Sunday, 05 May 2024

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I had a long conversation with a friend who is unable to find employment despite the multitude of jobs available.

She is not the first to seek out some advice in the past couple of weeks so I will put this out there in hopes it helps someone.

When I am looking for candidates and conducting interviews, I am looking for a “good fit” for our office.

First and foremost, I won't hire anyone that is negative. That upsets the current staff and I don't want to deal with it. Do not bad mouth current or past employer or coworkers during the interview. When you do, you are not telling the interviewer anything about your previous employment – you are speaking volumes about yourself though, and it is a deal-breaker.

Also, I view the application as your best effort to sell yourself. If you misspell words, use poor grammar and especially when you even misspell your own name, those are instant rejects for me. Have someone proof it for you.

Take the time to truly document your skills and experience. These are the tools used to get you in for an interview and it is shocking how many times, after a candidate is screened out, they call and explain they had more experience but just didn't include it on the application. Too bad, too late.

I have had multiple candidates that are equally qualified for a position and I always select the one I feel will be a team player, with a positive, “can-do” attitude.

With the many job opportunities available right now, any serious candidate should find a job. I advise people to take what they can to get a foot in the door. If you are good, you will promote quickly. Don't wait to try to start at the very top. I know staff that took entry-level positions to start and worked their way up to management positions within two years.

I hope this can help those that are struggling.

Jan Coppinger is the administrator for Lake County Special Districts, headquartered in Lakeport, California.
Posted On

Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare’s new regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific Territories. Courtesy photo.

Did you sign up for a Medicare Advantage health plan last year only to find that it doesn’t meet your needs? Not to worry.

You still have time to switch to another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

Between Jan. 1 and March 31 each year, you can make the following changes during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period:

• If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage), you can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage).

• You can drop your Medicare Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare. You’ll also be able to join a Medicare prescription drug plan (also known as a Part D plan).

During this period, you can’t:

• Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.

• Join a Medicare prescription drug plan if you’re in Original Medicare.

• Switch from one Medicare prescription drug plan to another if you’re in Original Medicare.

You can only make one change during this period, and any changes you make will be effective the first of the month after the plan gets your request.

If you’re returning to Original Medicare and joining a drug plan, you don’t need to contact your Medicare Advantage plan to disenroll. The disenrollment will happen automatically when you join the drug plan.

In most cases, you must stay enrolled for the calendar year, starting on the date your coverage begins.

However, you can make changes to your Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug coverage when certain events happen in your life, like if you move or you lose other insurance coverage. These opportunities to make changes are called Special Enrollment Periods, or SEPs.

Rules about when you can make changes and the type of changes you can make are different for each SEP. You can learn more about SEPs here: https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/when-can-i-join-a-health-or-drug-plan/special-circumstances-special-enrollment-periods .

How do you switch? Follow these steps if you’re already in a Medicare Advantage plan and want to switch:

• To switch to a new Medicare Advantage plan, simply join the plan you want. You’ll be disenrolled automatically from your old plan when your new plan’s coverage begins.

• To switch to Original Medicare, contact your current plan, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

If you don’t have drug coverage, you should consider joining a Medicare prescription drug plan to avoid paying a penalty if you decide to join later. You may also want to consider buying a Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy if you’re eligible.

You can find out more about Medigap here: https://www.medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/when-can-i-buy-medigap/4-steps-to-buy-a-medigap-policy .

For more details about Medicare Advantage plans, visit www.Medicare.gov/publications to view the booklet “Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans.”

If you believe you made the wrong plan choice because of inaccurate or misleading information, including information from Medicare’s online Plan Finder, call 1-800-MEDICARE and explain your situation. Call center representatives can help you throughout the year with options for making changes.

A final note: If you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan during your Initial Enrollment Period (when you first became eligible for Medicare), you can change to another Medicare Advantage plan (with or without drug coverage) or go back to Original Medicare (with or without a drug plan) within the first three months you have Medicare.

Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Posted On

Lake Progressives is a non-party-affiliated group that welcomes everyone who is interested in discussing, supporting or promoting progressive policies, programs or candidates at the local, state and national level.

In the 2016 primary, Lake Progressives endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. Lake County voters largely agreed. Bernie was the No. 1 choice in Lake County (5,195), with Trump (4,163) and Clinton (3,988) a distant second and third among local voters.

Today, Lake Progressives again endorse Bernie Sanders for president, for all the same reasons. Continuity is Bernie’s strength. It is the reason people trust him.

In 2016, Bernie raised the bar. He inspired millions of new voters, especially young people, with a message that resonated because it was true.

Today, far from being a "radical," Bernie is the real centrist in this race, standing on the same side as most Americans on most issues.

Seventy percent of Americans across all parties favor Medicare for All (83 percent of registered Democrats favor it).

Most Americans favor tuition-free public college, a Living Wage, women’s rights, worker's rights, immigration reform, criminal justice reform, protection for Dreamers, green energy (and jobs from green energy), environmental protection, equal justice for all, and no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

These are issues Bernie has advocated for throughout his career. In 2020 we have an historic opportunity to elect someone who will fight for us.

The most popular president in American history was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was elected four times. FDR was so popular that panicked politicians passed a Constitutional Amendment to limit the presidency to two terms, out of fear that "We, the People" would just keep re-electing FDR forever.

Why was FDR so popular? Because his policies helped everyone.

His programs strengthened America by putting people to work on infrastructure projects that improved everyone's lives and improved the entire nation's economy. He appealed to our better angels, and united a nation that had been divided by fear.

FDR's founding principles were "The Four Freedoms," the cornerstone upon which he based The New Deal: Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear.

Like FDR, Bernie wants what we all want – an America that is truly free, a nation that lives up to its own promise.

No one is free when they are crushed by debt.

No one is free when they cannot seek medical help because they don't have insurance, or the deductible is too high.

No one is free when they go to bed hungry, or if they don't even have a bed to sleep in.

For 40 years, wages have been stagnant and the quality of life for most Americans has gone downhill. Inequality is worse now than it was during the Great Depression. The time has come to elect the FDR of the 21st century, and enact another New Deal, another rising economic tide to lift all boats. The need is urgent.

This week, Congress voted to increase the military budget by $18 billion – that's $120 billion higher than the military budget in 2016. No one asked, "How are you going to pay for that?" because the elites never ask that question when it comes to making military contractors richer, or for increasing subsidies for fossil fuel corporations or Big Pharma, or for tax cuts for the wealthy.

The elites never object to giving "free stuff" to the already-wealthy.

It's not "free stuff," of course. Like everything else in the Federal budget, that money comes from U.S. taxpayers. As Bernie points out, instead of giving it to military contractors, that additional 120 billion of our tax money could have made tuition-free every public college, university, trade school and apprenticeship program in the United States, and eliminated homelessness, and provided school meals to every child in our public schools.

Corporations have bought most politicians in Washington ... but they have not bought Bernie.

Bernie's slogan is "Not me, us." Government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

That’s why Lake Progressives endorse Bernie Sanders.

Lake Progressives include Ava Kennedy, Chloe Karl, Chris Wilson, Danielle Alcantara, Deb Baumann, John Tyler, Juliana Vidich, Kimberly Tyler, Lia Alcantara, Lyn Alcantara, Mark Douglas, Paul Marchand, Paula Mune, Tim Everton, Todd Beeson, Trish VanDenBerghe and Wendy Kay.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Party supports two candidates in the upcoming Board of Supervisors races. The date of California’s primary has been moved up to March 3 (in previous years, it was held in June).

At its Jan. 2 business meeting, the county party voted to endorse incumbent Tina Scott for the District 4 seat on the Lake County Board of Supervisors. Tina’s degree in sociology gives her specialized insight for ways to address the most vulnerable people living in Lake County. Prior to her current position, Tina served on the Board of the Lakeport Unified School District. She currently also serves as chair of Hope Rising, whose purpose is to leverage resources in a collaborative effort to find solutions to one of Lake County’s largest issues, poverty. And, she serves as a juvenile justice commissioner and a court-appointed child advocate.

Tina Scott has been an active supervisor who listens to the community, responding to questions and concerns with her open-door policy. She was awarded an Executive Leadership Certification with the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Jessica Pyska received the Lake County Democratic Party’s endorsement for supervisor in District 5. Jessica built a technology consulting business with her husband, rebuilt her family home lost in the Valley fire and currently educates children in a unique K-6 garden program while leading her community in disaster resilience and economic recovery.

Jessica serves on the Lake County Risk Reduction Authority Ad Hoc Committee. As economic development chair of the Cobb Area Council, she recently won a $200,000 grant, launched a micro-loan program for local businesses, and produced the Blackberry COBBler Festival. She provided community input on the County’s Hazardous Vegetation Abatement Ordinance, Dark Skies Proclamation, and the Tourist Improvement District. Her priorities on the Board of Supervisors are to increase the level of disaster resilience county-wide, strengthen the county’s economy and improve the health and safety of all residents, especially children and seniors, while maintaining what we love most about Lake County.

If elected, Jessica Pyska will work with state, federal and private foundation representatives to apply for Lake County’s fair share of federal, state and grant funds and ensure they are used wisely.

The Lake County Democratic Party is proud to support these candidates, who reflect our values and policies.

Now is a critical time for Democrats, especially at the local level, to guide the nation toward policies of fairness, tolerance, and better economic and educational opportunities for all of us. The Lake County Democratic Party is confident that our endorsed 2020 candidates embody these principles, and that their election will allow Lake County and California to continue to lead the nation in fostering the kind of communities we all want for ourselves and for our children.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee serves as the official representative and governing body of the California Democratic Party in Lake County, carrying out such duties as are consistent with the Elections Code of the State of California and the by-laws and policies of the California Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee.

Lake County Democratic Central Committee voting members are Susan Cameron, Ron Green, Doug Harris, Sissa Harris, Shirley Howland, Vanessa Mayer, Ceva Giumelli, Deb Baumann, James Evans, Louie Rigod, John Sheehy, Trish VanDenBerghe, Larry Bean, Virginia Cerenio, Tom Jordan, Chloe Karl, Dave Rogers, Becky Curry, Adckinjo Esutoki, Mary Borjon, Juliana Vidich, Cathy McCarthy, Stephanie Pahwa, Dirk Slooten, Sorhna Li and Shao-Jia Chang.
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As we head into the new year, I wanted to let you know how much your Medicare premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs will be in 2020.

Each year, Medicare premiums, deductibles, and copayment rates are adjusted according to the Social Security Act. For 2020, the Medicare Part B monthly premiums and the annual deductible are higher than the 2019 amounts.

The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $144.60 for 2020, an increase of $9.10. The Part B premium in 2019 was $135.50.

The standard premium is what most people with Medicare pay. Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A.

The annual deductible for all Part B beneficiaries is $198 in 2020, an increase of $13 from the annual deductible of $185 in 2019.

The increase in the Part B premiums and deductible is largely due to Medicare’s rising expenses for drugs administered in doctors’ offices. Current law requires Medicare to pay the average sales price for a Part B drug and also pays physicians a percentage of a drug's sale price.

This incentivizes drug companies to set prices higher and for physicians to prescribe more expensive drugs, since that leads to a higher Medicare payment. The Trump Administration is working to lower prices for Part B drugs through its drug pricing blueprint.

Since 2007, Part B premiums have been based in part on a beneficiary’s income, with higher-income beneficiaries paying higher premiums. These income-related monthly adjustment amounts affect about 7 percent of people with Part B.

The 2020 Part B total premiums for high-income beneficiaries can be found here.

Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing, and some home health care services. About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 40 quarters of employment.

The Part A inpatient hospital deductible that beneficiaries will pay when admitted to the hospital will be $1,408 in 2020, an increase of $44 from $1,364 in 2019. The Part A inpatient hospital deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period.

In 2020, beneficiaries must pay a coinsurance amount of $352 per day for the 61st through 90th day of a hospitalization (versus $341 in 2019) in a benefit period and $704 per day for lifetime reserve days (versus $682 in 2019).

For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will be $176 in 2020 ($170.50 in 2019).

These premiums and cost sharing apply to people with Original or Traditional Medicare. Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plans were previously finalized.

On average for 2020, Medicare Advantage premiums are expected to decline by 23 percent from 2018, and will be the lowest in the past 13 years while plan choices, benefits and enrollment continue to increase.

Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Posted On

In recent years, a frequently repeated story has come from our county government that hiring and retaining good top-level employees has become increasingly difficult due to our low pay, and this is the explanation for why we have lost a number of experienced high-level staff members.

The most recent departure from the county management roster is our registrar of voters, who had been on the job for less than six months before heading towards greener pastures.

The problem with the county’s version of events is that there is ample evidence that a force other than our low pay scale is encouraging county upper level staff to depart, and that the same force has caused turmoil among the rank and file in the past as well.

In fact, years ago a large contingent of county employees went before the Board of Supervisors to voice their dismay at how this force had been negatively affecting their workplace, causing them unnecessary stress while destroying their morale.

This weird sort of mutiny was quickly forgotten by the BOS and life went on, until no one could be found to run the Registrar of Voters Office. Now the problem can’t really be ignored any longer, as that same force has not only cost us the most qualified and experienced registrar of voters imaginable – but her replacement as well!

This leaves the Registrar of Voters Office with no permanent department head as we go into the primary season, and no chance of hiring a replacement before the next election.

The “force” mentioned above is the county administrative officer, Carol Huchingson, whose management style has cost the county dearly in terms of lost talent and lost tax dollars spent on hiring and training replacements – not to mention the lost productivity.

The truth is, people are willing to work for less money here but they are not willing to work under Huchingson, who has consolidated much of the control of county government into her office and lobbied to end the independent status of the Registrar of Voters Office.

Three different things can happen: We can keep losing good people for bad reasons, or Huchingson can stifle her less-endearing managerial traits and stop micromanaging her staff, or our BOS can find a new county administrative officer.

The BOS is always hesitant to fire management staff and especially a county administrative officer, since it would be a tacit admission that they had goofed up hiring them in the first place.
The other reasons that sort of thing doesn’t happen much is if you need to replace someone, that means a fair amount of work doing the recruiting and screening-and it probably means spending some money to hire someone to do it. It always takes a while for a new hire to get up to speed and it's always a gamble they will work out too, more reasons the replacement option isn’t popular.

So now the BOS has to make a decision, which since the elections are right around the corner we can assume will be whatever is the safest option, meaning that the urge to pretend that everything is just fine and having six or seven different people in a year or so run the Registrar of Voters Office is normal will be very hard to resist.

But one thing does have to end: Never again can the county use the excuse of low pay for the loss of its staff, because now everyone knows the truth.

Phil Murphy lives in Lakeport, California.

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