Gov. Terry Branstad has announced that the Abigail Adams Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution would be the 5th award recipient of private funds used to promote historical projects around Iowa.  Kristine Bartley, Regent of the Abigail Adams Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) joined Gov. Branstad in the announcement.

To date, the Iowa History Fund has provided funds to:

• restore Gov. Samuel Merrill’s mausoleum in Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines;
• construct a monument honoring the six Littleton brothers near Wapello;
• assemble the Hugh Sidey Collection in Greenfield; and
• repair gravesites at the 160 year old St. Wenceslaus Church Cemetery in Spillville.

The 5^th Iowa History Fund award, in the amount of $10,000, is being granted to finalize the fundraising effort to install more than 300 unmarked baby graves in Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines.  The Iowa History Fund contribution will match other private contributions from Kurt Rasmussen, Suku Radia and Prairie Meadows to meet the organization’s overall goal of raising just under $27,000.

Starting in 1848, 501 babies were buried in a special area of Woodland Cemetery.  At the time, most were given a number and a small wooden cross that eventually deteriorated.  In 2006, Gerald A. LaBlanc initiated a campaign to complete a headstone marker for each grave.  LaBlanc, now almost 90 years old, has been an educator, advocate, tour guide, fundraiser and spark plug for preservation, restoration and appreciation of the historic site.  He secured the funds for 196 of 501 headstones but was unable to complete the project alone.  Stepping up in service, the Abigail Adams Chapter DAR has taken the initiative to complete the project.

DES MOINES, IA (October 10, 2016) – Despite rising health premiums, Iowa employers are asking employees with single (employee-only) and family coverage to contribute about the same as they did in 2015. Remarkably similar to previous studies, Iowa employees with single coverage are paying 17.1 percent of the total health premium (employer and worker contributions combined), while employees with family coverage contribute about 31 percent of the family premium. This is according to the 2016 Iowa Employer Benefits Study(c), the 18th annual study conducted by David P. Lind Benchmark of Clive, an employee benefits research firm. One-thousand-twenty-five Iowa employers participated in this year’s survey.

The study also found that Iowa employer health insurance premiums increased an average of 8.0 percent from 2015 to 2016. This factors in employers receiving an increase, decrease, or no change in their premiums. The Iowa average represents the premium increase employers received prior to making design changes to their medical insurance plans. After the health plans were modified by employers – such as increasing employee cost-sharing arrangements – the increase over last year was 5.9 percent for single premiums and one-half percent for family premiums. During the similar period, wages for Iowans increased by 3.7% (source: Iowa Workforce Development). The study also showed:

* The combined average annual premiums for all types of medical plans offered by Iowa employers (HMO, PPO, Traditional Indemnity and Consumer-Driven Health Plans) were $6,509 (up 5.9% from 2015) for employee-only coverage and $15,743 (up 0.5%) for employees who include family members. Since 1999, the year this study began, the single premium has increased by 215 percent while the family premium has increased by 186 percent.

* Employees are asked to contribute $93 monthly for employee-only coverage, similar to last year. Employees with family members are asked to pay over $403 a month, a slight decrease compared to last year ($417). Over the course of 18 years (1999-2016), employee contributions have increased by 151 percent for single coverage and 128 percent for family coverage.  In sharp contrast, the Iowa Workforce Development shows the average weekly wage (for all industries) earned in Iowa increased by 46.4 percent between 2000 and 2015. It is important to note that employers continue to pay about 83 percent of the total single-health premium and 69 percent of the family premium – similar to results from past studies.

* The average deductibles that Iowa employees are required to pay in 2016 dropped slightly for single coverage ($1,627) when compared to last year’s average ($1,662). The 2016 family deductible ($3,382) remained statistically unchanged from 2015. Despite this glacial change, deductibles since 2004 for both single and family have risen by 188 percent and 185 percent, respectively.

* In the six years (2005-2010) prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, family health premiums for Iowa employers have increased by almost 31 percent. Since 2010, family premiums increased by only 18.4 percent during 2011-2016.

* From the 2011 – 2016 post-ACA period, contributions by employees with family coverage have increased by only nine percent, compared to 23.5 percent during the 2005-2010 period.

* The percentage change in family deductibles during the same pre-ACA period was 71 percent (from $1,547 to $2,644), compared to the family deductible increase of six percent during the post-ACA period.

As health insurance costs continue to rise, employers contain their health insurance costs by:

* Passing some or all of the increased costs to their employees (51 percent)
* Absorbing the entire cost increase (30 percent)
* Increasing deductibles (23 percent)
* Raising employees’ out-of-pocket costs (13 percent)
* Increasing co-payments for office visits (10 percent)
* Changing insurance companies (9 percent)
* Reducing pay raises or bonuses (8.5 percent)
* Offering Consumer-Driven Health Plans (7 percent)
* Increasing prescription drug co-payments (5 percent)
* Hiring fewer new employees (5 percent)
* Beginning wellness program initiatives (2 percent)

When asked about important reasons for changing health plans, Iowa employers felt that reducing long-term health costs and complying with government regulations were equally important when making coverage decisions. In addition, encouraging employees to better understand health costs and to become more engaged when seeking care are also important to employers.

In 2016, 79 percent of all Iowa employers reported offering health coverage, a slight increase from 76 percent in 2015. The most apparent reason for this increase is that more employers with fewer than 50 employees are reportedly offering health insurance to attract and retain employees in a seemingly more competitive employment market. “Reported premium increases by employers this past year does not appear to have meaningfully impacted employee costs through payroll deductions and through higher deductibles. Based on our recent findings, this one year hiatus from such increases has been beneficial to employee cost-sharing responsibilities. It does appear that post-ACA results show that such costs have only moderately increased when compared to pre-ACA results,” noted David P. Lind Benchmark President, David Lind.

The 2016 Iowa Employer Benefits Study(c) was conducted during the spring and summer of 2016.  Results are based on 1,025 responses from 4,798 randomly selected employers with two or more employees. For the overall sample, the results are accurate to within plus or minus 3.0 percent, at a 95 percent confidence level.  Data Point Research, Inc., of Ames, provided the statistical analysis and mathematical basis for the study.

David P. Lind Benchmark (DPLB) is an independent, for-profit, and non-partisan employee benefits research firm located in Clive, Iowa. Since 1999, DPLB has provided scientifically-based research to assist private and public employers and policy makers in their decision making. The Iowa Employer Benefits Study(c) is a comprehensive, statistical review of Iowa employee benefits and healthcare that is conducted annually by David P. Lind Benchmark.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department say three people were arrested on drug charges over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, 21-year old Nathaniel Dewitt-Patterson, of Creston, was arrested on charges of OWI 1st, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Paraphernalia. And, 21-year old Gage Cheers, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both men were later released from the Union County Jail on $1000 bond, each. And, Saturday morning, 22-year old Clinton Marshall, of Corning, was arrested in Creston for OWI/ 2^nd offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Paraphernalia and Driving While Barred. He was released from the Union County Jail on a $2000 bond.

Creston Police said also, 48-year old Gail Cheers, of Creston, was arrested Sunday for Driving While Revoked. He was later released on $300 bond. And, 33-year old Erin Wallace, of Creston, was arrested Sunday for Domestic Abuse/Assault. She was transferred to the Rinngold County Jail and held while awaiting bond.

On Friday, Creston Police arrested 20-year old  Jeremy Ebrecht, of Creston, on a Taylor County Warrant for two counts of Contempt – Violation of No Contact/Protection Order. Ebrecht was transferred to the custody of Taylor County.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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AURORA, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 55-year-old Aurora man shot at officers after a domestic disturbance turned into a standoff with officers. Buchanan County sheriff’s deputies were sent around 11 p.m. Saturday to check a report that a man with a gun was threatening a woman at a home in Aurora. Deputies say the man fired at them during the standoff but they didn’t fire back.

The Sheriff’s Office says a negotiator took about two hours to talk the man into surrendering. No injuries have been reported. Online court records don’t show the man has been charged.

Iowa farmers are still struggling with low commodities prices, but Iowa consumers may’ve noticed some grocery prices are actually coming down. U-S-D-A economist Annemarie Kuhns says the agency’s prediction last year that food prices would rise two-to-three percent this year was wrong, as prices have stayed steady or fallen slightly — which is very unusual.

Kuhns says, “Even after the recession of 2007 and 2009, we still saw food prices increase slightly albeit low rates, but we really haven’t seen deflation since the 1960s.” The U-S-D-A report says consumers are paying lower prices for beef, pork, poultry, eggs, milk and other dairy products, while the prices Iowa farmers are getting for their products are predicted to drop. Corn is down 11-percent, for example.

“A lot of the costs that make up what we pay at the grocery store include things like food processing, transportation, retail overhead,” Kuhns says. “There’s just so many factors of production that go into the price that we’re actually paying, sometimes these changes at the farm level have a muted effect.” If prices go up overall this year, she predicts they’ll only top one-half of one-percent. The early forecast for 2017 shows grocery prices will rise one to two-percent.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa’s toss-up status in this year’s presidential election is nerve-wracking for top officials in both major parties — and for the rank-and-file voters. Kimberly Penning of Ankeny voted for Mitt Romney four years ago. She’s undecided about the presidential race this year and plans to make a final voting decision the day before the Election — just in case there’s some last-minute revelation. “I’m looking for somebody that’s going to basically do something good for the country and isn’t going to send us down a rabbit hole,” she says. She describes the campaign as a “roller coaster.”

Irene Wesley of Ames is a Democrat who has already voted, for Hillary Clinton. She says this election is “mind boggling.” “I have never seen a bigger circus in my life,” Wesley says. “It rivals elections in Latin America. It rivals elections in Italy.” Iowa Republicans held their annual fall fundraiser Saturday night. The party’s top leaders condemned what Donald Trump said on a vulgar recording that was replayed over and over this weekend, but remain committed to voting for Trump rather than Hillary Clinton.

Governor Terry Branstad told reporters Iowa Republicans “are not going to abandon” Trump. “We need to look to the future and we need to look at what kind of a leader we’re going to have for this country and I think that the vision that Trump and Pence has is much better for the future of America than what Hillary Clinton offers.” A Des Moines Register Iowa Poll conducted last week — before the video was released — found Trump ahead in Iowa by four points.

That prompted former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to ask a crowd of Democrats on Sunday in Ames why Iowa is the only battleground state in the country where Clinton’s trailing Trump. “We always knew this was going to be a very tough race and a tight race in Iowa, but I think it is important for Iowans to understand what’s at stake here,” Vilsack told reporters. “…There’s a stark difference between these candidates on the issues that matter to Iowans.”

Vilsack decided to fill out his absentee ballot last night, with his young grandchildren in the room to mark the occasion. One Republican member of the Iowa House went on Facebook this weekend to announce he would NOT vote for the G-O-P nominee. Representative Ken Rizer, of Cedar Rapids, says Trump’s recently revealed remarks about women illustrate an “arrogant lack of character.” Rizer, who backed Jeb Bush in the Caucuses, says as a husband and the father of two college-aged daughters, he cannot hold his nose and vote for Trump.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

Iowa Workforce Development has won a grant from the U-S Department of Labor to do some system upgrading. I-W-D spokesperson, Courtney Greene, says the grant is for one-point-one million dollars. “That will go to upgrade our integrated case management system. And basically what that will do is help us do a better job of providing services to dislocated workers,” Greene says. “Those workers who maybe the plant closes or the company decides to relocate and leaves those workers out of a job — this will help manage those cases.”

She says the change involves the systems used by state employees. “It’s really a more internal system. It allows our Iowa work staff to track clients to make sure that people are receiving the services they need, when they need them,” according to Greene. Greene says the upgrade will help them get more real-time data. She says it will make the system more efficient and should save money and reduce duplication. Greene says they will be working on the system during the next year.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court has opened the door for construction to resume on a small stretch of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline while it considers an appeal by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The ruling came Sunday. The tribe had asked the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to continue work stoppage on the pipeline within 20 miles of Lake Oahe in North Dakota. The court earlier ordered work to stop while it decided the motion.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has highlighted extra benefits under Iowa’s new Medicaid program to show the privatized system functions better than the former state-run setup, but the agency overseeing Medicaid acknowledges it does little tracking of the benefits. Known as value-added services, they range from waived gym membership fees to free cellphones. The Iowa Department of Human Services says it’s not required to track the services.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The remains of a Navy chaplain have been buried in his home state of Iowa nearly 75 years after he died during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A funeral was held for Chaplain Aloysius Schmitt on Saturday. He was aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when the Dec. 7, 1941, attack happened. The Telegraph Herald reports Schmitt helped other sailors escape the sinking ship before he died. The Navy announced in September that Schmitt’s remains had been identified.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mason City police say bicycle thefts are on the rise this year as more thieves seek cash for drugs. There have already been 175 bikes reported stolen this year, which is more than all of last year. Police say the stolen bikes are often found in pieces in bicycle chop shops around town.