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The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College
December 6, 2013
Facing the health care battle
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Top 5 things you should know for some extra insurance by Alexandra James The Advocate
Health care is a red-hot topic right now, mainly because of new rules under the federal Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) that take effect on Jan. 1. Many people are still unsure of what the law requires. Across the U.S. and in Oregon, government websites designed to explain new health insurance options and costs have crashed or have yet to function properly, adding more confusion and frustration. As deadlines fast approach, The Advocate asked Janet Campbell, head of the MHCC political science department head, to share the top five things students should know about the new health insurance program. Her response: 1) Most people will be required to have insurance. 2) Anyone under 27 years old can still be covered on his or her parents’ insurance plan. 3) Many individuals may qualify for subsidies (financial or other support) to help pay for coverage. Students should seek out assistance with this, since it can be a “complicated decision,” Campbell said. 4) Pre-existing health conditions must be covered under the new Act – a major change under the health care reforms. Lastly, individuals who do not 5) enroll in a plan by the deadline face a federal fine: $95 or 1 percent of their income, (whichever is greater for the first year). In the second year, the potential fine jumps to $695 or 2.5 percent of the person’s income. So, there is strong
Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate
incentive to get enrolled in a health insurance plan, for anyone not already enrolled in a plan that is approved for 2014.
Enrollment deadlines have shifted recently, but as of right now, here are a few important ones to know: Dec. 15 is the last day to enroll to make sure you are covered by the first of the year; by Jan. 1, most Americans must have insurance; after March 31, insurance marketplaces operated by each state will close. All adults must enroll by the March 31, but it will be better to do it by the end of 2013, Campbell advised. People are
also wondering if they may keep their existing insurance. Yes and no, Campbell said: The government has new minimum standards for acceptable insurance coverage. If these standards are met under one’s current insurance company, the insurance policy may be retained. If the standards fall short, the policy will be cancelled. Students who do not currently have health insurance are advised to visit their state’s website for governmentprovided information on health car options.
Health care
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Volume 49 Issue 11
Today is the last day to withdraw from college
Outstanding Living Arts student:
Bringing the planetarium to life by Greg Leonov The Advocate After countless hours of labor by a dedicated student, the MHCC Planetarium’s new digital projection system is now ready to vividly display the visible and theoretical universe. The digital system replaces an aging model that served since first few years of the Mt. Hood campus, said Ethan Ignatovich, a physics student with a fascination for astronomy. “The old projection system keeps getting more dim, and students (were) having issues being able to pick out and see the stars in the dome,” Ignatovich said. The new projection system consists of six digital projectors and lenses. Each projector is connected to a computer through a
standard HDMI cable, Ignatovich said. The six computers interact and are linked to a seventh “master computer,” he said. “This is the largest project I’ve ever worked on, it’s been interesting so far,” said Ignatovich who faced plenty of installation challenges. “For a while, there (was) something wrong with the configuration files and it would cause one of the computers to randomly crash. Despite taking precautions, Ignatovich and the rest of the planetarium team fought frustration several times: “Just because the way the program is, there’s no save button, so every time they crash, we lose all the configuration files,” said Ignatovich.
Planetarium
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Profile of the month: Regaining strength, gaining skills Recognizing deserving students at the recommendation of MHCC staff by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate After migrating from Mexico and suffering a brain aneurysm, Alfredo Sanchez decided to go to school and learn English. “Thanks to God I still am alive. Because that kind of surgery, when I was at the hospital, many people die from the same surgery,” he said. “I was blessed; not lucky, blessed.” Sanchez learned he faced a 90 percent risk of dying.
Sanchez turned this 10 percent chance of living into an opportunity to complete the English as a Second Language program at MHCC and the accounting assistant program, from which he will graduate in March. “They told me I can die or live, but they never told me I will be paralyzed from the left side,” he said. After surgery, “they told me, ‘Can you move your right hand?’ so I move my hand. They told me, ‘Move your left hand,’ and I said, ‘I can’t.’ ” Sanchez spent three months in
the hospital and several months in a wheelchair before beginning to walk with a cane. After three years of exercise and physical therapy, he slowly regained mobility. “I used to hate the people who watched me in the wheelchair and (would) say, ‘Oh, you broke your leg!’ I don’t wanna tell them anything about it, so I just say, ‘Oh yeah,’ just like that.” Today, he walks with only an ankle brace for assistance. Only one hand is stiff. “My left hand is still paralyzed. I can move, but I cannot release,” he explained. He cannot grab items. “The good thing is that... they made a lot of tests about my speech and my memory and they say everything is
fine,” Sanchez said. Before he suffered the aneurysm in 1997, he was a key employee at a silk screen printing shop. “When I was working, I was the supervisor of the company... I used to work and make money,” he said. He had previously come north from Mexico at age 16 with a friend, leaving his family behind. “My plan (was) to come to the United States to work. I never thought to learn English. I never thought it was important,” he said. “Nobody told me to go to school and learn English.
POTM
Alfredo Sanchez
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2013 First place
General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association
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