Don’t forget to secure your health insurance as you go to college

Are you among the 400,000 freshmen in California — or 2.9 million nationwide — who have just started college, or are about to? As you buy your books, ponder the best meal plan or wonder whether you will get along with your roommate, don’t forget about health insurance.

Whether you’re an undergrad or graduate student, your options will depend on where you go to college, if you already have coverage through a family or individual health plan, and how much money you make.

It might surprise you to know you could qualify for no-cost Medicaid, the public health insurance program for people with low incomes.

“The good news is there are a few good options,” says Paul Rooney, vice president of carrier relations at eHealth, an online health insurance broker based in Santa Clara, Calif.

Since health plans vary from region to region and state to state, your first call might be to an insurance agent in the market where your college is located to discuss your options. The help is free. In California, you can find certified insurance agents on the “Find Help” tab of the website of California’s Obamacare marketplace, Covered California: www.coveredca.com


Sometimes, staying on your family’s plan is the best option — and you can do so up to age 26.SIGN UP

If you are on your family’s plan, or you have your own insurance, call the customer service number on your insurance card to ask about the level of coverage, if any, it will provide if you attend college in another region or state.

If your family health plan is a preferred provider organization (PPO) with a national insurance company — Cigna, Aetna or UnitedHealthcare, for example — you often can get full medical services at in-network prices in other regions of the country where your insurer operates.

But it also has to work financially. Parents, ask your employer or your insurer if taking your child off the family PPO will lower your premium. If the answer is no, and he will have full network coverage while away at college, it makes sense to keep him on the plan.

If the answer is yes, do the math.

Keith Wakeman, CEO of a Chicago-based mental health app startup called SuperBetter, learned he would save $1,900 this year by taking his son Jack off the family’s Blue Cross PPO and buying him the student plan offered by Purdue University, where he is a freshman.

“The plan is much better for Jack in terms of deductibles and copays — and also includes vision and dental,” Wakeman says. “It was a no-brainer for us.”

It probably also makes sense to take your student off the family plan if it is a health maintenance organization (HMO) or an exclusive provider organization, both of which restrict their networks more than PPOs.

There are exceptions: Some insurers allow HMO enrollees to get full medical services at no extra cost in other regions or states where they operate. Ask your health plan if that’s possible.

If it’s not, the health plan offered by your college could be a good option.

Student health plans have improved in recent years, in part because they almost always comply with the Affordable Care Act’s coverage requirements. That means most offer a comprehensive range of medical services at a high level of coverage, says Stephen Beckley, a senior partner with Fort Collins, Colo.-based Hodgkins Beckley Consulting, which works with colleges on student health programs.

The University of California system’s health plan is “exceptional,” Beckley says, “because of its highly favorable cost and the addition of vision and dental benefits.”

Nationally, costs vary widely from college to college, and some are very high, Beckley says.

The cost of this year’s UC undergraduate student health insurance plan, which includes all campuses except Berkeley, ranges from $1,773 to $3,537 for 12 months of coverage, according to Zina Slaughter, the plan’s director. Stanford University, by contrast, charges $5,592 for undergraduate and graduate students.

Beware: Many universities, the UC system and Stanford included, will enroll you in their health plan automatically, and you must obtain a waiver — by proving you have other acceptable coverage — to avoid the charges.

“We tell people that you should make sure you’re not being opted into services you won’t use,” says Erin Hemlin, director of health and policy advocacy for Young Invincibles, which promotes the interests of young adults.

If your family plan doesn’t work for you anymore and your college plan is too expensive, check to see if you qualify for no-cost Medicaid, which goes by the name Medi-Cal in California and insures one-third of the state’s residents.

This goes for students at private universities and public schools, including the 481,000 students at the 23 campuses of the California State University system and the 2 million-plus who attend one of the state’s 115 community colleges.

In the more than 30 states that have expanded Medicaid, including California, individuals who make up to about $17,200 annually are eligible for the program. It helps if your parents do not claim you as a dependent on their tax returns; otherwise, you must report their income.

Check with the health department in your county to see if you qualify. Find a list of California county offices at www.dhcs.ca.gov.

If your income is too high for Medicaid, you might still qualify for a subsidy to buy a health plan through your state’s Obamacare insurance exchange. In California, log onto the Covered California website or call 800-300-1506 to research options.

Enrollment in 2020 Obamacare exchange plans starts Oct. 15 for Covered California and Nov. 1 in most of the rest of the country.

Experts say a viable option for some students who are on their family’s plan is to stay on it, getting emergency care at a local hospital if necessary and basic primary care at the on-campus clinic (access is often included in student fees). They can wait to get physical checkups and other non-urgent care until they visit home.

Giorgia Winters, a resident of Long Beach, Calif., says that’s the decision she and her husband made for their son Matthew, 18, who just entered Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz. They don’t worry about his health: He had to pass a Federal Aviation Administration fitness test to pursue his pilot’s license at the school.

“He’ll come fairly often, because Prescott is an hour or so away by airplane,” Winters says. “I don’t know how much better it is financially, but it was more comfortable for us.

source: usa.inquirer.net

Boston’s public schools to provide free menstrual supplies to students

Boston Public Schools will be offering free menstrual supplies to its students starting in the fall of the 2019 academic year, it was disclosed.

The move is to ensure that the students of Boston’s public schools have every resource they need to learn and succeed, as per a Boston Public Schools (BPS) statement.  

“This pilot program is about equity in our schools, and among our young people,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was quoted as saying on Monday, June 17. “Nearly one in five girls in the US have left school early, or missed school all together because they didn’t have access to menstrual products. I’m proud BPS continues to be a leader in equity, ensuring our students have the resources they need, and access to the same opportunities.”

The pilot program will involve all the 77 schools that teach students in grades 6 to 12. According to the statement, the menstrual products will be ordered by the BPS School Health Services, which will then distribute the supplies to the schools’ nurses’ offices throughout the year.

Interim BPS Superintendent Laura Perille lauded the pilot program, saying it ensures girls do not have to choose between taking care of their health and attending class.

“Offering free, easily accessible menstrual supplies means that more students will have access to the supplies they need, and are able to stay in class and focus on their education,” said Perille.

In some countries such as Bhutan, having menstruation usually means missing class and activities. A study by UNICEF and Bhutan’s education ministry in 2018 showed that more than half of adolescent nuns missed class due to lack of sanitary pads, dirty toilets and having no place to properly dispose of used sanitary pads.

Around 76.58 percent of adolescent Bhutanese nuns also stated it was important to buy pads without being seen.  /ra

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

The New York School of Photography

The New York School of Photography (NYIP) has been in business for 100 years. And even after a century, it is still considered one of the nation's top photography schools!

Today, NYIP is celebrating its 100-year history by sponsoring a slideshow of photos taken by former graduates on the school's website.



This competition selected some of the best photos taken by these graduates, who have since succeeded in the field of photography.

Photos featured in this lineup were taken by a variety of photo professionals, including photojournalists. The photos were all different in the sense that they vary from black and white photos to colorful sunsets.

Of course, the journey to becoming a professional photographer for many began at the front steps of this school! NYIP offers courses in everything from videography to photography basics-basics which led up to the multimedia photography of today. However, the old world has not vanished with new age technology.

Taking photographs of people is still popular and offered as a course of study at the school. Outdoor photography and nature courses are also offered. You can also take weather-based photography courses, many of which focus on cold weather.

Cold weather photography often features photos of snow-capped mountain ranges and snowy scenes with subtle shades of sunlight.

The school has its own suggestions for cold weather photographers. Not only are cold weather photographer plagued with runny noses and ice cold fingers; they must also wear apparel that helps them exist comfortably in cold environments. For many, this means wearing warm boots and dressing in layers, so snow does not reach your skin.





Different types of photography courses available

You can also take photography courses that specialize in photographing lunar eclipses and New York City tourism. The nice thing about taking such courses is that it spices up your portfolio and shows you have experience in different environments and with different kinds of photos.

You can read about each course the school offers by visiting their website. You will also find sample photos that reflect what is taught in that particular course. Hot air balloon photography courses are also offered.

New York school of photography is chosen by hopeful photographers, because of the school's long-standing positive reputation. Under some circumstances, tuition is tax deductable. However, your tax advisor will be able to tell you whether or not this applies to you.

You will need special photography equipment to attend this school. A point and shoot camera is the most basic and necessary piece of equipment (a digital SLR camera is even better). However, digital courses require you to buy Adobe Photoshop.

Benefits of this photography school

According to many students in 2009, NYIP has helped them fulfill their educational goals. Many NYIP students have been successful in producing high quality digital images for their courses, and report getting great feedback from. One student said they took courses that were on both CD and DVD. Many students have been pleased with the school's affordability when compared to other photography institutions.

Other students received free equipment after signing up for a course. The school has also given students free camera bags before they even start courses. The nice thing about this is that it gives you a jump start on your photography career and study.

NYIP's website offers tips on how to take photos in different atmospheres, such as on a football field and how to take romantic photos. The romantic photos went along with a Valentine's theme for the month of February.

By visiting the school's student center on the school's website you find discounts on Ritz Camera equipment. The New York School of Photography worked out a deal with ritzcamera.com for students to buy Ritz Camera equipment at a student discount rate. This is part of the school's efforts to make education more affordable to students. Under this discount program, students can save seven percent on products that are essential to an NYIP education. This only applies to the Ritz Camera website, though.

If you want to pursue a serious career in photography, you have a variety of schools to choose one. Each comes with its own allure, its own specialty. Some are located in big commercial areas that are close to trendy, booming areas.

But the New York School of Photography has been helping students picture their careers for 100 years, and it shows no sign of turning off the window of opportunity to a photography career!

source: www.best-photography-courses.com

US students stage massive walkout to protest gun violence

They bowed their heads in honor of the dead. They carried signs with messages like “Never again” and “Am I next?” They railed against the National Rifle Association and the politicians who support it.

And over and over, they repeated the message: Enough is enough.

In a wave of protests one historian called the largest of its kind in American history, tens of thousands of students walked out of their classrooms Wednesday to demand action on gun violence and school safety.

The demonstrations extended from Maine to Hawaii as students joined the youth-led surge of activism set off by the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“We’re sick of it,” said Maxwell Nardi, a senior at Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico, Virginia, just outside Richmond. “We’re going to keep fighting, and we’re not going to stop until Congress finally makes resolute changes.”

Students around the nation left class at 10 a.m. local time for at least 17 minutes — one minute for each of the dead in the Florida shooting. Some led marches or rallied on football fields, while others gathered in school gyms or took a knee in the hallway.

At some schools, hundreds of students poured out. At others, just one or two walked out in defiance of administrators.

They lamented that too many young people have died and that they’re tired of going to school afraid they will be killed.

“Enough is enough. People are done with being shot,” said Iris Fosse-Ober, 18, a senior at Washburn High School in Minneapolis.

Some issued specific demands for lawmakers, including mandatory background checks for all gun sales and a ban on assault weapons like the one used in the Florida bloodbath.

While administrators and teachers at some schools applauded students for taking a stand — and some joined them — others threatened punishment for missing class.

As the demonstrations unfolded, the NRA responded by posting a photo on Twitter of a black rifle emblazoned with an American flag. The caption: “I’ll control my own guns, thank you.”

The protests took place at schools from the elementary level through college, including some that have witnessed their own mass shootings: About 300 students gathered on a soccer field at Colorado’s Columbine High, while students who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School attack in 2012 marched out of Newtown High School in Connecticut.

In the nation’s capital, more than 2,000 high-school age protesters observed 17 minutes of silence while sitting on the ground with their backs turned to the White House. President Donald Trump was out of town.

The students carried signs with messages such as “Our Blood/Your Hands” and “Never Again” and chanted slogans against the NRA.

In New York City, they chanted, “Enough is enough!” In Salt Lake City, the signs read, “Protect kids not guns,” ”Fear has no place in school” and “Am I next?”

At Eagle Rock High in Los Angeles, teenagers took a moment of silence as they gathered around a circle of 17 chairs labeled with the names of the Florida victims.

Stoneman Douglas High senior David Hogg, who has emerged as one of the leading student activists, livestreamed the walkout at the tragedy-stricken school on his YouTube channel. He said students couldn’t be expected to stay in class while there was work to do to prevent gun violence.

“Every one of these individuals could have died that day. I could have died that day,” he said.

In joining the protests, the students followed the example set by many of the survivors of the Florida shooting, who have become gun-control activists, leading rallies, lobbying legislators and giving TV interviews. Their efforts helped spur passage last week of a Florida law curbing access to assault rifles by young people.

Another protest against gun violence is scheduled in Washington on March 24, with organizers saying it is expected to draw hundreds of thousands.

But whether the students can make a difference on Capitol Hill remains to be seen.

Congress has shown little inclination to defy the powerful NRA and tighten gun laws, and Trump backed away from his initial support for raising the minimum age for buying an assault rifle to 21.

A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, newly appointed head of a federal panel on school safety, said DeVos “gives a lot credit to the students who are raising their voices and demanding change,” and “their input will be valuable.”

David Farber, a history professor at the University of Kansas who has studied social change movements, said it is too soon to know what effect the protests will have. But he said Wednesday’s walkouts were without a doubt the largest protest led by high school students in the history of the U.S.

“Young people are that social media generation, and it’s easy to mobilize them in a way that it probably hadn’t been even 10 years ago,” Farber said.

Wednesday’s coordinated protests were organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women’s March, which brought thousands to Washington last year.

At Aztec High School in a rural, gun-friendly part of New Mexico where many enjoy hunting and shooting, students avoided gun politics and opted for a ceremony honoring students killed in shootings — including two who died in a December attack at Aztec.

“Our kids sit on both ends of the spectrum, and we have a diverse community when it comes to gun rights and gun control,” Principal Warman Hall said.

In Brimfield, Ohio, 12-year-old Olivia Shane, an avid competitive trap shooter who has owned her own guns since she was about 7, skipped the gun protest and memorial held at her school.

“People want to take away our guns and it’s a Second Amendment right of ours,” she said. “If they want to take away our Second Amendment right, why can’t we take away their amendment of freedom of speech?”

About 10 students left Ohio’s West Liberty-Salem High School — which witnessed a shooting last year — despite a warning they could face detention or more serious discipline.

Police in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta patrolled Kell High, where students were threatened with unspecified consequences if they participated. Three students walked out anyway.

The walkouts drew support from companies such as media conglomerate Viacom, which paused programming on MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and its other networks for 17 minutes during the walkouts. /muf

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

New fitness trend ‘Rage Yoga’ lets students drink beer, swear and listen to rock music

Yogis, prepare yourselves for a different kind of ‘Zen’.

A female resident of Calgary in Canada has introduced a new variation to the globally popular exercise, which was dubbed as ‘Rage Yoga’.

Citing reports from the Huffington Post, the unlikely trend combines yoga poses with pints of beer, screamed profanity, and Metallica and Black Sabbath.

Canadian Lindsay-Marie Istace, who added a new twist to the traditional work-out, encourages her students to yell, swear and even burp during sessions, while a variety of heavy metal songs play in the background.

If the stretching is a bit too much, yogis may also take “hydration breaks” or grab a sip of beer or wine before continuing.

Laughter is also heavily encouraged for students finding themselves falling during a tricky pose.

“I think there are a lot of people intimidated by the usual yoga culture”, said Istace.

“Yoga studios are intimidating for people who are just getting into yoga, and for people who are very experienced in yoga they just want something that is a little less serious,” the former contortionist and fire-eater added.

Rage Yoga sessions are only available every Monday and Wednesday in Dickens Pub in Calgary Canada, but Istace is looking to bring ‘Rage Yoga’ to more subscribers online in the near future.

More information about the new exercise-craze is available in Intace’s personal website, rageyoga.com. Khristian Ibarrola, INQUIRER.NET

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Sexting scandal shocks US high school

A massive sexting ring is rocking a high school in Colorado, with at least 100 students trading nude pictures and posting them on social media, news reports said Friday.

Some of the kids in the photographs were as young as 12, and included eighth graders from the middle school, The New York Times reported.

The students, many of whom are on the football team at Canon City High School, could now face criminal charges, reports said.

The school district announced Wednesday that "a number of our students have engaged in behavior where they take and pass along pictures of themselves that expose private parts of their bodies or their undergarments."

Noting that a "large number" of the high school football team players were implicated int he scandal, the district said it was canceling the high school's last football game of the season.

"Because we can't guarantee that every kid we put out on the field would be clean of this circumstance, we would just rather not put a team out at all," Canon City Schools Superintendent George Welsh told NBC television affiliate KOAA.

Noting it first learned of the behavior on Monday based on anonymous tips and student reports, the district stressed that taking a picture of yourself showing a naked private body part and sending it to another person was a felony.

The same applies if receiving such a picture and forwarding it to another person, or receiving such a picture and retaining possession of it over time.

According to The New York Times, police and the district attorney's office are weighing whether to file child pornography charges -- including felony charges -- against some of the participants.

Students circulated up to 400 lewd photographs, it added.

The police probe is focusing on whether any adults were involved, the school district said.

Students used password-protected "phone vaults," apps that often appear to be simple calculators at first glance, to hide the photos from their parents and school officials.

"It's been going on for years," one Canon City student told KRDO13, an affiliate of ABC television.

The student said some fellow students, especially girls, had been pressured to take pictures of themselves.

The school administration held an assembly Thursday to warn parents and explain the technology that allows their children to hide photos.

Canon City Sheriff Paul Schultz said the problem extends far beyond the town limits.

"With the new technologies, this is happening everywhere," he said. "Should parents be worried? Absolutely." —Agence-France Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

College Tuition Increases Slow Down; Students Take On Less Debt

The past year’s published increase in tuition and fees across all kinds of U.S. colleges and universities rose at a slower rate than the average for the past five, 10 and 30 years. And today’s students are going into less debt to pursue their degrees.

Those are the key findings of a report released late last week by the College Board.

The College Board is a private association that includes more than 6,000 colleges, universities and schools. It creates and administers standardized tests, including the SATs, and provides services and support to students and their parents as they consider college.

The rate of tuition increase has declined in each of the past three years, according to the College Board.

Students also are borrowing less money for college, the report said, in part due to the federal government increasing Pell Grants, tuition help for veterans and other assistance.

The report says a rebound from the economic downturn of the past few years was a factor. In contrast to the private sector, higher education costs tend to increase during tough economic times, as out-of-work adults seek new degrees and students who could opt to enter the job market choose to stay in school instead.

But even if recent trends are promising, a longer look at college costs shows that paying for higher education remains daunting for many families. While increases are slowing, they continue to climb higher than the rate of inflation.

Over the past decade, the average published tuition and fees at public, four-year schools have risen a whopping 42%, adjusted for inflation, according to the College Board.

“It is encouraging that published prices are rising more slowly than in the past and that annual education borrowing has continued to decline,” Sandy Baum, the report’s co-author and a professor of education policy at George Washington University, said in a written release.

“However, the reports also document dramatic increases in published tuition and fees over time that outstrip growth in grant aid for many students, as well as rising levels of cumulative debt among graduates.”

And, as the Chronicle of Higher Education notes, those figures don’t take into account other costs, like rent and groceries, which continue to rise.

According to the Chronicle, average room and board charges for four-year students now amount to more than $9,800.

Between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, tuition and fees for full-time, in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities increased 2.9%, from $8,885 to $9,139.

The cost for out-of-state students at those schools rose 3.3%, from $22,223 to $22,958 during the same period, and tuition and fees at private, nonprofit four-year institutions jumped 3.7%, from $30,131 to $31,231.

Tuition and fees at public two-year schools also went up 3.3% on average, from $3,241 to $3,347.

Actual net prices tend to be much lower than published prices, the Board said, because many students receive grants from state and federal governments, or from the colleges and universities themselves. Education tax credits and deductions also help chip away at those numbers.

source: nerdwallet.com