Salt Lake County Seeking Bilingual Temporary Office Specialist and Poll Workers

Position Description:

Office Specialists answer, screen and route incoming telephone calls, input voter registration forms into a database, and answer questions regarding election laws and ordinances.

Timeframe: September 15th through November 21st 

Hourly: $10.89

Work hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, will require working some overtime.

Applicants must have the ability to communicate professionally, basic experience operating a personal computer, basic data entry and typing skills and possess strong customer service skills. Must be able to lift 35 pounds.

Applicants must be a US Citizen at time of hire.

Applicants having the ability to read, write and speak English fluently and speak conversational Spanish will be given preference.

Poll Workers process voters utilizing the State’s database system, reconcile daily voter counts, and assist citizens with the voting equipment as needed.

Early voting: October 21st through October 31st

Learn more and apply at: https://www2.apply2jobs.com/SaltLakeCounty/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=2502&CurrentPage=1

Help your kids start the school year strong with health coverage

Help your kids start the new school year strong by making sure they get the health coverage they need. With Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), they can get check-ups, immunizations, eye exams, and other care they need to participate in classroom and after-school activities.

Use our screener to find out if you or your kids qualify for Medicaid and CHIP.

These programs offer free or low-cost health coverage for kids and teens up to age 19. And parents may be eligible for Medicaid too.

Continue reading Help your kids start the school year strong...

Coverage to Care-A Webinar about Health Insurance Literacy

Millions of Americans – including thousands in YOUR community – now have the health insurance coverage they need, but could not afford before. This includes people with new private plans, individuals on Medicaid, kids in CHIP programs, and people newly eligible for Medicare.

But many don’t understand how their new coverage works, and this can jeopardize the goals of improving Americans’ health, and cutting health care costs we all pay. That’s why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched “From Coverage to Care,” a national initiative to help people understand their benefits, and connect to the primary care and preventive services they need for a long and healthy life.

This webinar, intended for Marketplace assistors*, providers, community and advocacy groups, and stakeholders throughout Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY) is a roadmap to provide useful information in an easy-to-use format, including issues such as:

·     How to read and understand an insurance card, and the terms it contains
·     How to find a provider, and be prepared for the first visit with him or her
·     What to do after the visit, and where to go if questions arise

We hope you can join us for an informative and educational presentation, which will include time for your questions.
(*)=While this webinar will be of great value to Navigators and Certified Assistance Counselors (CACs), it is not part of the certification process, and cannot substitute for official certification training.

Event to be held at the following time and date:

Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (MDT) Register here.

Utah Ranks Among Ten States with the Lowest Rates of Adult Obesity

According to the most recent data released in September 2014, two states have adult obesity rates above 35 percent, 20 states have rates at or above 30 percent, 43 states have rates of at least 25 percent and every state is above 20 percent. Between 2012 and 2013, six states had increases. Mississippi and West Virginia have the highest rates of obesity at 35.1 percent, while Colorado has the lowest rate at 21.3 percent. All 10 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest. Northeastern and Western states comprise most of the states with the lowest rates of obesity.

Ten States with the Lowest Rates of Adult Obesity (2013)

Rank		State	Adult Obesity Rate
51	F	Colorado	21.3% ±0.9
50	K	Hawaii	21.8% ±1.4
49	y	District of Columbia	22.9% ±1.9
48	S	Massachusetts	23.6% ±1.1
46	r	Utah	24.1% ±1.0
46	E	California	24.1% ±1.1
45	Z	Montana	24.6% ±1.2
44	t	Vermont	24.7% ±1.4
43	G	Connecticut	25.0% ±1.5
42	h	New York	25.4% ±1.2

http://stateofobesity.org/

USDA Report Shows Household Food Security in the United States in 2013

What Did the USDA Study Find?
The percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure remained essentially unchanged from 2012 to 2013; however, food insecurity declined from 2011 to 2013. The percentage of households with food insecurity in the severe range described as very low food security was essentially unchanged.

• In 2013, 85.7 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the year. The remaining 14.3 percent (17.5 million households) were food insecure. Food-insecure house holds (those with low and very low food security) had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. The change from 2012 (14.5 percent) was not statistically significant; however, the cumulative decline from 2011 (14.9 percent) was statistically significant.
• In 2013, 5.6 percent of U.S. households (6.8 million households) had very low food security, essentially unchanged from 5.7 percent in 2011 and 2012. In this more severe range of food insecurity, the food intake of some household members was reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year due to limited resources.

Children and adults were food insecure at times during the year in 9.9 percent of households with children. At times during the year, these 3.8 million households were unable to provide adequate, nutritious food for their children. The percentage of households with food-insecure children was essentially unchanged from 2011 and 2012 (10.0 percent in each year).

Read the entire report at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err173.aspx#.VAdyv2M0_XN

White House Proclamation Marks National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation designating September 2014 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The proclamation references a number of national childhood obesity reduction initiatives, including recently updated nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold and served in schools, as well as an expansion of the Community Eligibility Option under which 22,000 schools in low-income communities will be able to serve free meals to all students.

CMS Finalizes Auto-Enrollment Process for Current Marketplace Consumers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a policy that provides current Health Insurance Marketplace consumers with a simple way to keep their current health insurance plan.  This policy encourages current marketplace consumers to return to the Marketplace to ensure they are getting the best deal on their premiums and to shop for the plan that best fits their needs. These policies build on our efforts to enhance the consumer experience and make shopping for health care coverage as simple as possible.

Consumers in the Federally-facilitated Marketplace will receive notices from the Marketplace shortly before open enrollment begins explaining the auto-enrollment process and to encourage consumers to the Marketplace to see if they qualify for additional financial assistance and to shop for plans. Consumers will also receive notices from their insurance company about their new 2015 premium and the amount they may save on their monthly bill with a premium tax credit. 

As part of the renewal process in the Federally-facilitated Marketplace, generally, if consumers do nothing, they will be auto-enrolled in the same plan with the same premium tax credit and other financial assistance, if applicable, as the 2014 plan year.  Consumers are encouraged to return to the Marketplace to make sure they are getting all the financial assistance they qualify for, and to shop for the plan that best suits their needs. Consumers whose 2013 tax return indicates that they had very high income, or who did not give the Marketplace permission to check updated tax information for annual eligibility redetermination purposes will get auto-enrolled without financial assistance if they do not return to HealthCare.gov.  This process will help provide continuity of coverage and safeguard taxpayer dollars.  The policies announced today give state-based Marketplaces the flexibility to propose unique approaches to this process that may better meet their specific state needs, while keeping a streamlined consumer experience the focus.

The CMS fact sheet is available here

The final rule is available here

The final issuer notices guidance will be posted here later today:

Questions or Concerns? Contact HHSIEA@hhs.gov