WS Chronicle

Dear Citizens of Winston-Salem,

My class is learning about Columbus and we want to know more about our country and the people who live here.

We are hoping that you will send us letters and post cards from your area that describe what life is like there.

We would appreciate any help you could give with this project.

Please mail the letters and postcards to:

Rains Intermediate School

5th Grade Students

P. O. Box 247

Emory, TX  75440

Thank you.

Rains Fifth Grade Students

Emory, Texas

To the Editor,

With the Marketplace Open Enrollment period beginning Nov. 1 [yesterday], now is the time for North Carolinians to sign up for health coverage. Affordable options still exist for North Carolinians despite efforts by the Trump administration to sabotage and undermine enrollment under the Affordable Care Act.

Due to changes put forth by the Trump administration, North Carolinians have half as long to enroll in coverage for next year than they did last year: Open Enrollment will last only six weeks, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. They can apply and shop for plans online at www.HealthCare.gov or by calling 1-800-318-2596.

Following months of debate as congressional Republicans and the Trump administration tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the ACA is here to stay. But the Trump administration’s sabotage efforts – slashing funding for outreach and advertising, canceling payments to insurers to offset the costs of subsidies, implying that the administration may not enforce the individual mandate, and so on – may leave consumers confused about the facts.

By eliminating payments for cost-sharing reductions to insurance companies, the Trump administration caused Blue Cross to raise its premiums by an average of 14.1 percent instead of the “near zero” increase it would have sought otherwise. But financial help – including discounted premiums and lower deductibles – remains available for 2018, and most consumers are still required to have health coverage.

“Most North Carolinians won’t be affected by the premium increases, as financial assistance on the Marketplace will increase to keep up with any increases in premiums,” said Brendan Riley, Policy Analyst with the N.C. Justice Center’s Health Advocacy Project. “More than 9 out of 10 people who enrolled in our state last year qualified for lower prices, so every North Carolinian should visit HealthCare.gov to learn about their options before December 15.”

While the Trump administration has cut budgets of navigators and in-person assisters, free local help is still available in North Carolina. Consumers can book free appointments in their area by calling the N.C. Navigator hotline at 1-855-733-3711 or by visiting NCNavigator.net, where they can also find information about enrollment events.

N.C. Justice Center

Raleigh