wife was diagnosed with cancer,” said Rep. Ron Bacon (R-Chandler). “This issue hits close to home for me, and with the legislative session in full swing, I think it is extremely symbolic and also important that we take a moment to stand with our fellow Hoosiers who are currently fighting this disease. These are our friends, neighbors and loved ones, and today, our message to them is that we too are standing up to cancer, one tie at a time.”

As a part of the Suits and Sneakers Day, Coach Greg Lansing of the Indiana State University men’s basketball team represented all Indiana college basketball coaches during his visit to the Statehouse. He encouraged House members and staff to continue to raise awareness on ways to reduce the risk of cancer and follow the ACS’s recommended cancer screening guidelines.

“Cancer affects everyone in some way, shape or form, and it has affected my life personally when a few of my close friends were diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon). “It’s important for all those who are enduring the battle with their loved ones to know that we are supporting them and that they are never alone.”

 

Visit www.cancer.org for more information on how you can help spread the message and fight back against cancer.

 

 below is a photo of State Representatives Ron Bacon (R-Chandler), Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon) and Holli Sullivan (R-Evansville).

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Spring Ropewalk Visiting Writers Reading Series announced

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The spring 2015 RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series will include free public masterclasses and readings by Kyle Minor, Ira Sukrungruang and Matthew Pitt at the University of Southern Indiana.

In addition to the masterclasses, each author will conduct a reading of their work in Traditions Lounge in University Center East, followed by a book signing. Publications by these authors are available at the USI Campus Store.

Kyle Minor
Tuesday, February 3

“What Is a Story?” masterclass: 1:30-2:45 p.m., UC2207
Short story master Kyle Minor will lead this session on the many ways we think about, read and write the short story. Participants should bring a tablet and pen or keyboard for this session.

Public reading and book signing: 3-4:15 p.m., Traditions Lounge, University Center East
Kyle Minor is author of two collections of stories:  In the Devil’s Territory and Praying Drunk. He is the winner of the Iowa Review Prize for Short Fiction and the Tara M. Kroger Prize for Short Fiction, and is one of Random House’s Best New Voices, and a three-time honoree in the Atlantic Monthly contest. His work appears online at Esquire, The Atlantic, Salon, and Tin House, and in print in The New York Times Book Review, The Southern Review, Best American Mystery Stories Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers, Forty Stories: New Voices from Harper Perennial, and Best American Nonrequired Reading.

Ira Sukrungruang
Friday, February 13

“A Sequence of Thoughts Without Any Kind of Order” masterclass: 1-1:50 p.m., UC2207
This masterclass will explore probing and resisting our notions of genre in substance and shape.

Public reading and book signing: 3-4:00 p.m., Traditions Lounge, University Center East
Ira Sukrungruang is author of the memoirs Southside Buddhist and Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy, and the poetry collection In Thailand It Is Night. He is the coeditor of two anthologies on the topic of obesity:  What Are You Looking At? The First Fat Fiction Anthology and Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology. He is the recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Nonfiction Literature, an Arts and Letters Fellowship, and the Emerging Writer Fellowship. His work has appeared in many literary journals, including Post Road, The Sun, and Creative Nonfiction. He is one of the founding editors of Sweet: A Literary Confection, and teaches in the MFA program at University of South Florida and the low-residency MFA program at City University in Hong Kong.

Matthew Pitt
Thursday, March 19

Masterclass topic TBA: 3-4:15 p.m., UC2207

Public reading and book signing: 4:30-5:45, Traditions Lounge, University Center East
Matthew Pitt is the author of Attention Please Now, winner of the Autumn House Fiction Prize and Late Night Library’s Debut-litzer Prize. His stories have appeared in Oxford American, Epoch, Conjunctions, BOMB, The Cincinnati Review, The Southern Review, Best New American Voices and Everywhere Stories:  Short Fiction from a Small Planet, among many others. He has received honors and fellowships from The New York Times, Mississippi Arts Commission, Bronx Arts Council, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is currently an assistant professor of English at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he chairs the creative writing committee, and was selected as the department’s Teacher of the Year. He is also on faculty at the 2015 Taos Summer Writers’ Conference, editor of the journal Descant and associate editor of West Branch.

Presented by USI’s College of Liberal Arts, the RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series is made possible through the support of USI Society for Arts and Humanities and the Indiana Arts Commission.

For more information contact Nicole Reid at 812-464-1916 or nreid@usi.edu.

 

USI’s Archive Librarian Taking Part in WNIN’s “Picture This” Series

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Jennifer Greene, university archives and reference librarian, will be featured in a new television series called “Picture This” which will air on the local PBS channel [WNIN]. The series, which began airing on January 22, can be seen on Thursday evenings at 8:30 p.m. For a complete list of broadcast dates and times please visit the WNIN programming schedule.

Greene will be featured in five episodes and will share and discuss photos that are part of Evansville history, including prints of the riverfront, Main Street, the flood of 1937, World War II and the shipyard. The photos contributed by Greene for the show are all part of the University of Southern Indiana’s Archives. In addition to USI’s photos, the show also will feature photographs from Willard Library and the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library archive collections. Greene is thrilled to be a part of the program and hopes to see it become a regular series. She described her experience taping the first episode as a fun time, filled with laughing and spontaneous conversation, while exploring the city’s local history with other experts from around the area.

Already a huge supporter of public television and radio, Greene believes programs such as “Picture This” on WNIN will provide the community with in-depth stories that mainstream TV can’t offer. She credits WNIN with being in tune with the community and responding to the needs of area viewers by making the public aware of the wonderful resources that are locally available to them. USI alone has over 300 personal collections, in addition to the University Archives, including civil war letters, scrapbooks, autograph books, business receipts and photographs. Along with the physical collections, the Rice Library also has an ongoing digitization project in which over 40,000 images have already been scanned and placed in an online database. Greene wants to encourage members of the USI community and beyond to utilize the Rice Library Digital Collections and invites users to help identify people and locations in the photos by posting comments below the photos. Anyone wishing to visit the library and view any photo or collection in person can do so during normal business hours.

For more information about the USI Archive photos that appear on the “Picture This” series, or about the Archives in general, contact Jennifer Greene, reference/archives librarian at jagreene@usi.edu or 812-464-1832.

 

Super Bowl Sunday

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Arts Council February Brown Bag Schedule

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The Brown Bag Performance Series is a free program offered to the community by the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana. The series runs weekly from October through April at the Arts Council’s BSF Gallery, located at 318 Main Street in downtown Evansville. The Brown Bag Performance Series is every Wednesday at noon. Summer performances are once a month. It is encouraged to bring your lunch and a friend, and enjoy the free local performances. The Brown Bag Series is made possible in part by the Mesker Music Trust, managed by Fifth Third Investment Advisors. Below is the schedule for February. 

2/4/15 – Monte Skelton and Shelly Long: Monte Skelton and Shelly Long had their first performance together at Tin Man Brewing Company in Evansville, Indiana.  Though this wasn’t exactly Monte’s gig, he provided the sound system, which meant that he HAD to get an instrument and play a few tunes with performing artists Shelly and Theo Akai.  When they began to play, it was as if they had known each other for years.  The chemistry between voice and instrument was exactly what they had both been looking for.  From there, Monte & Shelly continued to work together, and found that their chemistry went much deeper than the music they were playing. Congratulate these two on their engagement at the first February Brown Bag performance.

2/11/15 – Monte Skelton, Gina Moore, and Bob Green: Monte Skelton’s reputation as a positive, talented, and hard working individual is seen everywhere he goes. While many in the Indiana Tri-state remember him from his jazz radio show, others know him as a talented musician/saxophonist that is seen and heard at many events. Monte is also known in the schools as a very influential woodwind instructor who has helped many music students from the ages of 5-80 further their appreciation and love for the musical arts. Along with being a saxophonist, Monte also plays EWI, flute, clarinet, oboe, electric bass, percussion, trombone, and many other instruments. Currently he serves as the music educator at Joshua Academy Elementary Charter School. Gina Moore will bring the house down with her powerful vocalist capabilities at this February Brown Bag. Whether performing at local charitable events or on a grander platform, Gina Moore engages the crowd with her charming personality and beautiful voice. Gina Moore may best be known for her role in the musical duo, The Browne Sisters, but has performed with a variety of local, regional, and national performers. Bob Green, keyboards, vocals and woodwinds, is one of the most familiar faces in the Evansville area. He has been called the hardest working musician in Evansville. Bob’s many skills have inspired many bands and artists to call on him for backup. He is proficient on keyboards, saxophone and flute and lends his skills to bands such as the Duke Boys, the Shagadelics, Object Blue, Cynthia McDonald and others. Join some of the top musicians in Evansville for a fun-filled hour of music in the Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery.

2/18/15 – Douglas Reed, Ross Erickson, and Renato Butturi: Douglas Reed is a distinguished performer, teacher, church musician, and recording artist. He has performed widely in the United States, Europe, and the Far East. The success of his students and his devotion to the art of teaching are acknowledged throughout the organ performance and sacred music fields. In 2005, he was listed among Who’s Who of America’s Teachers. He has taught at the University of Evansville since 1975. Ross Erickson teaches percussion at the University of Evansville and is the principal percussionist of both the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and the Owensboro Symphony. Renato Butturi is the head of the Classical Guitar Department at the University of Evansville. Butturi is a skilled performer also on lute, baroque guitar & flute. He has coached for jazz, brass and early music ensembles. Butturi is also a lecturer in music history and world culture and the head of the Evansville Classical Guitar Society. On top of being a competition adjudicator, he also is a freelance arranger.

2//15 – John Michael O’Leary and Friends: Join us as we round out the month of February with John Michael O’Leary and friends. O’Leary has participated with the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus and Germania Mannerchor German Singing Society as well as, serving on the Germania Mannerchor Board of Directors. This Brown Bag performance will include some surprise musical guests, so join us in welcoming John Michael O’Leary and friends at noon for lunch and a performance in the Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery.

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Meet Lifestyle Lil

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I’m glad to be back in Southern Indiana after 21 years traveling the world. Although I can speak five (5) languages fluently, my favorite language is good ole “SOUTHERN INDIANA TWANG”. All I can say about myself is, I was born, highly educated (7 college degrees) and presently living!

Lately I been hanging out and enjoyed connecting with my roots once again. Though I am still grieving about the passing of my 5th husband, oil man, Wolfgang Franz from Germany. Recently, I have rekindled an old flame with my high school sweetheart CCO Mole #3. We parted ways after high school due to his risky enlistment into the CIA. He is now retired CIA and is an undercover informant for the City-County Observer. I look forward to hearing all about his new career in detail at tonight’s reunion dinner at Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano.

Oh, I want to personally thank the City County Observer for allowing me to write the new weekly life style-social column titled “Lifestyle Lil“. Hope you enjoy reading my unpredictable articles!

Presently I’m looking for a home that could be converted into a bed and breakfast located in the majestic Historical District, so I called Market Realty. They sent Michelle Peterlin to help me find the home of my dreams. Michelle really knows her stuff! However, I am a bit fickle so I am still looking and am glad Michelle is extremely patient. I am pleased to hear that the Old Evansville Historic Association have been dedicating the time and resources needed to restore and maintain the Historical District. Their goal is the replacement of the old utilitarian sidewalk/street light fixtures with historically correct fixtures that provide ample lighting and promote safety and walk ability while preserving the areas historical character. I want to give a special thanks to OEHA members Elmer Buchta, John and Pam Guthrie, Sherry Wright,  Dr. Chuck Hudson.  Hopefully we can get the City of Evansville to sign on as equal partners in other worthy community restoration projects.

I needed new tires and a detail done on my car so I went to D-Patrick on North Green River Road. I must say the General Sales Manager, Tony Ricketts took excellent care of me. The detailed staff did an outstanding job on my car! I would highly recommend the ladies and gents at D-Patrick’s to anyone!

Of course I had to change my auto insurance policy. I needed insurance for new car. I met this guy, Bob Dillow and must say is great at what he does. Not only did he save me a great deal of money but also increased my coverage.

Since I’m single-ish now, I decided to go out and paint town RED-BLUE and GREEN. I stopped at The Vault Bar located in downtown. I had a monster time. Great people, wonderful live music and nice atmosphere. This also happens to be where I ran into the Mole. #3 again. Just sit and watch him talk his trash and woo the woman. Its obvious that he hasn’t changed much after all of these years. What a piece of work.

They say in Evansville that “political games are the same but the names have change“! However it’s refreshing to see females faces on the political scene such as Katharine Martin-Knight Township Trustee, Stephanie Terry-Vanderburgh County Council and Gail Reicken-State Representative District 77. I was surprised yet glad to see Connie Robinson is still on Evansville City Council. I am really happy to see John Friend, CPA is still serving on Evansville City Council.  Oh,  John was my 5th husband’s CPA and did a remarkable job for him. I was really pleased to hear my favorite retired heart doctor, Dr. Dan Adams is also serving on the Evansville City Council. The real surprise came when I heard that my ole friend Scott Danks, who represented me through four divorces, is now legal counsel for the Evansville City Council. I can tell you one thing; Scott is one he– of an attorney and he shall serve the council well!

Until next time, don’t take any wooden nickels! I’m on my way to give a lecture at Harvard University on “DSYFUNCTIONALITY”! I can guarantee that I know all about this subject! Anyone who has any social news can contact me at citycountyobserver@live.com!

 

Lifestyle Lil

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