Business Plan 2020 workshop set
Ready, set … plan your future. Attend a free seminar to map out your business plan for 2020 provided by Premier Mortgage Resources.
Oftentimes, business planning is not offered to business professionals by its own leadership or owners. Attend and invite a co-worker to an interactive workshop with high energy!
Scott St. John has been a business coach for years and finds business planning as one of his favorite aspects of coaching. Come to the Biz Planning 2020 Vision Roadshow from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Dec. 30 at Lanihau Professional Center, Room 208-B.
The time is now to have a clear, thoughtful plan for 2020!
RSVP: Leslie Woods: leslie.woods@pmrloans.com , Susan Gordon: susan.gordon@pmrloans.com
IRS extends deadline for farmers hurt by drought
The Internal Revenue Service has extended tax relief for Hawaii farmers and ranchers who were forced to sell livestock due to drought, flooding or other severe weather in recent years.
Farmers and ranchers in the counties of Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui are eligible for federal assistance. Counties that border those listed are also eligible for federal aid.
In most cases, qualified farmers and ranchers whose drought-sale replacement period was scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2019, now have until the end of their next tax year to replace the livestock and defer tax on any gains from the forced sales. Sales of other livestock, such as those raised for slaughter or held for sporting purposes, or poultry, are not eligible
Forms for “Extension of Replacement Period for Livestock Sold on Account of Drought,” available on IRS.gov.
Kaiser earns 5-star rating
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has received 5 out of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its 2020 Medicare plan, a press release from the insurance provider announced.
Kaiser Permanente is the only Medicare plan in Hawaii and one of just 20 in the nation to receive 5 stars this year from CMS, a federal agency and division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Medicare Star Quality Ratings for 2020 is based on plans’ performance in measures related to staying healthy, managing chronic conditions, member experience, customer service and pharmacy services. CMS, the agency that oversees Medicare administration, assigns a rating to individual Medicare health plans ranging from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) stars to provide beneficiaries with a way to assess Medicare plans.
“We’re proud to be recognized as the leading Medicare plan in Hawaii for providing the highest quality care and service to our kupuna members,” said Linda Puu, vice president of Quality, Safety and Care Experience at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.
Medicare health plans that earn 5 out of 5 stars can participate in a 5-star Special Enrollment Period and continue to enroll new individual Medicare members from Dec. 8 through Nov. 30 of the following year. Beneficiaries who want to change from their current Medicare health plan to a 5-star plan may switch once per plan year during the 5-star Special Enrollment Period.
Data for the Medicare star quality rating is drawn from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (or HEDIS), the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (or CAHPS), Health Outcomes Survey and CMS administrative data from audits, complaints and “secret shopping.”