by Mark Smiley | Oct 24, 2018 | Feature Story Bottom Left
by Shideh Kerman, BS, MBA
AFC Urgent Care Denver
Members of AFC Urgent Care Denver’s experienced medical staff.
Approximately 152 million Americans depend on employer-sponsored coverage for their healthcare needs. According to a new report published by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, employer-sponsored premiums increased across the board in 2018.
The findings show how healthcare costs have changed in just the past seven months, and review some of the major trends of healthcare costs in recent years.
Trend Alert: Premiums For Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Plans Increased In 2018
The Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey assessed 4,070 randomly selected, non-federal public and private firms with more than 3 employees between January and July of this year. They found that employer-sponsored family health coverage rose by 5% to a dollar average of $19,616. Coverage for single premiums rose 3% to a dollar average of $6,896.
Unfortunately, increasing healthcare costs do not appear to stay in pace with other factors including wages and cost of living. According to the report, average family premiums have increased by over half (55%) since 2008, despite earnings increasing by only 26% and inflation increasing by 17%.
It’s not just premiums that are on the rise, either. 85% of employees covered by employer-sponsored health insurance have to pay a deductible (up from less than 60% one decade ago). And the average single deductible is now $1,573, almost 50% greater than a single deductible back in 2008 ($735). 25% of all covered workers are now expected to pay deductibles of at least $2,000.
This burden can have a significant impact on a person or family’s ability to manage bills associated with medical care.
Changes To Individual Health Insurance Plans Expected In 2019
The open enrollment period for 2019 begins on November 1. At that time, individuals living in the state of Colorado will be able to sign up with one of several different health insurance plan options, whether these are procured through employers or offered on the exchange.
Individual health plan options from major providers including Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, Bright Health, Kaiser Permanente CO, and Rocky Mountain Health Plans include HMO or Health Maintenance Organization, PPO or Preferred Provider Organization, HSA or Health Savings Account plans, Tier Plans and/or Catastrophic Plans which are a type of high-deductible health plan for people under 30 or those who qualify for a “hardship exemption.”
Coloradans who may be interested in new individual health plans include those who are self-employed, those who work for an employer who does not offer group plans, those whose benefit needs have recently changed, or those who are enrolled in a group plan or health plan that does not cover spouse or dependents or has high premiums.
Some Coloradans can expect some extra assistance in premium payment in 2019. That is, monthly premium tax credits for individuals in Colorado are expected to increase by 10% in 2019, from $212 in 2018 to $233. This is based on baseline hypothesized data from a 40-year-old non-smoker making $30,000 per year.
Prior to tax credits, 2019 monthly premiums for individuals in Colorado are projected to decrease by 6% for low-tier bronze plans, increase by 6% for middle-tier silver plans, and decrease by 5% for high-tier gold plans.
Employers Strategies In Combating Rising Health Insurance Costs
Many employers plan to incentivize employees to opt for high-deductible insurance plans as a way to control costs. An additional cost-effective approach may include incentivizing healthier life choices, e.g., many employers may contribute to health savings accounts or reimburse employees for gym memberships. Individuals and families can do their part to minimize healthcare costs by taking advantage of employer-sponsored incentives and adopting healthy behaviors as a lifestyle. Research indicates that preventive measures such as proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and disease screening can save thousands of dollars in medical costs.
Some other employers might cover some services offered in low healthcare costs settings. Reports indicate that three quarters (76%) of large companies cover healthcare services that are offered in retail clinics, such as urgent cares. Even a small number of companies provide financial incentives for workers to use these clinics. At AFC Urgent Care Denver with a new location just opened off of Speer Blvd., experienced medical staff is continually doing what they can to stay up-to-date with current changes in the socioeconomic dynamics of this country.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 24, 2018 | Editorials
Penfield Tate
In spring of 2011, the citizens of Denver in their infinite wisdom decided to elect the unintelligent but gregarious Michael Hancock who as The Denver Post stated, had a “feel good story” rising from poverty to become the plaything of Green Valley Ranch developer Pat Hamill who owns Hancock lock, stock, and barrel along with his fellow crony capitalists at Colorado Concern. Of course The Denver Post never revealed who was actually running Hancock as it had become, as the only major paper in the city, as corrupt as the city government itself.
Hancock barely made the 2011 runoff beating out James Mejia by only 1,491 votes for the last spot behind first round leader Chris Roemer. Just think only 1,491 votes and the race would have been between two highly qualified and experienced candidates either of whom would have run Denver a multitude of times better than Hancock. For the last eight years high density developers and the Brownstein law firm have run and raped the city for fun and profit while Hancock has spent his time working out in gyms and chasing skirts.
Four years ago everyone realized what an awful mayor Hancock was but no credible candidate arose to run against him due in large part to the massive fundraising advantage Hancock had over anyone who would run against him. For a while it looked like 2015 would repeat itself with Hancock running essentially unopposed.
But over the last 30 days two highly credible candidates, Penfield Tate and Lisa Calderon, have thrown their hats into the ring for office of mayor of the City and County of Denver which will give Denver real choices.
Penfield Tate III is 62-years-old and an attorney with the national law
Lisa Calderon
firm of Kutak Rock. He was a state representative from 1997 to 2001 and state senator from 2002 to 2003. He represented northeast Denver which is the base of power for Mayor Hancock. He knows what he is up against having run for mayor in 2002, getting beaten out by John Hickenlooper.
He correctly points out how the rapid growth of Denver has been grossly mismanaged by the Hancock administration. The last eight years with all the wealth pouring into the city should have been Denver’s Golden Age, instead it’s been an unmitigated disaster for everyone but developers.
Tate has declared: “Development is out of sync with neighborhoods, disrupting the quality of neighborhoods. It’s imperiling open space and having an impact on parks. It’s driving gentrification. It’s impacting small businesses that are . . . getting driven out of neighborhoods. It is impacting affordable housing.” We could not have articulated some of the major problems of the Hancock administration better.
Lisa Calderon is a longtime community activist from north Denver and presently the co-chair of the Colorado Latino Forum — Denver chapter. Her parents were an African-American and a Latino. She has a law degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, as well as a doctorate in education from CU Denver.
She has been a advocate against the treatment of prisoners at the Denver jail. She has held rallies against Michael Hancock’s harassment of and lying about his relationship with Denver Police Detective Leslie Branch Wise. She recently sued the City and County of Denver for canceling a contract to run a re-entry program for former inmates based on, she alleges, her criticism of the mayor and his harassment of Leslie Branch Wise.
She believes that the city is at a critical juncture: “So, I kept waiting for the candidate to emerge that I would support, who represented my values and my concerns about affordable housing and women’s issues, and concerns about the cultural preservation in our city. And I realized, I was waiting for me.”
Her platform centers around affordable housing, “resident-led” development, decentralizing the mayor’s office, and women and workers.
When asked how affordable housing and “resident-led” development mesh she stated:”We need to look at what does each community need in their neighborhood,” she said. “I can tell you right now I don’t need a big behemoth building shadowing over all of the other units, but there is a way to build for density that still takes into account community.”
She went on to note: “There are ways to do density that really centers a community in it, rather than a developer’s idea about cramming so many people in there.”
Eighteenth century diplomat and philosopher Joseph de Maitre declared that “in a democracy people get the leaders they deserve.” It is hard to fathom that anybody deserves a sexual predator and corrupt mayor like Michael Hancock, but we will find out next spring. Hancock has raised $700,000 from the worst of the worst in Denver, but no amount of money can scrub clean the permanent stains he has made across the city. We will have a choice next year in Denver and it can only be hoped that we choose wisely.
by Peter Boyles | Oct 24, 2018 | Blasting with Boyles
Stan Garnett wants you to believe he’s Jesse James. In reality he’s Bob Ford. The Kavanaugh hearings in Washington, D.C., probably reached a depth not even reached by Joe McCarthy in the Army-McCarthy hearings. What the Democratic Party and its operatives and kingpins did to a decent man is really beyond the pale.
When the New Yorker piece drops, written by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer, accusing Brett Kavanaugh of exposing himself to an innocent women who lives in Boulder by the name of Deborah Ramirez at the now legendary Yale dorm party it is the biggest political assassination attempt in the history of the country.
I was long on to the Ramirez story and how she was represented by Stan Garnett, the former fighting Democrat District Attorney of Boulder, Colorado, now heavily ensconced in the epicenter of evil, the Brownstein law firm.
I was struggling to understand how Honorable Stan Garnett was able to weasel his way into the story. I was on my motorcycle three Sundays ago, fundraising for the MC Honor Run. It was colder than a well digger’s rear end, and the light went on. Of course, they know each other.
I started to dig and I discovered that the alleged victim Deborah Ramirez, from the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-violence, is listed on the organization’s website as the co-vice chair of the group. Here’s what they say, “Ramirez has worked for Boulder County since February 2013, currently the Senior Coordinator of volunteers for Boulder County’s Department of Housing and Human Services.”
And remember the New Yorker piece quoted Garnett as saying she was “as careful and credible a witness as I’ve encountered in 36 years of practicing law.” Well I wonder how many times Honorable Stan and alleged victim Ramirez met. I couldn’t make it solid but they’ve known each other a minimum of five years. How many brown bag lunches, holiday parties, and backyard fundraisers did they both atte
nd? We know he spoke for her Safehouse on at least one occasion. But remember these people know each other.
Also, the second mouthpiece to jump in when the New Yorker piece drops, Sen. Diane Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee calling that night for immediate postponement of the vote because they needed more investigating. This is coordinated. This is orchestrated.
When you read the New Yorker piece and subsequent “investigative journalism” there are three or four different explanations on how Honorable Stan meets the alleged victim. In some she claims she is being represented by Honorable Stan. But the real macguffin is they spent six days together. The 53-year-old alleged victim described the incident in an interview conducted by the New Yorker. She said that she didn’t remember, because she was drinking, exactly when it happened until she spent six days with Honorable Stan. Where did they meet? How long did they talk? Did Brownstein bill her for lunch? She goes in one end of the pipe not remembering and Stan helped her analyze and present her allegations.
But of course, no one in the Front Range media was willing to speak with him. Battling U.S. Senator Michael Bennet told one story, that his staff contacted Stan Garnett with Ramirez after D.C. officials asked him to help. That’s like me asking Chuck Bonniwell to put me in touch with Julie Hayden. Deborah Ramirez is a social justice warrior much like Dr. Ford. And then after the FBI investigation came here Ms. Ramirez turns up with yet another lawyer. Who? William Pittard, a silk stocking mouthpiece in Washington, D.C., who we’re told wrote a scathing three-page letter to FBI Director Chris Wray. And now he too has vanished, caught a check somewhere and it’s back to Honorable John Clune, who without a doubt has a history of being a close friend of Honorable Stan Garnett.
Now I have watched the Brownstein Law Firm in action for over 30 years. They’re as good as they come, probably better. The river runs through it. Farrow and Mayer knew zero about this story until it was handed to them. Like the far left delivers up media stories to Kyle Clark at 9 News, Shaun Boyd at Channel 4 putting stories on their back porch, ringing the doorbell and running away. I think somebody in the above-mentioned people delivered this story to Ronan Farrow who, by the way, has now vanished. When he popped Harvey Weinstein he was on everywhere from 60 Minutes to TMZ. Now he’s in hiding. A good man’s life was potentially ruined and it will chase him the rest of his life.
The showstopper on all of this, Sen. Ken Buck appeared on the award-winning radio show with me on 710 KNUS. This is a man who wrote a book about the D.C. swamp, the fat alligators lying in the sun and he continued to call all of these people honorable. I like Ken Buck but the chilling response from Buck led me to wonder if Buck is also afraid of the power of the deep state? Do these people control the city and the state even more than I believe? His book is titled Drain the Swamp: How Washington Is Worse Than You Think. I will say this to Mr. Buck and all of you. Drain the swamp. Denver and Colorado are far worse than you think.
To all of the above I do 5 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on KNUS. The phone is 303-696-1971. Call me. If you go elsewhere to find a soft place to land, some Kyle Clark, Shaun Boyd interview, as the Irish say we will know you by your limping. Remember when they spoke about the traitors, they asked God to break their knees so the IRA would know them by their limping.
As we said last time with the picture of the two squatting Broncos — you Front Range media people, at last have you no shame?
by Mark Smiley | Oct 2, 2018 | Main Articles
The Extraordinary Journey Of Richard Robbins
by Charles C. Bonniwell
Watch Expert: Peter James, the worldwide mystery novelist, has utilized Richard Robbins’ expertise on early pocket watches in his book Dead Man’s Time and he recognized him by name as an “expert in timepieces in Denver, Colorado.”
Richard Robbins had lived what it looked like a perfect corporate executive life. After graduating from college he joined Kraft Foods, a Fortune 500 company. He traveled around the country doing important assignments as a key executive for over 20 years. He decided the constant moving was too stressful for his wife and two daughters, so he took a job as the president and CEO of a local bank in the Chicago area.
But after a decade as a bank president, Robbins went through a devastating divorce and he questioned whether he wanted to spend the rest of his productive working life in the role of a button down corporate executive. After a brief stint in New Zealand, he decided to move to the wilds of Colorado, i.e. Cherry Creek.
One of the verities of living a happy life is to find something you love and figure out a way to make money doing it. Robbins’ father had been a highly successful antique furniture dealer and Robbins had retained a love of beautifully made furniture. He
Handmade: Robbins has a passion for crafting walnut furniture and collecting and repairing early pocket watches from the 1700-1800 ca. His businesses can be found on the second floor of The District Shops, formerly occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond at 2500 E. First Ave in Cherry Creek North.
decided to start making desks and tables from the trunks of whole trees. The pieces of furniture can weigh as much as 100 pounds and are built to last generations.
He took space out at The District Shops in Cherry Creek Shopping Center which provides areas for artisans and other small businesses in the old Bed Bath and Beyond store. He crafts the fine furniture in the basement area of the shopping center at Robbins Woods.
In addition to his love of furniture, Robbins had a love for antique pocket watches. While in the Chicago area he had learned the ins and outs of pocket watches from a third generation Middle Eastern pocket watchmaker over a four-year period.
He decided to also turn that knowledge into a business venture. He acquired a large inventory of antique pocket watches from sales across the country and founded The Pocket Watch Shop leasing out separate space in The District. He repairs, buys, sells and trades the very best in antique pocket watches, specializing i
Many Talents: Richard Robbins has an unusual background which began with Kraft General Foods (20 years), followed by bank president in Chicago for 10 years. He now crafts all sorts of items out of different types of woods, including walnut and oak.
n timepieces made in America, England, France and Switzerland.
Robbins makes sure the timepieces are in perfect working order and meticulously researches, in the extensive timepiece library he has collected, the country of origin of each watch and the individual craftsman whose skill and inventive daring resulted in the pocket watch. When you acquires a pocket watch from The Pocket Watch Shop you are acquiring not only a timepiece, but a piece of history which has been carefully documented.
His expertise has become so well known that best-selling novelist Peter James extensively consulted him for his horological knowledge for his best seller Dead Man’s Time which has sold over 13 million copies. James repeatedly acknowledged and thanked Robbins for his help in the introduction to the novel.
Now a full-time Cherry Creek artisan, Robbins lives in a home in Washington Park along with his second wife and soul mate Kerry Moriarity who works as a custom travel agent in Cherry Creek. He stays closely involved with his two daughters, both of whom are graduates from the University of Colorado-Boulder, with one living in Denver and the other in the Chicago area.
To reach Richard Robbins call 847-370-0825, or visit www.antiquepocketwatchbuys.com.
