Spotlight 09-24-13, Vol. 75, No. 35

Brighton Rotary Spotlight

Mark Marker, President,

September 24, 2013, Vol.75, No. 35

Guests:     No Guests today

Announcements:

Our sympathies are with Jason Conrad Hunttley who lost his father to illness last week.

The theme “”Engage Rotary: Change Lives” is translated into the following ways that Club Members have affected the lives of others:  The Doris Longfellow Memorial Blood Drive collected 18 units of blood to aid in the healing of those in need.  Thank you to Rotarians helping others:  Bill Gartley thanked Beth Walker for helping with marketing to area middle and high school students about the practice ACT+Writing session on October 5^th; Jeff Toole thanked Jane & Mike McManus for helping with today’s PowerPoint presentation with all the last minute governmental changes; and, Brian Donovan thanked President Mark for helping with the Red Cross blood drive setup when Brain had a conflict.

Brian Parsons and the Good Deed Doers team captains Ed Bottum, Heather Sptiler, and Mitch Zoldowski completed the NAMI (National Association for Mental Illness) walk on September 21^st at Providence Hospital in Novi. At least $450 was raised, but a more comprehensive report will be delivered next week.

The Doris Longfellow Memorial Blood Drive Challenge was held yesterday, 9/23, and 21 people came to donate blood and 18 units were collected.  Michele Bouhana’s goal for this drive was 51 units, so members are strongly encouraged to donate blood at other locations and to make time during our next blood drive to “give the gift that keeps on giving!”

Raiders Ramp Build is tomorrow (9/25/13) beginning at 1:00pm at Tyrone Hills off of Hogan Road in Fenton.  Should be done about 5-7pm, but additional help is needed since only 4 people have registered to help.  Brian Donovan will be at the site tonight around 4-5pm to set the posts.  Recipients are sisters:  the wife has MS and the sister is in a wheelchair because of a broken back.

The Oktoberfest celebration is fast approaching! Benefitting the Brighton Veterans Memorial, October 17^th from 6- ? at the Ligenfelter Car Collection is guaranteed to be fun with a full German festival including strolling food stations, beer, wine, entertainment, and access to the car collection.   Tickets will be limited to 150-175 attendees, cost $55 and can be purchased from Lori Lalama, Jane McManus or Bryan Bradford or at next week’s Rotary meeting.

Piet Lindhout announced that a birthday party is being organized for local celebrity David McCloud who is turning 60.  The party will be held on Wednesday, 10/16, from 4-7pm at the Downtown Main Martini Bar—munchies and a cash bar will be available. RSVP at 810-229-5012 and leave a message with your name and the number attending.  A hat was passed to give David a gift from the Rotary Club and $105 was collected.

President Mark shared that at the Home Builders Association shootout last weekend at Island Lake, Piet Lindhout had the best score of everyone with 43 of 50 clay targets hit by Piet’s shotgun bullets.

Tom Janego announced that he has returned to banking and has accepted the position of Senior Vice President at Michigan Commerce Bank.

Don’t Forget the “Pennies for Polio” campaign.  Sixty-two cents purchases one dose of polio vaccine!

Upcoming Events:

09/25/13    1pm          Ramp Build in Tyrone Hills

10/17/13    6pm          Oktoberfest fundraiser for Veterans Memorial

Program:

Program host Ed Bottum introduced Club Member Jeff Toole, who has owned the local Farm Bureau Insurance agency for over 30 years, who provided an overview Health Care Reform 101.  The Affordable Health Care Act insures coverage as of 1/1/2014 for those with pre-existing conditions; parents can continue coverage for their children through the age of 26; preventative care is covered; creates an Insurance Marketplace where the Federal Government allows everyone to apply for coverage as of 10/1/13 and a buffet of options are provided based upon the state of residency; and private insurance companies are prevented from raising rates without a government review (this doesn’t mean rates cannot rise—just that the government will ensure that 85% of all dollars received are spent on patient care).  Open Enrollment will be from 10/1/13 to 3/31/13, effective 1/1/2014 if through a government-sponsored plan.  In later years, individuals can only change plans during open enrollment except in the case of a qualifying life event, e.g. birth, marriage, moving out of state, etc.  People on Medicaid or older than 64 with supplements to Medicare will not be affected.  For pediatric services for children under 19, vision and dental checkups will be covered under the parent’s plan.  Plans in the Insurance Marketplace will have four levels:  Platinum where there is a 10percent copay with 90percent covered; Gold with 20percent copay and 80percent covered; Silver with 30percent copay and 70percent covered, and Bronze with 40percent covered and 60percent covered.  A catastrophic bracket for people under 30 has been created.  Tax help is based on the Silver plan, and you can use the credits to help pay for Gold or Bronze plans.  You have to have health insurance or you will be penalized (in 2014 it will one percent of income or $95, whichever is higher). Employers with over 50 employees must offer insurance.  If you have questions, you can contact Health Plan Advisors at 1-855-499-0547 or www.HealthCareReformBasics.com/Now for information from BlueCross/Blue Shield/Blue Care Network of Michigan.

50/50 drawing: No one won the jackpot, and Mark Cook, Bob Murray, and Ron Cleveland were unsuccessful in their search to locate the Ace of Spades.