Dateline PhiliPPines Filipina found alive after 3 days under quake rubble

by Bernadette tamayo and Vince JacoB Visaya ManilaTimes.net

A TEAM from the Philippine Embassy in Turkey on Tuesday, February 14 visited in the hospital a Filipina earthquake survivor who was rescued after three days under the rubble from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria last week.

The Philippine Embassy, on Facebook, said its Mersin-based team checked on the condition of Juliva Benlingan, 33, a native of Lagawe, Ifugao, who was previously reported missing.

According to her sister Maribel, Benlingan sustained wounds on her face, head and feet, and was dehydrated when rescued.

"As she recovers well at an Adana hospital, she thanked God for a second chance at life and the embassy for their well wishes," the embassy said.

The team provided Benlingan with financial assistance and gave her doctors and nurses "tokens of our appreciation."

Maribel said Juliva, mother to a 12-year-old girl, endured 60 hours under the rubble of a collapsed building before she was rescued.

In its continuous evaluation on the ground, the Philippine Embassy said it is "focusing on management of its resources toward the welfare, recovery and return to normalcy of Filipino evacuees."

Displaced Filipinos continue to arrive at the shelter in Ankara, transported by the embassy and on their own volition, it added.

The embassy said its team in Mersin "is also in contact with a set of volunteers from the hospitality industry who have offered to provide food assistance to Filipino-Turkish families who chose to remain in Antakya and to [the] Philippine humanitarian contingent in Adiyaman province."

"We deeply appreciate the charity of kababayan (fellow Filipinos) and our Turkish brethren," it added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also on Tuesday said it will repatriate the remains of one of the two Filipinas who died in the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey.

DFA acting Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega said the Philippine government will also repatriate other Filipino survivors who wish to return home.

The Filipina fatality was already buried in Turkey based on the decision of her Turkish husband, de Vega said during a Laging Handa press briefing.

He, however, added that Filipinos who are already citizens of Turkey, being married to Turks, should first re-acquire their Filipino citizenship to qualify for repatriation.

"Some of them are already Turkish citizens. They need to re-acquire [first] their [Filipino] citizenship under Republic Act 9225 to avail [of the repatriation service]," de Vega said in Filipino.

"So, madali po 'yan (So, it's easy). Kung magagawa natin (If we can do [that] within the next several days, dapat magsisiuwian na 'yan (they would be expected to come home)," he added.

De Vega noted that there are about 248 Filipinos who were affected by the earthquake, with 64 of them staying at a temporary shelter in the country's capital Ankara.

On the other hand, 70 others sought financial assistance from the embassy, he said.

De Vega added that there is no definite schedule yet on the repatriation of the distressed Filipinos and the body of the Filipina fatality. g

2022 return even if you don’t owe taxes.

“While people with income under a certain amount are not generally required to file a tax return, those who qualify for certain tax credits or already paid some federal tax by having taxes withheld from their paycheck may qualify for a tax refund, but they must file in order to get one,” he said.

Kevin Moorehead, Deputy Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division at the IRS, explains the green energy credits available to those who have purchased a green vehicle.

Don’t leave money on the table, agreed Sue Simon, Director of IRS Customer Assistance.

“What we want to do is ensure that anyone who has not filed a 2021 tax return do so.

But in order to collect unpaid benefits, you have to file both a 2021 and a 2022 return. However you fill out these returns, either electronically or by paper, Simon said it is imperative that you put “Zero” as the amount of your adjusted gross income. Then IRS computers can digest that information and by filing for both years, technical errors can be avoided.

The IRS won’t call you but you can call them on toll free phone lines and get assistance in one of 350 languages. Simon said interpreter services are also available in any of IRS’s 362 taxpayer assistance centers via their telephones.

“There are forms that are commonly used by taxpayers that are available in Spanish, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Haitian, Creole, Vietnamese and Russian,” Simon said.

There are online tools at IRS.gov to help people determine if they are eligible for EITC, a Sales Tax Deduction Calculator to determine how much sales tax is allowed as a deduction in your state. There is the Free File Online Lookup tool that helps taxpayers find the right company to file their tax return under the Free File program. Go to IRS.gov and search the Pick List.

There is also a tax withholding estimator tool.

“All of those are available in English as well as those languages that I listed,” she said.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) provides help and counseling to taxpayers, free of charge, especially about EITC and additional Child Tax credits which can be hard to understand, Simon added.

Susan Simon, Director of Customer Assistance, Relationships and Education at the IRS, details how taxpayers can get free help filing their taxes.

“During the last two years, we had about 50,000 volunteers throughout the United States doing tax returns. This year, as of today, we have 81,000 volunteers in the United States and Puerto Rico preparing free tax returns for individuals and families.”

Simon said the IRS provides information in a way that taxpayers can have faith and trust that their tax return is being done correctly, that there is no scam going on, that there is no fraud. A lot of people used VITA. Last year, VITA volunteers prepared 2.2 million tax returns.

“Each one of these volunteers is trained by the IRS. They are certified. They are tested. So, you know you are getting accurate information,” she said.

There is a Taxpayer Assistance Locator tool at IRS.gov to find the local office where you can set up an appointment and talk to someone in person.

This year is going to be “significantly better” than the last few difficult years of tax returns some of which the IRS is still processing, Moorehead predicted. You could get more money in your pocket, he says. g

with limited-benefit or shortterm insurance policies might have to pay for all or part of their vaccinations. And people who don’t have insurance will need to either pay the full cost out-ofpocket or seek no- or low-cost vaccinations from community clinics or other providers. If they cannot find a free or low-cost option, some uninsured patients may be forced to skip vaccinations or testing.

Coming up with what could be $100 or more for vaccination will be especially hard “if you are uninsured or underinsured; that’s where these price hikes could drive additional disparities,” said Sean Robbins, executive vice president of external affairs for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Those increases, he said, will also affect people with insurance, as the costs “flow through to premiums.”

Meanwhile, public policy experts say many private insurers will continue to cover Paxlovid, although patients may face a copayment, at least until they meet their deductible, just as they do for other medications. Medicaid will continue to cover it without cost to patients until at least 2024. But Medicare coverage will be limited until the treatment goes through the regular FDA process, which takes longer than the emergency use authorization it has been marketed under.

Another complication: The rolls of the uninsured are likely to climb over the next year, as states are poised to reinstate the process of regularly determining Medicaid eligibility, which was halted during the pandemic.

Starting in April, states will begin reassessing whether Medicaid enrollees meet income and other qualifying factors.

An estimated 5 million to 14 million people nationwide might lose coverage.

“This is our No. 1 concern” right now, said John Baackes, CEO of L.A. Care, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan with 2.7 million members.

“They may not realize they’ve lost coverage until they go to fill a prescription” or seek other medical care, including vaccinations, he said.

What about COVID test kits? Rules remain in place for insurers, including Medicare and Affordable Care Act plans, to cover the cost of up to eight in-home test kits a month for each person on the plan, until the public health emergency ends. For consumers — including those without insurance — a government website is still offering up to four test kits per household, until they run out. The Biden administration shifted funding to purchase additional kits and made them available in late December.

Starting in May, though, beneficiaries in original Medicare and many people with private, job-based insurance will have to start paying out-of-pocket for the rapid antigen test kits. Some Medicare Advantage plans, which are an alternative to original Medicare, might opt to continue covering them without a copayment. Policies will vary, so check with your insurer. And Medicaid enrollees can continue to get the test kits without cost for a little over a year.

State rules also can vary, and continued coverage without cost sharing for COVID tests, treatments, and vaccines after the health emergency ends might be available with some health plans.

Overall, the future of COVID tests, vaccines, and treatments will reflect the complicated mix of coverage consumers already navigate for most other types of care.

“From a consumer perspective, vaccines will still be free, but for treatments and test kits, a lot of people will face cost sharing,” said Jen Kates, a senior vice president at KFF. “We’re taking what was universal access and now saying we’re going back to how it is in the regular U.S. health system.”

KHN correspondent Darius Tahir contributed to this report.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.