Last year, the United Way of Columbia and Montour County, in partnership with Community Strategies Group and First Columbia Bank & Trust, initiated a revolving car loan program to assist individuals and families in need of transportation to help in gaining and/or keeping employment. Access (or lack thereof) to transportation in one of the top roadblocks to individuals and families gaining and keeping employment so that they can improve their lives and this program, which was started in 2017, is aiming to change that for qualified people in Columbia and Montour counties. 
There are currently openings for qualified individuals and families in both the Berwick and Danville areas, and because the program is a revolving loan, there will also soon be openings for people in Bloomsburg. In the one-and-a-half years since the program began, it has run with a 100% success rate. The program is for an individual or family that is currently unemployed or underemployed but could greatly increase their earnings if they had access to reliable transportation. Ideally, employment or an opportunity for greater employment will have been identified for the individual or family. Nonprofits, charities and other human services organizations are able to nominate a client who they believe is ready to make positive changes in their life and with transportation, will have the ability to pay back the auto loan and car insurance over time, along with other car maintenance expenses. Other eligibility requirement are outlined with the program application. 
Read more about how this program made a positive change for a local family in this Daily Item article from earlier this year. For more information or for questions about this program, please contact Adrienne Mael at the United Way of Columbia and Montour County by email or at 570-784-3134, or Beth Burke at Community Strategies Group by email or at 570-784-9373, ext. 113. 
A recently-released report from the state legislature’s Nuclear Energy Caucus details possible policy solutions that could reduce the risk of premature closure of nuclear power plants in the state. A coalition that works to educate Pennsylvanians about the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear energy and the industry’s positive impact on local communities applauded the report. The Columbia Montour Chamber is a member of the Nuclear Powers Pennsylvania coalition.
NPP thanked Caucus leadership, including Co-Chairs, Senators Ryan Aument and John Yudichak, and Representatives Becky Corbin and Rob Matzie. In total, nearly 80 lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, from both the House and Senate, are members of the Nuclear Energy Caucus.
“This bipartisan Nuclear Energy Caucus is the first such caucus anywhere in the United States – and the release of this report is a critical step forward for the 16,000 men and women whose livelihoods rely on Pennsylvania’s nuclear industry,” said Martin Williams, NPP Co-Chair and Business Manager of Boilermakers Local 13 in Philadelphia. “The members of my union and of this coalition would like to see our state government properly recognize the clean-air attributes of nuclear energy and level the playing field with other clean technologies, like wind and solar. By creating this report and now sharing it with their colleagues in the state House and Senate, along with Gov. Wolf, it is our hope it will set us on a path toward identifying solutions that will protect thousands of good-paying jobs and keep the air we breathe clean.”
“Over the course of the five hearings held by the Caucus, members heard from witnesses who detailed the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear energy and the industry’s positive impact on local communities throughout the Keystone State,” said Fred Gaffney, Chamber President. “We know that nuclear power is an important part of Pennsylvania’s energy mix. We encourage all lawmakers to read the Caucus report and to recognize the tremendous value of nuclear energy across the state.”
Pennsylvania today ranks second in the nation for nuclear power generating capacity. Nuclear energy is the single greatest contributor to Pennsylvania’s energy generation portfolio, representing 42% of the mix, while accounting for more than 90% of the Commonwealth’s clean power. However, that production is threatened with news that at least two of Pennsylvania’s five nuclear plants are preparing for premature closure without a legislative remedy. Three Mile Island in Dauphin County and Beaver Valley in Beaver County are slated for closure in 2019 and 2021, respectively. According to an April 2018 report from The Brattle Group, should those two plants close, along with two nuclear plants slated for closure in Ohio, it would reverse environmental benefits equal to 25 years of wind and solar development.
The report is available online.
Jennifer Rempe (center) of WVIA was the winner of a drawing for a $250 donation to the charity of her choice for attending the November Business After Hours at the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation. Presenting her with the check is Holly Morrison (right), president and CEO of the CSCF At left is Fred Gaffney, president of the Columbia Montour Chamber.
The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation gave attendees a brief education about community foundations in general as well as its work over the last 20 years as it hosted the final Chamber Business After Hours of the year back on Nov. 14 at its Berwick headquarters. In addition to learning more about the CSCF’s work and about the history and work of community foundations in general, attendees were able enjoy some delicious food from Lucy’s Kitchen & Catering, as well as beer from Berwick Brewing and local wine.
Members also had an opportunity to take part in a fun educational activity that allowed them to learn a little bit about community foundations and the CSCF while also having an opportunity to win a $250 donation to a charity of their choice. Each attendees picked up a four-question quiz on the way in, with the answers all scattered in clues throughout the building (answers to the quiz are noted below). All submitted quizes, whether they had the correct answers or not, were then entered into a drawing for the $250 donation prize. The winner was Jennifer Rempe of WVIA, who elected to make the donation to DJ Choices, a unique educational program that promotes opiate addiction awareness among students, parents and communities through school assembly programs and other forums and channels.
Business After Hours provide regular opportunities to build business relationships while learning about the services offered by other Chamber members. The next Business After Hours will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at a location TBD. The first two Business After Hours of 2019 will be announced within the next week, while the remainder Business After Hours schedule for 2019 will be announced by the end of the month.
Answers to quiz questions:
1. George H.W. Bush created Community Foundation Week, November 12-18, in 1989 to recognize the work of community foundations throughout America and their collaborative approach to working with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
2. Central Susquehanna Community Foundation is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year!
3. In 2017, the Foundation awarded $2.7 million in grants across our 5 ½ county footprint, through the 250+ funds we administer.
4. Name a board member you know! Our regional CSCF Board of Directors are: John Parker, Chair; Timothy Apple, Vice-Chair; JoAnn Ferentz, Treasurer; Nancy J. Marr, Secretary; Robert L. Albertson, O.D.; Sam Balukoff; Jeff Cerminaro; Paul R. Eyerly, IV; Peggy Fullmer; John M. Kurelja, Ed.D.; Heather H. Rowe; Rhonda Seebold; J. Donald Steele, Jr.; Connie Tressler; and, Wendy Tripoli.
From ChamberChoice
Each year, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust conducts a survey to examine employer-sponsored health benefit trends. This summary reviews the main points of the 2018 survey and suggests how they could affect employers.
Health Insurance Premiums
In 2018, the average premium rose 3 percent for single coverage and 5 percent for family coverage. The average premiums were $6,896 and $19,616, respectively.
However, premiums for high deductible health plans with a savings option (HDHP/SOs) were noticeably lower than the average premiums. HDHP/SOs annual premiums for single and family coverage were $6,495 and $18,602, respectively.
The premium for family coverage was, on average, lower at small employers (three to 199 employees) than at large employers—$18,739 compared to $19,972. Yet, premium costs varied widely across industry and regions in 2018.
Worker Contributions
The average worker contribution toward the premium was 18 percent for single coverage and 29 percent for family coverage. Although, employees at organizations with a high percentage of lower-wage workers (where 35 percent make $25,000 or less annually) made above average contributions—24 percent and 42 percent of the premium for single coverage and family coverage, respectively.
In terms of dollar amounts, workers contributed $1,186 and $5,711 toward their premiums for single coverage and family coverage, respectively. Workers enrolled in HDHP/SOs contributed less on average, paying $1,074 for single coverage and $4,631 for family coverage.
Plan Enrollment
The following were the most common plan types in 2018:
– Preferred provider organizations (PPOs)—49 percent of workers covered
– HDHP/SOs—29 percent of workers covered
– Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)—16 percent of workers covered
– Point-of-service (POS) plans—6 percent of workers covered
– Indemnity plans—under 1 percent
PPO enrollment has decreased by 8 percent over the last five years, and enrollment in HDHP/SOs has risen by 9 percent over the same period.
Employee Cost Sharing
Most workers must pay a share of their health care costs, and 85 percent had a general annual deductible for single coverage in 2018. Fifty-eight percent of workers had a deductible of $1,000 or more for single coverage. The average deductible for all workers was $1,350. The prevalence of HDHP/SOs has contributed to the increase of deductible amounts.
Even without a deductible, the vast majority of workers cover some portion of the costs from their in-network physician visits. For instance, 66 percent have a copayment for primary doctor visits and 24 percent have coinsurance.
Nearly all workers are covered by a plan with an out-of-pocket maximum (OOPM), but the costs vary considerably. Fourteen percent of workers with single coverage have an OOPM of less than $2,000, and 20 percent have an OOPM of $6,000 or more.
Availability of Employer-sponsored Coverage
Similar to the last few years, employers offer health benefits to at least some workers. Only 47 percent of very small employers (three to nine employees) offer benefits, while virtually every large employer (1,000 or more employees) offers coverage.
Health and Wellness Promotion Programs
Wellness programs help employees improve their lifestyles and avoid unhealthy habits. Small and large employers both offer wellness programs, with 53 percent of small employers and 82 percent of large employers offering at least one. Of these large employers, 35 percent offer participation incentives like gift cards or merchandise. Programs vary in topic and include subjects like smoking cessation, weight management and lifestyle coaching.
Telemedicine
Over half of large employers have embraced telemedicine, with 74 percent offering health care services through this method. Of these employers, 39 percent offer financial incentives to receive health care services this way, opposed to an in-person physician visit.
Self-funding
Similar to the previous year, 13 percent of workers with small employers are elected in plans either partially or entirely self-funded, compared to 81 percent of workers with large employers. Despite conversations about insurers offering more self-funded plans to small employers, there has not been a noticeable increase in their enrollment.
In the past few years, level-funded plans have become more popular. Level-funded plans are health plans provided by insurers that include a nominally self-funded option for small or mid-sized employers that incorporates stop-loss insurance with relatively low attachment points. Of the employers with fewer than 200 workers, 6 percent reported that they had a level-funded plan, or nearly one-third of the respondents who said they had a self-funded plan.
Conclusion
This year continues a period of a stable market, characterized by relatively low-cost growth for employer-sponsored coverage. While premium growth continues to exceed earnings and inflation increases, the differences are moderately small. Additionally, while there have been some changes in terms of employer-sponsored health benefits, no trends have gained significant traction.
The recent trend of raising deductibles to offset premium increases is popular, but its growth has slowed. A reason for the slowed growth is that health benefits are a highly effective attraction and retention tool, especially in a strong economy and tight labor market, and employers want to recruit and retain top talent.
Looking forward, employers should begin to identify tools and resources they can use to offset higher premium growth. As costs continue to rise, the individual mandate repeal takes effect and possible political changes ensue, employers and employees may begin to see increased market movement.
For more information on benefit offerings or on what you can do to control your health care costs, contact JRG Advisors, LLC today by email or call 1-800-377-3539. Access to the benefits advisors at JRG is provided at no cost to all Chamber members through the ChamberChoice program.
Member News
The dealerships of the Ken Pollock Auto Group are currently holding their annual coat drive through Dec. 18 at all of its dealerships through northeastern Pennsylvania, including Ken Pollock Ford Lincoln in Berwick, located at 1120 West Front St. (Rt. 11). Those interested in making a donation can drop off new or slightly used coats of all sizes for both men and women, and the donations will be given to the Columbia County Head Start.
- NEPIRC will conduct a free leadership training seminar titled “Leadership Development Essentials” on Thursday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation, located at 725 West Front St. (Rt. 11) in Berwick. This program is intended to help individuals become stronger, more impactful leaders. While joining other managers and supervisors to discuss workplace challenges, attendees will explore topics that include self-awareness, power & authority, risk & failure and leadership style. Using self-assessment tools and experiential learning, attendees will examine their strengths and weaknesses while exploring best practices of exceptional leaders. Register via the NEPIRC event website.
- Wild For Salmon will host a holiday tasting event at its retail store on 521 Montour Blvd. (Rt. 11) in Bloomsburg on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. There is no cost to attend. Much like its other public tasting events throughout the year, this event will feature some dishes specially prepared by Wild For Salmon’s in-house chef featuring salmon and other seafood for attendees to taste, only this time, there will be a winter and holiday theme to the menu selections.
- North Shore Railroad will once again host the NARCOA Speeders for its 15th annual Toys for Tots drive. The mini cars will travel up and down the railroad tracks from North Shore’s headquarters in Northumberland through Berwick and back on Saturday, Dec. 8, beginning at 8 a.m. in Northumberland. Anyone is welcome to come alongside the railroad tracks to meet the speeder drivers and hand them a new, unwrapped toy for the drive. The speeders are scheduled to arrive in Danville at the Middle School at 9 a.m., Rupert at 10 a.m., Bloomsburg at 10:30 a.m., and Berwick at 12:30 p.m. If unable to meet the speeders on this date, but if interested in making a donation to the toy drive, donations can be dropped off at the North Shore office, located at 356 Priestley Ave., Northumberland, by Friday, Dec. 7. For more information, check out the Facebook event.
- HR4ALL will hold a free luncheon and executive briefing on affordable healthcare options and human resources consulting services on Thursday, Dec. 13, from 12-12:45 p.m., at the Farrington Place, located at 416 W. 3rd St., Williamsport.
This event will feature a trio of strategic partners, including HR4ALL, a professional human resources expertise consultant, speaking about a group of small and medium-sized businesses getting together to pool resources that will hopefully enable them to access less expensive, self-funded health plans in the future. For more information, call 570-592-0518, or see the event flyer at right, and to RSVP, text HR4ALL to 555888. 
More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, Aggressive Realty, to help us fulfill our mission.
Aggressive Realty is a new real estate agency founded earlier this year by local veteran realtors Marc Nespoli and Rebecca Turner. Aggressive Realty is passionate about its clients’ goals and aims to treat each client as if they were its only one. It primarily serves the greater Berwick, Bloomsburg and Danville communities, as well as Benton, Catawissa, Lewisburg and Millville. Located at 157 West Main St., Bloomsburg, Aggressive Realty can be reached at 570-213-4245, by email, or visit its website or Facebook page.
More than 400 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes its newest member, Bloomsburg Music Therapy, to help us fulfill our mission.
Bloomsburg Music Therapy is a new business owned by Alysha Suley, a Bloomsburg resident and board certified music therapist by the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Music Therapy is the use music interventions by a trained professional to maximize quality of life through improvement in cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, or physical functioning, the restoration of lost abilities, or by maintaining current abilities. Services provided by Bloomsburg Music Therapy include therapy assessment, individual or group music therapy, as well as participation in wellness events aimed at stress relief, care for the caregivers and burnout prevention. Bloomsburg Music Therapy can be reached at 570-316-1899 or visit its website or Facebook page.
From MePush
January 14, 2020.
Why is this date important? That is the date that Microsoft has listed as the “End of Extended Support” for both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2.
This is important to note because of the the security risks that become extremely severe after support is dropped. The dropping of support from Microsoft means that no NEW security patches will be released and because of that, no open vulnerabilities in the operating systems will be patched.
What to do next
There are two approaches that can be taken to get your infrastructure to a more modern platform/operating system. Replace or upgrade. Most workstations and servers that are running either Windows 7 or Server 2008R2 are old enough that they should be outright replaced but there are exceptions.
Contact MePush or one of the other IT service providers among our membership for more information on what to do to prepare for the end of Windows 7 in 2020.
From ChamberChoice and Smart Business Pittsburgh
When it comes to the issue of privacy concerning employees and their health care benefits, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is one of the most misunderstood and miscommunicated laws for both employers and employees alike.
“HIPAA can seem unclear, and when coupled with an employer’s health care plan, it can further create confusion and frustration for employers, HR managers and employees,” says Keith Kartman, client advisor at JRG Advisors.
Smart Business spoke with Kartman about what employers need to understand regarding privacy laws and health benefits.
What is HIPAA?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, establishes national standards to protect medical records and personal health information. It applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. Specifically, the rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect personal health information privacy, and sites limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made with this information without patient authorization.
In addition, the rule provides for patients’ rights concerning their health information, including the right to examine and obtain a copy of their health records, and to request corrections. The types of patient health care information that must be disclosed to be considered ‘protected’ by HIPAA includes date of birth, full name, diagnosis and medical record number.
How does HIPAA affect employee benefits?
As an employer, you are considered a health plan if you pay for a portion of the cost of medical care. If you pay for a portion of an employee’s health plan or have a self-funded medical insurance plan, you fall under the HIPAA Privacy Rule and compliance.
HIPAA mandates how a health plan or covered health care providers disclose protected health information to an employer, including managers or supervisors. As an employer, you have access to health care information that falls under HIPAA, such as benefit enrollment, benefit changes, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) and any wellness program information. Conversely, employees who pay for a portion of the total cost of an employee health insurance plan are also required to comply with HIPAA.
Under HIPAA, employees must first provide authorization to health care providers before they can disclose any health care related information to an employer. This is why employees must complete Family Medical Leave Forms authorizing the release of their health care information before granting them FMLA leave.
Under HIPAA, how are employers required to protect an employee’s health information?
Employers are required to protect sensitive health care information and changes to benefit paperwork and any associated plan changes that include any information that comes from an electronic health record.
Employers are also required to protect Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and wellness program information. This means program administrators and other involved employees are provided with HIPAA training to ensure employee health care information is protected.
Occupational Health Records concerning employee physicals, workers’ compensation or workplace injury under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also required to be protected under HIPAA. This information should be stored in a secure location. As an employer, you should provide on-going HIPAA training to any and all employees who may have access to sensitive employee health information.
Lastly, employers are required to display HIPAA privacy laws in the workplace and notify employees of any company-specific privacy policies. As an employer, you should have a clearly defined privacy violation policy that outlines the process for notification and investigation of any potential privacy violations.
HIPAA laws regulating the privacy of protected health information are complicated and ever-evolving, so employers need to stay up to date on the latest developments and seek the guidance of knowledgeable benefits professionals or their legal counsel to ensure compliance.
From PPL Electric Utilities
Imagine 282,000 homes – ranches, split-levels, Colonials, even mansions. Houses as far as the eye can see.
Now imagine all those homes going completely off the grid for a year — as in, not using any electricity. Not running the dishwasher once. Not baking a single cake or loaf of bread. Not turning on the TV to watch a single Phillies, Eagles, Pirates or Steelers game.
That would be a pretty remarkable energy savings, wouldn’t you think?
Many people don’t know it, but that level of savings is actually happening every year in central and eastern Pennsylvania.
A quarter-million homes aren’t literally unplugging from the grid. But the homes and businesses in PPL Electric Utilities’ service area have reduced their energy use by more than 2.7 billion kilowatt-hours per year over the past seven-and-a-half years. That’s the same savings you’d get if about 282,000 houses didn’t use any power at all.
In case you’re wondering, that reduction in energy use translates to a financial savings of almost $300 million per year, based on 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. That’s a pretty remarkable number as well.
Another noteworthy thing: At PPL Electric Utilities, we support the fact that people are using less electricity. In fact, we applaud it.
That comes as a surprise to some people too. After all, we’re in the business of delivering electricity. But, we recognize that using less energy is good for your wallet, and good for the environment.
In fact, those 2.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity that people aren’t using each year are being saved through energy efficiency programs offered by PPL. This includes rebates for heating and air conditioning equipment, insulation, smart thermostats, appliances, business lighting, business refrigeration equipment, food service equipment, compressed air systems, discounted LED bulbs we make available through retailers, and more.
Another example you might have heard of: We’ll haul away your old refrigerator for free and pay you $35, to make it easier for you to upgrade to a more energy-efficient appliance (Some conditions apply: For instance, the fridge has to still work. See the specific information and conditions on fridge recycling).
Additional information on residential efficiency programs as well as efficiency programs for businesses is also available.
If you’re among the people helping to make a big difference in energy use, we congratulate you. It makes sense to save.
If you haven’t really thought about energy efficiency, now’s a great time to start. It doesn’t take a major investment to make your savings start to add up.
That 2.7 billion kilowatt-hours of saved energy per year is a pretty impressive number. But it’s really just a start.