SERA 0 BS
August 1, 2012
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.net
Page 5B
Halvorson attends leadership
forum in Washington, DC
TAYLOR HALVORSON
Taylor Halvorson, rising junior at
Kings Mountain High School, has re-
turned from Washington, DC where she
attended the National Leadership
Forum on Medicine for scholars to ex-
amine a future in medicine.
She is the daughter of Michael
Halvorson of Dallas and the late Leslie
Ballard and granddaughter of Susan
Cook of Kings Mountain. She has a
younger sister, Tori Leah, a 7th grader
at Kings Mountain Middle School.
An honor student at KMHS, Taylor
is a former cheerleader who is in com-
petition cheerleading with Aviator All
Stars of Gastonia. For two years she
played soccer on the KMHS team and
is active in the Health Education club
on campus and in Rachel's Challenge,
a club against bullying. She is active in
. Kings Mountain Baptist Church.
During the 10-day seminar students
were introduced to a variety of concepts
in public health, medical ethics, re-
search and general practice and in-
cluded visits to medical facilities and
clinics.
"Each students may very well be the
face of the future of medicine," said
NYLF Dean of Academic Affairs Dr.
Marguerite C. Regan."The National
Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine
creates a virtual classroom with hospi-
tals, clinical facilities, and healthcare
professionals. By shadowing key per-
sonnel, these students will have a great
opportunity to gain a behind-the-scenes
perspective on a medical career. The
timing is critical as young people ex-
plore their career paths just prior to im-
mersing themselves in college
coursework." :
NYLF, which has provided pro-
gramming to more than 100,000 young
people, is an educational organization
that brings various professions to life,
empowering outstanding young people
with the confidence to make well-in-
formed career choices.
Former players to be honored
at Mountaineer football games
Kings Mountain High School’s football team will be hon-
oring all former Mountaineers at designated football games
this fall.
This is the 90th year of KMHS football. Five home games
have been designated to honor players by decades.
All former players, coaches and volunteers will be ad-
mitted free, be fed and recognized before their designated
game beginning at 6 p.m. in the South end zone. They will be
honored by decades beginning with the first home game on
August 17.
game when you will be honored;
Name
Year graduated
Best memory of KM football
For more information contact athletic director Dustin
Morehead at 704-476-8000 ext. 3054.
Have you seen this
hydrant?
This ‘Bob the Builder’ hydrant was painted by Linda H.
Belk.
This weeks ;
Cabin Giveaway Special
The schedule is as follows:
Aug. 17 vs. East Rutherford - Players, coaches and vol-
unteers from 2000-2011. ;
Sept. 7 vs. Alexander Central - Players, coaches and vol-
unteers from 1990-99. ;
Sept. 14 vs. South Point - Players, coaches and volunteers
from 1980-1989.
Sept. 21 vs. Shelby - Players, coaches and volunteers from
The following information needs to be taken to the main
«+ Tryouts for Kings Moun-
1970-79. tain High women’s tennis is
Oct. 19 vs. Crest - Players, coaches and volunteers from underway each afternoon at
1922-1969. 5 p.m. at the KMHS courts.
Persons interested in try-
office at KMHS no later than the Monday preceding the
bg out should be at the court
KMHS tennis
tryouts underway
by 5 p.m. and see Coach
Rick Henderson. All players
must have a physical in hand |
or have one on file at
KMHS.
x
YQ 3NCE 1982 SN
311 S. Battleground Ave.
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Editor
Health Insurance Options for Pre-Medicare Spouses
Dear Savvy Senior,
My wife, who’s 60, is on my health
insurance plan through my employer.
When I retire in a few months at 65,
and go on Medicare, what happens to
her? Do we have to purchase private in-
surance, or is there some kind of
Medicare coverage for dependent
spouses?
: Nearly Retired
Dear Nearly,
Unfortunately for you and millions
of other couples in your position,
Medicare does not provide family cov-
erage to younger spouses or dependent
children when you qualify for
Medicare. Nobody can obtain
Medicare benefits before age 65, unless
eligible at a younger age because of
disability. With that said, here are some
options for your wife depending on
your situation.
Work longer: If possible, you should
consider working past age 65 so your
wife can continue coverage under your
employer health insurance until she be-'
comes eligible for Medicare, or, if
that’s too long, at least for a few more
years.
Check employer options: If your
employer provides retiree health bene-
fits, check with the benefits administra-
tor to find out if they offer any options
that would allow your. wife to continue
coverage under: their plan. Or, if your
wife works, see if she can she switch to
health insurance provided by her own
employer.
Use COBRA: If you work for a com-
pany that has 20 or more employees,
once you make the switch to Medicare,
your wife could stay with your com-
pany insurance plan for at least 18
months (but could last up to 36 months)
under a federal law called COBRA.
You’ll need to sign her up within 60°
days after her last day of coverage. You
also need to know that COBRA is not
cheap. You’ll pay the full monthly pre-
mium yourself, plus a 2 percent admin-
istrative fee.
The other benefit of using COBRA is
that once it expires, your wife will then
become eligible for HIPAA (Health In-
surance Portability and Accountability
Act), which gives her right to buy an
individual health insurance policy from
a private insurer that can’t exclude or
limit coverage for pre-existing medical
conditions. To! learn more about
COBRA, visit askebsa.dol.gov or call
866-444-3272.
If, however, the company you
worked for. had fewer than 20 employ-
ees, you may still be able to get contin-
ued coverage through your company if
your state has “Mini-COBRA” (39
states offer it). Contact your state insur-
ance department (see naic.org) to see if
this is available where you live.
Buy an individual policy: This is
health insurance you buy on your own,
but it too can be expensive depending
on your wife’s health history. Any pre-
existing condition such as heart dis-
ease, ‘diabetes, cancer, etc., can,
drastically increase her premiums or
can nix her chances of being accepted
at all. To search for policy options and
costs go to healthcare.gov. If you need
“help, contact a licensed independent in-
surance agent. See www.nahu.org/con-
sumer/findagent.cfm to locate one near
you.
Or, if you only need health coverage
for a short period of time — less than 12
months — a short-term policy is another
lower-cost option to consider. You can
get quotes and coverage details at
ehealthinsurance.com.
Get high-risk coverage: If you can’t
purchase an individual health policy for
your wife because: of a pre-existing
medical condition, you can still get
coverage through a state or federal
high-risk pool.
State pools, which are offered in 35
states (see naschip.org), provide health
insurance to any resident who is unin-
surable because of health problems.
While costs vary by state, premiums
run about 150 percent of what an indi-
vidual policy costs.
Or, consider the federal Pre-Existing
Conditions Insurance Plan = (see
pcip.gov) which is available nation- |
wide. Created in 2010 under the health
care reform law, this program is in-
tended to bridge the gap until better op-
tions become available in 2014 when
the main provisions of the law go into
effect. To qualify, your wife must be
uninsured for six months before apply-
ing.
Send your questions to: Savvy Sen-
ior, P.O.Box 5443, Norman OK
73070, or visit Savvysenior.org. Jim
Miller is a contributor to NBC Today
show and author of “The Savvy Sen-
ior” book.
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