Employees of local credit unions provide pro bono financial counseling services to QVC factory employees and their immediate families who have been affected by the Rocky Mount warehouse fire.
The 1.5 million square foot distribution facility was severely damaged by fire last December. Coastal Credit Union branch manager Shane Lancaster said residents can get help managing their bills and income, miming credit damage and navigating retirement.
“Especially with the QVC fire, you instantly have nearly 2,000 people out of work,” Lancaster said. “When you lose your job, there are a lot of hurdles to jump through, whether it’s getting unemployed or finding a new job and adjusting to a new salary.”
Those affected can visit carolinasfoundation.org/financial-first-responders. Lancaster noted that individuals do not need to be members of a credit union to apply for help.
He noted that seeking professional financial help can increase the chances of meeting savings goals or having a secure retirement.
“We really want to encourage people to contact the various credit unions in the area,” Lancaster said, “the credit unions they’re eligible for and connect with a financial professional. Go see someone to get advice to help you have some perspective on any financial issues you have is key.”
Coastal Vice President of Communications Joe Mecca said credit unions provide financial services to nearly a third of all Americans and help ensure money stays in communities.
“Cooperatives belong to their members,” Mecca said. “We therefore aim to return our profits to our members, who are the people who use our products and services on a daily basis.”
He notes that this year, Coastal Credit Union issued more than $4 million in special dividends to about 77,000 members through its loyalty bonus program.
Disclosure: Coastal Credit Union contributes to our fund for reporting community issues and volunteerism, education, living wages/working families, philanthropy. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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The cleanup continues after last weekend’s deadly tornadoes in Iowa.
A bill in the legislature would place restrictions on the use of assessments for future storm damage, and opponents worry about the impact on households that have seen their share of recent disasters.
The measure, which the House has already cleared, would prohibit homeowners from requesting their own appraisals to determine what caused the damage. Only the insurance companies could decide.
American Adjuster Association lobbyist Christopher Rants said it would force owners who feel aggrieved to go to court.
“Most people can’t afford to do that,” Rants pointed out. “They certainly can’t wait two years to go through the litigation process while fighting with their insurance company.”
Proponents of the bill, including the Iowa Insurance Institute, said a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling upholding the current law gave assessors too much scope for claims work. But naysayers weathered 2020’s derecho storm should serve as a further reminder to homeowners who need ways to recover from disasters.
The recent backlash has clouded the future of the bill in the Senate.
Rants argued that this should be a concern for all Iowa landowners because it could take away a right that has been given to them for decades.
“That’s the frustrating thing about it, the basic insurance policy that everybody has, the basic standard policy that the state said you have to have, if you’re going to offer this type of property/ accidents, has not been changed,” Rants said. .
He suggested that adding the restriction would also affect business in the event of a natural disaster. As the bill made its way through the House last month, a key Senate member questioned the bill’s progress through the upper house. A decision is expected in the coming days.
Support for this report was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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Colorado residents are paying significantly more to heat their homes this winter, even before unrest in Ukraine raised concerns about global fuel supplies. The price of natural gas is up 10% and propane 54% from a year ago, hitting rural communities across the state particularly hard.
Denise Stepto, communications director for Energy Outreach Colorado, said for some, while the increase may be painful, they can pay. But she added that this is not the case for many others.
“People on fixed incomes, low earners, people who haven’t recovered from the pandemic,” Stepto pointed out. “These are people who were in this situation in a vulnerable position to begin with, and those kind of jumps from month to month are really hard to follow.”
Stepto encouraged anyone concerned about not being able to pay their heating bills to immediately contact their utility company and start negotiating a payment plan. People experiencing disconnects should call Energy Outreach Colorado’s Heat Assistance Hotline at 866-432-8435 and can also seek assistance through the Colorado Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
The helpline receives approximately 8,000 calls per week and is growing. Since last week, 328 people have had their utilities disconnected and 267 said they run out of fuel oil or propane and cannot afford to fill the tank. Stepto said this is happening even for people trying to lessen the impact of rising fuel costs.
“They bloat, they really tried to change their behavior, adjust their thermostat,” Stepto explained. “And what happens is people get $50 to $100 and sometimes even more than that on their bill.”
Since October, Energy Outreach Colorado has helped pay more than 10,000 utility bills, averaging about $560 each, to help people get back on track. Stepto noted that she’s spoken with many first-time callers, who say they’ve never had to ask for help before. She pointed out that the challenge is not unique to Colorado and is faced by people across the United States.
“You are not alone in this, there is a way to get help,” Stepto pointed out. “And that help that’s there, it’s available to you, there’s no shame in any of that. So it’s a resource that you have to tap into.”
Disclosure: Energy Outreach Colorado contributes to our Energy Policy Reporting Fund. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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Thanks to federal legislation that took effect this year, Kentuckians with health coverage are protected from surprise medical bills for emergency services, out-of-network charges and balance billing.
Priscilla Easterling, outreach coordinator at Kentucky Voices for Health, explained that a surprise medical bill can be higher than a patient was told, or charges for services they didn’t know were included. when receiving treatment.
She said the new rules apply to people with employer-sponsored coverage, those with state-based market coverage, and those who pay themselves.
“It’s very common for people to go to the ER (emergency room), do their due diligence to make sure they go to a facility that’s part of their network,” Easterling pointed out. “And then they get an anesthetist bill that’s suddenly out of left field.”
More than half of US consumers have unexpectedly received a high medical bill. A 2018 survey by the Healthcare Value Hub found that among privately insured Kentucky adults with an unexpected medical bill, 66% said they paid the bill in full or through a payment plan.
Easterling noted that policyholders can contact their insurer to start a third-party dispute process.
“You can file a dispute and within 120 days of that final bill through this patient-provider dispute resolution process, and they’ll adjust that bill,” Easterling pointed out. “Because you need to be informed of all the full costs of the services.”
She added that people who pay for their own care have a different set of protections. Under the new law, health care providers and health facilities must provide patients with a plain language consumer notice explaining that patient consent is required to obtain out-of-network care before the provider can send a notification. invoice.
“If you’re paying for your services yourself, one of the best things you can do is ask for a quote when you go to schedule those services,” Easterling advised.
For services provided this year, individuals can dispute a medical bill if the final charge is at least $400 higher than the provider’s good faith estimate and again, if a dispute is filed within 120 days of the date of the invoice.
Disclosure: Kentucky Voices for Health contributes to our Health Issues Reporting Fund. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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