(Radio Iowa) – Open enrollment is now underway for Medicare for thousands of Iowans and others across the country. The administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Seema Verma says it’s time to review your plan. “They can stick with the traditional program if they like what they have, they don’t have to make any changes,” Verma says. “But what’s really interesting about this year is that over the last few years, the president has been really working to strengthen and modernize the program, and because of that, we are seeing significant price decreases.”

She says one of the new programs is for insulin. She says if you are taking insulin you can get it for 35 dollars a month. “So a lot of new choices, a lot of new plans.” Verma says there are some other options for services in the plans as well. “Maybe you just need a ride to the doctor’s office, or you are recovering from surgery and you need a little bit of help in your house and they can send you a meal service. Or you are having trouble going up and down the stairs — they may install a ramp,” she says. “It’s just giving a little bit more flexibility to the health plan.”

Verma says you can do everything online. She says it will let you enter the medications you take into the system and it will tell you if the plan covers those medications. Verma says you can still call the helpline if you have questions and want to talk to someone. The helpline is 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).  You can also go to medicare.gov to review your plan. There are more than 637-thousand Iowans on Medicare.

Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard, today (Monday), reports (as of 10-a.m.), two more deaths were attributed to the virus, bringing the state total to 1,636. Officials say 1,080 deaths have been attributed to pre-existing medical/health conditions.

There are 677 new, Positive cases of COVID-19, as confirmed by State Labs.  Health officials say 4,742 test results were returned since 10-a.m. Sunday, with 3,969 coming back Negative, and 763 returned as Positive. The total number of tests completed thus far is 939,561, with 821,463 total Negative results and 116,452 total Positive results. The individual positivity rate is 12.4%, and the statewide 14-day rolling average is up to 10.7%. There are currently 17 Iowa counties reporting a positivity rate greater than 15% over the last 14 days. Harrison County tops the State at 23%. Cass County isn’t far behind at 21.5%. The IDPH says Carroll County has a 14-day rate of 18.6%, and Adams County’s rate is 16.4%. Public schools in counties with a 15% or great positivity rate are eligible to apply for a waiver to provide 100% virtual learning.

The IDPH says 87,964 Iowans have recovered from COVID-19. In the KJAN listening area, there are: four more positive cases in Cass County (390 total), and 11 more in Mills County. There are three or less new cases in other area counties. (See the chart below).

There are currently 561 Iowans hospitalized with the virus, which is up from 541 Sunday. There are 129 patients in an ICU, 10 more than previously mentioned. IDPH show 73 persons were admitted to a hospital statewide, down from 85 on Sunday. There are 45 patients on a ventilator, three more than previously reported. Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa report: 40 hospitalized; 12 are in an ICU (compared to 13 previously); three persons were admitted (compared to 8, Sunday), and one person remains on a ventilator.

Long-Term Care facility (LTC) stats show: 66 facilities have outbreaks (one less than Sunday); 1,969 patients/staff at those facilities tested positive for COVID-19; Patients/staff who have recovered at LTC’s amount to 766, and those who have died number 808, one more than reported Sunday.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 390 cases {+4}; 269 recovered; 3 deaths
• Adair, 162 {+3};70; 1
• Adams, 81 {+2}; 41; 0
• Audubon, 144 {+2}; 84; 1
• Guthrie, 392 {+4); 245; 15
• Harrison County, 656 {+3}; 268; 11
• Madison County, 360 {+1}; 240; 2
• Mills County, 408 {+11}; 192; 3
• Montgomery, 173 {+3}; 146; 7
• Pottawattamie County, 3,236 {+4]; 2,346; 44
• Shelby County, 372 {+1}; 327; 1
• Union County,  232 {+3}; 203; 4

(Updated 1-p.m.) A 17-year old Atlantic High School Football player is in critical condition, suffering from a severe head injury, after he fell from the bed of a moving pickup truck Sunday afternoon. Steele McLaren was transported by Cass County Rescue to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, following the accident that took place at around 2:40-p.m. Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol reports the 2007 Chevy Silverado, driven by a 17-year old male, also from Atlantic, was heading northbound on 740th Street near Anita, at around 2:40-p.m., when McLaren fell out. The accident remains under investigation. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies and Anita Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene.

Steele’s  father, Dustin McLaren, and mother, Jess Ehrman-Ellis, says their son made it through surgery Sunday night, but he has to be sedated for several days while his condition is monitored and treated. Meanwhile, there has been an outpouring of support and prayers from the community, as well as other football teams from around Iowa, including the Glenwood, Red Oak and West Marshall football teams, under #32strong. Students at the Atlantic High School, Monday, were asked to honor Steele by dressing like “Steele Day,” with gray pants, gray shirt and flannel.

A benefit account has been established at Rolling Hills Bank & Trust in Atlantic, for donations to help the family. Please make your checks payable to either Dustin & Ricci McLaren, or Cory & Jessica Ellis.  In addition, there are 1200 bracelets with the words “Strong as Steele,” and “#32Strong” in Trojan black and gold, that have been ordered, and should arrive by Wednesday night, according to organizer Kennedy Goergen. The bracelets will be handed out to the football team and family, first. Any remaining bracelets will be available for the community at $2 per bracelet. All proceeds will benefit the McLaren family.

Kennedy says since there is no school this Thursday due to parent-teacher conferences, she will be in the high school parking lot from 11-am to 1-pm, and then again from 5-6 pm. You are able to come purchase the bands at these times!

The CAM Digital Media Class is also selling decals that say StrongAsSteele and #32Strong for $5 each with proceeds going back to the family. To order your decal email the class teacher Shelly Miller: smiller@cam.k12.ia.us

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

OLLIE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a 76-year-old man died after he apparently fell out of a tree stand while hunting. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Raymond Bears body was found after he was reported missing Thursday when he did not return from hunting on his land in Ollie. The Keokuk County Sheriff’s office and local police found his body and say it appeared he fell from the tree stand. An autopsy is being performed.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Black man who was shot by police outside an Iowa nightclub five years ago has agreed to a nearly $400,000 settlement. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 33-year-old Jovan Darnell Webb alleged in his suit that he was singled out because of his race in April 2015 when he was wounded while attempting to pull out of the parking lot of the New World nightclub in Waterloo during a disturbance. His suit also alleged excessive force, equal protection violations and battery on the part of the police officers. The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial this month. The decision to settle for $399,999 was made by the city’s liability insurance carrier. The city’s attorney, David Baker, declined to comment.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa voters are casting ballots early in person or by mail at a record pace for the Nov. 3 election with several days of early voting still remaining. The Iowa secretary of state’s office reported that 685,234 absentee ballots have been returned to county auditors statewide by Friday morning. Those include people who voted by mail or early in person at auditor’s offices or satellite voting locations. While Democrats typically lead in early voting in Iowa, their advantage this year is significantly bigger than 2016 or 2012. About 51% of the ballots returned have come from registered Democrats compared to 31% from Republicans and 18% from those that do not belong to either party.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ordered a Quad Cities couple who operated two telemarketing firms to pay $820,000 for consumer fraud. The Des Moines Register reports that Misty and Paul Barnes and their companies, telemarketing firms PM Specialties and Milestone Consulting, were sued in February by the Iowa Attorney General for a range of allegations. They included calling businesses to demand payment for fraudulent invoices and selling advertisements in fictitious publications. Court records show the couple made no reply to the suit, leading to Wednesday’s default judgment. The court also made permanent a temporary injunction filed in April that banned the pair from telemarketing in Iowa.