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Cogitator April 16, 2014
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Melissa Travis, Health Source RI
GUESTS
Harry Bonham from Mass Mutual was a guest of Bob Miller. Andy Erickson announced that his wife Polly was a guest of Janet Essex today. And Jeanne Brown looked us up and is interested in joining a local Rotary Club such as ours!
BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES
Happy birthday wishes this week go out to Soozie Sundlun on April 22nd.
ROTARY ANNIVERSARY
A very special anniversary this week, and a look back all the way to April 20th, 1963…
Gill Thorpe was inducted 51 years ago into the Rotary Club of East Greenwich, along with 32 other local businessmen who became charter members of our club. Howard Russell was our first president, the group met at Zenga’s Restaurant on Main Street, and Gill Thorpe…began his journey of fifty-one generous, tireless, incredible years of Service Above Self. Thank you, Gill!
SCOTT CARLSON ALS 5K
Judy Pratt made a final call to all volunteers getting ready to chip in at Goddard Park on Saturday the 19th with the 14th annual Scott Carlson Memorial ALS 5K. The good news…over 495 runners signed up prior to the race, a record. Judy was thrilled about last minute sponsors coming into the mix. Thanks to the behind the scenes work of Seth Wilson, Judy and Nancy Feroldi from ALSA RI Chapter were on the Rhode Show this past Monday, promoting our event. Kudos to Seth, who was able to get amazing coverage this year on WPRI, WPRO, ABC6, Fox News, and with the Providence Bruins!
FEINSTEIN HUNGER CHALLENGE…ONE WEEK TO GO
Sue Dorne was thrilled about Caroline Bradshaw’s work at Cole Middle School in gathering over 1,300 items for our Hunger Challenge. Those items will benefit the East Greenwich Food Pantry at St. Luke’s Church, and they will certainly count toward the 2,000 food-unit mark Sue has set for our goal. Only one week to go, so don’t forget to bring your canned goods and non-perishables to Rotary next Wednesday!
ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR
As we begin to think of our incoming slate of officers and a future installation banquet, we should also begin thinking about the 2013-2014 Bipin Pancholi Rotarian of the Year Award. John Wolcott will have ballots available in the coming weeks.
DID YOU KNOW?
Bob Miller shared with us a very touching and special connection he will always have with Past President Howard Silverman. A few decades back (hehe), Howard drove Bob’s mom to the hospital during a snow storm, while she was in labor with Bob on the way!
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS…
Bonnie Sauer asked everyone to please keep Kathy McMahon in your thoughts and prayers this week. Kathy’s husband, Paul, recently passed away.
Also, Ron Winde mentioned to please send a prayer along for Lou Lepry as he recovers from prostate surgery and treatment this week.
ROTARACT/GRADUATION
Jane Boynton announced that the Rotaract Club of New England Tech has invited Rotarians to attend the New England Tech graduation ceremony which will be held at the RI Convention Center at 11am on Sunday, May 4th. Please contact Melissa Hague if you’d like to attend (MHague@NEIT.edu).
WINE AND WONDERFUL
Ron Winde made a heartfelt plea for club members to attend, and invite as many folks as possible to, the upcoming Wine and Wonderful event on Friday, May 2nd. It will be a great night for the club at the Swift Community Center. Ron noted it’s actually a great deal at $70 per couple ($35 per person) given the excellent restaurants on board and the fine wines that will be waiting for us. It’s also out last major social event before the installation banquet in June, and it is certainly our last major fundraiser of the Rotary year.
HAPPY BUCKS
-Bob Petrucelli, CPA, had a very big smile on today, the day after April 15th!
-Steve Lombardi spent 9 days in China seeing the ‘old and new.’ It was a great trip, Steve said, but he’s also glad to be home.
-Chuck Sauer enjoyed, with wife Bonnie, last weekend’s District Assembly in Newport. Chuck actually ran one of the sessions! Nice work, Chuck.
-Judy Pratt was grateful for Seth Wilson’s publicity work with the ALS 5K event, and she was thrilled that Lou Lepry said he’d be on hand to help out with his usual job…timing the runners.
SPEAKER/PROGRAM
Melissa Travis, Health Source RI
Melissa Travis thanked us for the invitation to speak, noting ‘this is the nicest part of my job!’
Christine Ferguson leads the state’s health department as it complies with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She is determined to help Rhode Island succeed in providing good health care for its citizens at affordable prices, and she hopes our state will be a leader in innovation for the implementation of what many call ‘Obama Care.’
Melissa works for Christine and Health Source RI. Health Source RI seeks to offer: one-stop shopping; greater choices; high quality affordable options; and, again, innovation to the new health care marketplace.
There are 16 plans available, within the categories of Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Catastrophic. Blue Cross, United Health, and RI’s Neighborhood Health Plan are the major vendors. Employers are allowed to choose a single plan for employees, or, employees can choose their own individual plans.
Some 70% of employers are selecting a Silver plan or higher. Employers must contribute at least 50% of employees’ total premiums. An employer is allowed some flexibility here, however. Not only are tiers allowed, meaning more coverage dollars could be allocated to more senior employees, for example, but it’s also true that employers are permitted to offer choices of higher and lower premiums, and thus coverage, for employees.
Tax credits are also allowed to employers for their contributions toward employees’ premiums, as long as they don’t use tier systems.
Melissa was certainly enthusiastic about the Affordable Care Act and its implementation in Rhode Island, and she demonstrated great pride in what she considered to be Rhode Island’s competitiveness and desire to lead the way with innovation. She concluded with, ‘We’re here for you!’
You can reach Melissa at Melissa.Travis@exchange.ri.gov