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Opinion
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- Written by: Richard Teagarden and Michael Pasquale
Clearly, our first duty – maintaining the high quality of education received by the over thirteen thousand students who attend classes at one of our six campuses – must never waiver. But we have another important duty as well – to be vigilant in protecting local taxpayers.
We are extraordinarily proud of the diligence and care taken by our fellow trustees in reducing the burden to our taxpayers.
Consider this: Within the last five years, the Yuba Community College District’s Board of Trustees has approved refinancings of voter-approved general obligation bonds resulting in taxpayer savings of over $100 million. These refinancings cut taxpayers’ future school bond property tax payments by 40 percent.
Let’s stop and think about this. Imagine you were able to cut the cost of your own home mortgage or monthly rent by nearly half. For most of us, this would be an incredible financial windfall! Yet this is exactly what the Yuba CCD Board of Trustees achieved without fanfare or publicity.
But their actions were certainly applauded by members of our community who monitor the impact of the district’s financings on taxpayers.
Pat Miller, president of the Sutter County Taxpayers Association, said the refinancing of the district’s bonds was “certainly a big tax savings for property owners in the eight counties of the Yuba College district,” adding that the Taxpayers Association was “extremely pleased” with the refinancing. (Territorial Dispatch, Feb. 21, 2017)
This same commitment to fiscal conservatism is what led the Yuba CCD Board to place Measure C on the March 2020 ballot.
Our local community college campuses are among our most valuable public assets. Measure C will provide the district with a source of low-interest funding to preserve and protect these public institutions for decades to come and allow our local colleges to expand their job training and technical education programs.
Our colleagues on the Yuba CCD Board of Trustees deserve praise and thanks for their commitment to building Yuba CCD into one of the state’s top community colleges while making sure that taxpayers get the best deal possible.
As we enter the next decade, this conservative stewardship will allow Yuba CCD to continue to play a significant role in the overall economic health of our communities and neighborhoods.
Richard Teagarden is president and Michael Pasquale is the trustee representing Area 4 on the Yuba Community College District Board of Trustees. The district serves several Northern California counties, including Lake.
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- Written by: Cate Kortzeborn
Medicare helps pay for a wide variety of medical services and goods in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare settings. But it doesn’t cover everything, and it’s useful to know what is and isn’t covered.
Services and goods are covered either under Medicare Part A or Part B. If you have both Part A and Part B, you can get many Medicare‑covered services whether you have Original Medicare or a Medicare health plan, such as Medicare Advantage.
Part A is Hospital Insurance and it helps pay for:
* Inpatient care in hospitals;
* Inpatient care in a skilled nursing facility (but not custodial or long‑term care);
* Hospice care;
* Home health care;
* Inpatient care in a religious nonmedical health care institution.
Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover medically necessary doctors’ services, outpatient care, home health services, durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers, and other medical services.
Part B also covers many preventive-care services, such as vaccinations and cancer screenings.
You can find out if you have Parts A and B by looking at your Medicare card. If you have Original Medicare, you’ll use this card to get your Medicare-covered services. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan, in most cases you must use the card from the plan to get your Medicare-covered services.
Under Original Medicare, if the yearly Part B deductible ($198 in 2020) applies, you must pay all costs (up to the Medicare-approved amount) until you meet the Part B deductible before Medicare begins to pay its share.
After your deductible is met, you typically pay 20% of the Medicare‑approved amount of the service, if the doctor or other healthcare provider accepts assignment. (“Accepting assignment” means that a doctor or other provider agrees to be paid directly by Medicare, to accept the Medicare payment amount for the service, and not to bill you for more than the Medicare deductible and coinsurance.)
There’s no yearly limit on what you pay out-of-pocket under Original Medicare.
If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan (like an HMO or PPO) or have other insurance, your costs may be different. Contact your plan or benefits administrator directly to find out about the costs.
Under Part B, Medicare pays for many preventive services that can detect health problems early when they’re easier to treat. You pay nothing for most covered preventive services if you get the services from a doctor or other qualified provider who accepts assignment.
However, for some preventive services, you may have to pay a deductible, coinsurance, or both.
Medicare doesn’t cover everything, of course. If you need certain services that aren’t covered under Part A or Part B, you’ll have to pay for them yourself unless:
* You have other insurance (including Medicaid) to cover the costs;
* You’re in a Medicare Advantage plan that covers these services.
Some of the services and goods that Medicare Parts A and B don’t cover are:
* Most dental care;
* Eye exams related to prescribing glasses;
* Dentures;
* Cosmetic surgery;
* Massage therapy;
* Routine physical exams;
* Long-term care;
* Concierge care (also called concierge medicine, retainer-based medicine, and boutique medicine);
* Hearing aids and exams for fitting them.
Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
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- Written by: Congressman Mike Thompson
Tuesday night’s State of the Union address was no different.
He did not even mention gun violence prevention and his party continues to stonewall H.R. 8 in the Senate, a bill that passed the House with bipartisan support and would help save lives right away.
He also ignored the threat of climate change, offering nothing to help us tackle this issue.
While I was glad to hear the president express some willingness to work in a bipartisan way on improving access to quality affordable health care and improving our nation’s infrastructure, the devil is in the details.
And we have already seen that this president and his administration are more focused on tearing down the Affordable Care Act and undoing the positive progress we have made under that law.
The administration has worked at every turn to take away protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.
Notwithstanding the president’s efforts to do away with these vital pre-existing conditions protections, I will continue my fight to improve the lives of people in our district and across our nation.
From defending the Affordable Care Act and its lifesaving protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, to drafting and passing legislation to modernize our infrastructure, and to ensuring we optimize our tax code to prioritize renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, I will not stop in my work to help our community and our county move forward.
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.
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- Written by: Jan Coppinger
She is not the first to seek out some advice in the past couple of weeks so I will put this out there in hopes it helps someone.
When I am looking for candidates and conducting interviews, I am looking for a “good fit” for our office.
First and foremost, I won't hire anyone that is negative. That upsets the current staff and I don't want to deal with it. Do not bad mouth current or past employer or coworkers during the interview. When you do, you are not telling the interviewer anything about your previous employment – you are speaking volumes about yourself though, and it is a deal-breaker.
Also, I view the application as your best effort to sell yourself. If you misspell words, use poor grammar and especially when you even misspell your own name, those are instant rejects for me. Have someone proof it for you.
Take the time to truly document your skills and experience. These are the tools used to get you in for an interview and it is shocking how many times, after a candidate is screened out, they call and explain they had more experience but just didn't include it on the application. Too bad, too late.
I have had multiple candidates that are equally qualified for a position and I always select the one I feel will be a team player, with a positive, “can-do” attitude.
With the many job opportunities available right now, any serious candidate should find a job. I advise people to take what they can to get a foot in the door. If you are good, you will promote quickly. Don't wait to try to start at the very top. I know staff that took entry-level positions to start and worked their way up to management positions within two years.
I hope this can help those that are struggling.
Jan Coppinger is the administrator for Lake County Special Districts, headquartered in Lakeport, California.