Photo by Angela Thatcher

While the calendar says Fall starts on Sept. 22, to me the season shifts when students head back to school. It begins even before the first bell when the marching bands begin perfecting their moves and music, athletes return to the practice fields, and families turn out en mass for orientation.

Even if you don't have a student in your home, you can still be impacted by the resumption of classes. Traffic patterns will change, there will be a flux in the workforce to adjust to new schedule conflicts, and community calendars will see more concerts, productions, fundraisers, and sporting events.

A new semester also provides a new season to learn something new. Consider taking a class, joining a club, or beginning a starting a self-enrichment study. Look for opportunities to volunteer and get more involved in the town you call home. Doing so will provide a good example for younger generations and hopefully improve our present outlook.

-- Caleb Michael Smith, Enroll Wyoming marketing director

Subsidies are already in place to keep plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace more affordable. Under American Rescue Plan Act, additional subsidies were added to further lower the cost of these plans. The Inflation Reduction Act extends the extra subsidies for an additional three years through 2025. This will prevent out-of-pocket premium payments from rising across the board next year for virtually all 13 million subsidized enrollees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Those who are on Medicare will also see related savings. The law allows the program to negotiate prices for some of the most expensive drugs, capping beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket payments for drugs, limiting their insulin cost sharing to $35 a month, and barring drug companies from raising prices faster than inflation. Negotiated prices for the top most expensive drugs won't take effect until 2026, but the cap on price hikes will start next year. Learn more here.

While open enrollment for Marketplace health insurance plans doesn't begin until Nov. 1, you can look to see if you qualify for special enrollment here.

To learn more, scan the QR code to the right, call 2-1-1, or reach out to an Enroll Wyoming Navigator.

To defend against scammers, people are advised to beware of...

-- anyone asking for money to enroll you in Marketplace or "Obamacare" insurance. Legitimate enrollment assisters/navigators will not ask for money.

-- high-pressure visits, mail solicitations, emails, and phone calls from people pretending to work for the government. No one should threaten you with legal action if you do not sign up for a plan. Always ask for identification if someone comes to your door. Remember an earlier penalty for not having health insurance has ended.

-- those you did not contact who request personal information. They may be trying to steal your identity. No one from the government will call or email you to sell you an insurance plan or ask for personal identifying information. Be careful when giving out personal information, such as credit card, banking, or Social Security numbers.

In addition, if you are a Medicare beneficiary, you do not need to buy insurance in the Health Insurance Marketplace.

Report suspected Marketplace consumer fraud by calling 1-800-318-2596.

By Victoria Ingerle, Laramie County Safe Kids coordinator

During August we start thinking about the end of summer, which also means the beginning of school. All over Wyoming school will soon be in session. So how can we keep our children safe as they venture into a new school year? We need to consider safety in many areas including bus, bicycle, pedestrian, and car.

Parents – talk bus safety with your children. Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Teach them to play it SAFE:

-- Stay five steps away from the curb

-- Always wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the bus driver signals for you to board

-- Face forward after finding a seat on the bus

-- Exit the bus after it stops and look left-right-left for cars before crossing a street

Whether your child is doing virtual learning, in-person instruction, or somewhere in between, it’s likely you or your child will be a pedestrian at some point in the day.

Remind them to:

-- Use the sidewalk whenever possible, and if there isn’t a sidewalk, walk on the edge of the street facing traffic

-- Whenever they are available, use marked crosswalks to cross the street, and look left-right-left for vehicles or bikes before crossing

-- Make sure you never play, push, or shove others when you walk around traffic

-- Everyone should watch the road, not their phones

If you are driving, especially in a neighborhood, always look out for pedestrians, everywhere. Foot traffic is likely to be higher as more families and children are heading out to school and back home.

Booster seats are for older children who have outgrown their forward-facing seats. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not using a booster seat for a child less than 4 years old. All children whose weight or height exceeds the forward-facing limit for their car safety seat should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle seat belt fits properly.

Most children will not fit in most vehicle seat belts without a booster until between 8-12 years old. All children younger than 13 years should ride in the back seat.

Instructions that come with your car safety seat will tell you the height and weight limits for the seat. As a general guideline, a child has outgrown a forward-facing seat when any of the following situations is true:

-- They reach the top weight or height allowed for his seat with a harness (limits are on the seat and in the manual.)

-- Their shoulders are above the top harness slots

-- The tops of their ears have reached the top of the seat

A record-setting number of Americans are now covered by health insurance. A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that 92 percent of the population, or about 303 million Americans, are covered by health insurance.

We ask members of our staff to answer questions to help our partners and supporters learn a little more about our work and the team behind Enroll Wyoming.

By Navigator Abby Pratt

“988 is more than a number, it is a message: we’re there for you,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Bercerra said. “Through this and other actions, we are treating mental health as a priority and putting crisis care in reach for more Americans. There is still much work to do. But what matters is that we’re launching, 988 will be live. We are looking to every governor and every state in the nation to do their part to make this a long-term success.”

Our team at Enroll Wyoming acknowledges this victory of Americans getting improved access to mental health services. We also remind you to do your part too -- take this time to refresh yourself on your suicide prevention training if you’ve had any, or head to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website to learn more information.

Telling the individual to call 988 without using other resources first (such as Question, Persuade, Refer, or QPR, training) may accidentally imply to the individual that you are not willing to talk or help them -- which could result in tragedy. However, contacting the hotline is a phenomenal resource to offer an individual who is not at immediate risk, and is safe to access care on their own. 

For more on suicide prevention, see the Wyoming Department of Health website.

According to the BBC, bees undertake 10 million foraging trips to make one jar of honey, a distance of up to 50,000 miles.

The Wyoming Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program has revised income guidelines to help more families qualify for the program. WIC provides nutritious foods and education, breastfeeding support and health care referrals for income-eligible women who are pregnant or postpartum, infants, and children up to age 5.

“For families who participate in WIC, we offer support that can really make a difference for new moms and families with young children,” said Tina Fearneyhough, WIC program manager with the Wyoming Department of Health. “It’s been shown time and again that WIC is effective at improving the health of pregnant women, new mothers and their young children.”

Learn more about the new guidelines here.

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce graciously hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Enroll Wyoming at the East Campus of the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

Thank you to those who turned out to recognize our ongoing efforts to improve the understanding, quality of life, and well-being of our Wyoming neighbors.

Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace for 2023 starts on Nov. 1, 2022, and runs through Jan. 15, 2023, in Wyoming.

You can participate in this poll by selecting answers below or directly emailing us at caleb@enrollwyo.org or dasa.robertson@crmcwy.org.

-- During the monthly Third Thursday event from 5-9 p.m. Aug. 18 in downtown Sheridan, Enroll Wyoming will share a booth with AARP and provide information about the Health Insurance Marketplace and other available resources.

-- Enroll Wyoming will be present at the Casper College Welcome Back BBQ starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at the University of Wyoming/Casper College Student Union Building lawn at 1730 Campus Drive.

-- A Navigator from Enroll Wyoming will be tabling at the Wyoming Workforce Services Office in Rock Springs beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29, and Monday, Sept. 6, at 2451 Foothill Boulevard, Suite 100, in the White Mountain Mall.

Enroll Wyoming will be part of a two-day health screening with families associated with the Head Start Program starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30, and Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center on 315 West Pine Street in Rawlins.

- The Parent Engagement and Educational Partnership with Schools (PEEPS) group will host an event with Enroll Wyoming from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at 2811 House Ave. Door No. 4 in Cheyenne.

-- From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, Enroll Wyoming will visit the Pine Bluffs Senior Center to provide information and assistance with health coverage questions.

-- The Carbon County Higher Education Center and Enroll Wyoming are partnering to make a community presentation at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, at the Western Wyoming Community College Higher Education Center at 360 Whippoorwill in Baggs.

-- Enroll Wyoming will be available to answer questions at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Laramie Downtown Clinic at 611 South Second Street.

-- Meet with Enroll Wyoming at the Platte County Public Library on 904 Ninth Street in Wheatland beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8.

-- Learn about how Enroll Wyoming can help families at the Casper Kid's Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept 10, at the Ford Wyoming Center at 1 Events Drive in Casper.

-- The city of Rawlins and Wyoming Workforce Services will host a job fair from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Jeffery Memorial Community Center at 315 W. Pine St. in Rawlins. Enroll Wyoming will be there to talk about health coverage issues, such as the special enrollment available to those who have just lost their job-provided health insurance.

-- Enroll Wyoming will make a presentation to the Kemmerer Rotary Club and Prevention Management Organization of Wyoming starting at noon Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the South Lincoln Medical Center on 711 Onyx Street.

-- There will be an Enroll Wyoming presentation at the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce meeting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.

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