Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 29, 2021:
The federal exchange is definitely opening for individuals' enrollment, but for those living in states that operate their own exchanges, that may or may not be the case. The feds are encouraging states to follow suit, CMS said.
Following the President's signing of two health-care-related executive orders, the administration's Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services "determined that the COVID-19 emergency presents exceptional circumstances for consumers in accessing health insurance," it said, and made moves to open the federal health-insurance exchange at HealthCare.gov for a three-month special enrollment period to access individual plans and assess potential premium subsidies enabled by the Affordable Care Act.
The traditional enrollment period ended in December, and this three month period will begin Feb. 15 and end May 15. Healthcare.gov is available to residents in the 36 states that do not operate their own exchange, and will be available to those shopping coverage to submit new applications or update an existing one. The exchange is accessible directly or through a network of more than 50,000 insurance agents and brokers registered with the marketplace.
St. Christopher Fund surpasses $1 million 2020 goal, intros new diabetes prevention program
The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund nonprofit that helps ill and injured truckers with financial assistance, confirmed Friday a record fundraising year in 2020, surpassing its goal of raising $1 million for truckers in need.
The group is hoping to continue that momentum in 2021, aiming to raise $1.1 million this year.
The group also announced it is now offering a free, CDC-approved diabetes prevention program, which will feature weekly live webinars focusing on nutrition, exercise, stress management and more. The new program, Driving Down Diabetes, will kick off Feb. 1.
Driving Down Diabetes includes a CDC-approved curriculum, a lifestyle coach specially trained to lead the program, and a support group of people with similar goals and challenges. The time commitment is one year. The first four months, the group will meet weekly. The next two months, it will meet bi-weekly, and the last six months, it will meet monthly.
With the money raised in 2020, SCF was able to do the following:
- Supported 322 drivers
- Over $394,145 in payments on behalf of beneficiaries
- Over $11,200 toward drivers’ health and wellness
- Registered 108 truckers into its Rigs Without Cigs tobacco cessation program
Since 2008, the organization has helped 3,129 drivers and families and spent over $3.4 million on behalf of truck drivers in need.
