Topeka EDITION includes Lawrence, Manhattan, Emporia & Holton FREE! ONE! The Area’s Most Complete Event Guide TAKE Page 5 EVENT CALENDAR PAGE 13 CELEBRATING FAITH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS facebook/metrovoicenews Now in our 8th Year! VISIT US AT or metrovoicenews.com Volume 8 • Number 4 December 2013 TO ADVERTISE, CONTRIBUTE, SUBSCRIBE OR RECEIVE BULK COPIES, CALL 785-235-3340 OR EMAIL [email protected] NEW RESIDENT church guide See inside back cover! Ministry Needs Guide - Page 18 MARRIAGE Isn’t For You by Seth Adam Smith Having been married only a year and a half, I’ve recently come to the conclusion that marriage isn’t for me. Now before you start making assump - tions, keep reading. I met my wife in high school when we were 15 years old. We were friends for ten See our years until…until we decided no longer Christmas wanted to be just friends. :) I strongly rec - Guide! ommend that best friends fall in love. Good times will be had by all. PAGE 8 Transformation sought for troubled area Atheist Christmas? MANY WORK TO REVIVE CITYÊS MOST UNHEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it’s not just Christians The highest crime rate in the city, the turning December into a festive month highest child-in-need-of-care reporting in of themed décor, gift giving and mail - the county, arson-burnt homes, rampant boxes packed with greeting cards. crime and the sound of gunfire – these are A new study by LifeWay Research among the challenges facing Sally Zellers reveals that nine in 10 Americans (91 as she heads up the Neighborhood percent) personally celebrate Christmas Empowerment and Transformation and those aren’t all self-identified Reach (Net Reach) ministry sponsored by Christians. A majority of agnostics or the Topeka Rescue Mission. The ministry those claiming no preference (89 per - The former East Avondale School is ground zero is housed in the former East Avondale cent), individuals claiming other reli - School building in the Hi-Crest area. The for the neighborhood transformation effort Nevertheless, falling in love with my gions (62 percent), and even atheists (55 ministry was located there precisely best friend did not prevent me from hav - Hi-Crest has a disproportionate rate of The former school building is also home percent) celebrate Christmas along with because of the above-mentioned prob - ing certain fears and anxieties about get - poverty and crime. There is a 92% pover - to several other local social service agencies, 97 percent of Christians. lems. ting married. The nearer Kim and I ty rate for children in the area. The and they are trying to make a difference in Nearly half of all households attend The effort is among the latest initiatives approached the decision to marry, the Avondale East Elementary School, 455 the quality of life for those in the Hi-Crest special church services on Christmas Eve to target the Hi-Crest neighborhood, an more I was filled with a paralyzing fear. S.E. Golf Park, which was closed at the end area. There are also gathering areas in the or Christmas, including 2 percent of area bounded roughly by S.E. 29th, S.E. Was I ready? Was I making the right of the 2011-2012 academic year, has building for boys and girls of all ages. atheists, 9 percent of agnostics , and 22 37th, S.E. Adams and S. Kansas Avenue. become ground zero in efforts to address percent of those claiming other religions. n Please see MARRIAGE page 2 City leaders have said for some time that the needs of the area. n Please see TRANSFORMATION page 3 2 • December 2013 ____________ ________ MetroVoiceNews.com __________________________ Facebook/MetroVoiceNews _________________________ Topeka Metro Voice Affordable Care Act: Still the one…. The President’s Big Fix without your even knowing it at your first process...as their plans renew on January 1. Scott Day renewal in 2011. They made the switch PLUS, they have to continue with the Last week, President Obama apologized and terminated the grandfather enrollments required under ACA...no easy to the nation and offered to “fix” the prob - plans...prepping to make the move to the task...and it costs money to do all this. lem of canceled policies by allowing State new ACA requirements which require BCBS expected these 9500 policies to end Insurance Commissioners and health them to accept all applications without and then to enroll in new ACA plans...now insurance carriers to asking any health questions. But there are they are not. This will affect premium rates have the option of not still “grandfathered” plans in next year. The premium rates that were having to terminate existence...but because of the restrictive produced for 2014 were in part based on these plans. He said, rules on maintaining your “grandfa - this assumption...and now these people “The Affordable Care thered” status...these plans have become are not purchasing these plans. Act would NOT be very expensive (you can’t raise your Why are other states allowing the termi - Sandra J. Miburn, the Hutchinson News/ the cause of these can - deductible very much or change your nations to take place? Pure and cellations.” copays) and they are being terminated by simple...they cannot afford to due to their Pat Peschka is 90, but she still works at the Lifestyles desk as a news clerk at the Again...this is not Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kan. She writes up church notes, wedding, engage - customers due to cost. large number of cancellations. California ment and anniversary announcements and 80th birthday announcements 100% accurate. Day Remember...any plan purchased after had 1 million of the terminations by them - A little background information...the March 23, 2010 is already not “grandfa - selves. Colorado had 250,000 cancella - nieces, I knew that she was the one with ACA was passed on March 23, 2010. The thered” and never complied with the tions. Allowing these policies to be rein - law allowed for plans purchased prior to MARRIAGE whom I wanted to build our own family. ACA...these plans have always been target - stated would be devastating to the new continued from page 1 My father’s advice was both shocking this date to be considered as a “grandfa - ed to be terminated. I became aware of ACA plans. Adverse selection (enrolling thered” plan. Plans purchased after this and revelatory. It went against the grain of this situation at least two years ago. It has too many high claim patients) would choice? Was Kim the right person to today’s “Walmart philosophy”, which is if date are considered as “non-grandfa - been common knowledge in the insurance cause the new plans to skyrocket next year. thered” plans. “Grandfathered” plans are marry? Would she make me happy? it doesn’t make you happy, you can take it industry...and the recent announcements They need the canceled policyholders to Then, one fateful night, I shared these back and get a new one. not required to meet the new ACA of over 5 million cancellations has not move into the new ACA plans. thoughts and concerns with my dad. No, a true marriage (and true love) is requirements...specifically the Essential been a surprise to anyone...we knew the This issue will continue into next year. Perhaps each of us have moments in never about you. It’s about the person you Health Benefits (EHB) requirements. Now cancellations were coming...and so did the BCBS will have to terminate the policies our lives when it feels like time slows down love—their wants, their needs, their in the summer of 2010...two things were government. again next year. Coventry’s block of busi - or the air becomes still and everything hopes, and their dreams. Selfishness announced by Health & Human Services So what is happening in KS and the ness renews next December 2014...they around us seems to draw in, marking that demands, “What’s in it for me?”, while (HHS) and the IRS. HHS announced the nation with these cancellations? In KS, will have to terminate all their plans at that moment as one we will never forget. Love asks, “What can I give?” requirements of maintaining your “grand - there were approximately 9,500 termina - time to comply with the law. So we will see My dad giving his response to my con - Some time ago, my wife showed me father” status and the IRS in the Federal tions by BCBS of KS. These would be poli - many more terminations in KS next year. cerns was such a moment for me. With a what it means to love selflessly. For many Register announced they were expecting cies that either never met “grandfather” This is not a surprise. knowing smile he said, “Seth, you’re being months, my heart had been hardening over 7 million individual policies to be status or they had lost their “grandfather” Network update from last month’s arti - cancelled and that 66% of small employer totally selfish. So I’m going to make this with a mixture of fear and resentment. status. These plans were required by the cle...St. Francis Hospital in Topeka has really simple: marriage isn’t for you. You groups would terminate. ACA to be terminated because they did been included in the BCBS of KS SELECT Then, after the pressure had built up to The “grandfather” status regulations are don’t marry to make yourself happy, you where neither of us could stand it, emo - not meet the EHB requirements under the network.