Open enrollment is underway for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and the Iowa Insurance Division’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is available to offer free, unbiased and confidential assistance to Iowans. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said “Iowans have four new Part D drug plans available to them in 2020 and many new Medicare Advantage options. Medicare can be very confusing, and I encourage any Iowans eligible for Medicare as well as caregivers to reach out to our SHIIP team for assistance before the open enrollment window closes on December 7.”

Iowans may make changes to their Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plan during open enrollment beginning October 15, 2019, through December 7, 2019. Iowans that miss the open enrollment deadline most likely would have to wait a full year before making changes to their plan. SHIIP Director Kris Gross said “We expect to see a high percentage of the people saving money by changing plans for 2020. Last year SHIIP helped Iowans save over $32 million by comparing Medicare Part D plans for Iowans”

SHIIP is reminding Iowans to do three important things during Medicare open enrollment:

• Review your plan notice. Read any notices from your Medicare plan about changes for next year – especially your “Annual Notice of Change” letter. Review your plan’s information to make sure the prescriptions you use are still covered and your medical providers and pharmacy are still in network.
• Think about what matters most to you. Medicare health and drug plans change each year and so can your health needs. Does your current plan best meet your needs?
• Shop for the plans that meet your needs and fit your budget. Compare plans even if you’ve been satisfied with your current plan. The coverage and costs for plans can change from year to year.

For SHIIP assistance locally call Carole Schuler, Cass County Health System Volunteer Coordinator, at 712-243-7545. SHIIP is a free, confidential service of the State of Iowa. SHIIP counselors review all plans offered and do not promote any particular plan or company.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports a pickup reported stolen from a man’s garage in Creston at around 5-a.m. Thursday, was located three-miles east of town off of Highway 34. The 2019 Chevy Silverado had sustained an estimated $10,000 damage.No suspects have been identified as of the latest report.

Montgomery County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, Stephanie Burke, has announced that absentee ballots for the November 5, 2019, City/School Elections are available in the Auditor’s office. Absentee ballots may be cast in the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office at the Courthouse, during regular office hours from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday, through November 4. Absentee ballots are available for all cities and school districts within the Montgomery County boundaries.

Absentee ballots must be requested in writing. Request forms are available at the Auditor’s office, on the Montgomery County website at www.montgomerycountyiowa.com and at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.iowa.gov. The deadline for the Auditor’s office to receive a request form to have an absentee ballot mailed to a voter is Friday, October 25 at 5:00 p.m. You can mail your request form to PO Box 469, Red Oak, Iowa, 51566. Ballots requested through the mail must be returned and postmarked by midnight, November 4. Ballots may also by hand-delivered to the Auditor’s office before 8 p.m. on November 5.

For more information about the 2019 City/School Elections in Montgomery County, contact the Auditor’s office at 623-5127.  Voters can keep up with the latest Election happenings on the Montgomery County Auditor & Elections Facebook page.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says the founder of a boarding school for troubled youth will get another chance to potentially discredit a student whose testimony helped convict him of abuse charges. The court on Friday ordered a hearing to determine whether the student previously made false allegations of sexual abuse against her adoptive or foster parents. If a judge determines that false allegations were made, the court says 41-year-old Ben Trane should get a new trial on three sexual abuse and child endangerment charges.

Trane is the former owner of Midwest Academy in Keokuk, a boarding school that was shut down by authorities in 2016. A jury convicted Trane last year of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a counselor and child endangerment. The convictions stemmed from allegations that Trane sexually assaulted the 17-year-old female student and kept two male students in confinement for extended periods of time. Trane has been free on bond during his appeal.

Police in Council Bluffs report a masked man who allegedly used a baseball bat on Oct. 5th to break out several windows at St. Peter’s Church in Council Bluffs, was arrested this (Friday) morning. The church’s security cameras captured the incidents and images of the suspect, 18-year old Tate Pilger, of Council Bluffs. Acting on a citizen’s tip, detectives were able to identify the man, and an arrest warrant was issued.

Pilger was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on one count of Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree (Causing damage greater than $1,500, but less than $10,000), which is a Class-D Felony. If convicted, Pilger faces up to five-years in prison and a $7,500 fine. The mask, bat and clothing worn during the incident were recovered inside Pilger’s home.

HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) — Some people forced from their homes by Missouri River floodwaters will be leaving their refuge at an Iowa state park. Waubonsie State Park sits dry a few miles north of the southwest Iowa community of Hamburg, which was hit hard after two nearby river levees failed. Park manager Matt Moles told Omaha, Nebraska, station KETV the park had about 80 flood refugees staying there during peak occupancy this past spring. But that’s dwindled as people returned to their homes or found other accommodations.

Other flood victims found temporary quarters elsewhere in Iowa and even across the river in Nebraska. But now winter approaches, and Iowa officials say park water service must be turned off because of the impending freeze and the need for repairs. Electricity still will be available, and off-season camping will be allowed.

RED OAK, Iowa – U.S Republican Senator Joni Ernst, a combat veteran, has joined a bipartisan group of senators in calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take action following a troubling report from the Government Accountability Office that found Veterans Health Administration facilities are hiring providers with a history of misconduct. Ernst and her colleagues are requesting detailed information from the VA about the steps it will take to address the problem.

The Senators wrote, “Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities lack adequate safeguards to ensure that veterans are not treated by providers who have a history of adverse actions against them related to providing substandard patient care, endangering public safety, substance misuse, or unprofessional conduct. We urge you to take immediate action to correct this issue and to ensure quality care for veterans who have sacrificed much in the brave defense of our freedoms.”

The Senators point to a disturbing and inconsistent adherence to policies related to verifying a potential provider’s credentials. This is due in part to a lack of uniform and mandatory credential training across facilities. The Senators continued, “In fact, the report details that staff responsible for the implementation of these credentialing standards were unaware of the standards in at least five facilities. Without uniform policies, appropriate training, and consistent implementation, VHA continues to hire providers that lack proper credentials to the detriment of veterans.”

Earlier this year, Senator Ernst introduced the Ensure Quality Care for Our Veterans Act, which requires that every health care provider hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with a revoked license undergoes a third party review of that provider’s care. If the review determines that a competent practitioner would have managed the veteran’s care differently, the veteran will be notified. Ernst spoke before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee urging support for this legislation.