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Living with children

Hey Taylor - Is Medicaid free? I know it’s open enrollment right now but have no idea how the process works or if I’m eligible. I don’t want to fill out a bunch of paperwork only to find out I could have saved money by going directly through an insurance company. - Mitchell

Taylor Kovar

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Hey Mitchell - Great question and great timing, as people have less than a month until enrollment closes. For low-income households, Medicaid can be free. Depending on the state you live in, Medicaid expansion broadens the scope of potential applicants, though 17 states have not expanded federal coverage. This whole topic gets confusing in a hurry, so I’ll lay out some basic points.

Medicaid versus Medicare. People mix these two up since the names are pretty much identical and there’s a fair amount of crossover between them (some people even have dual eligibility). Medicare is the primary health insurance for people over 65 and it’s been that way for quite some time. It also covers younger people with disabilities. Medicaid, on the other hand, targets those with lower income, so eligibility isn’t as cut and dry and there are big regional factors at play. While both programs are governmentrun, you will find stark differences between the two. As for open enrollment, Medicare ends December 7 while Medicaid ends December 15.

No more mandate. As of this year, the individual mandate no longer exists so people aren’t penalized for opting out of enrollment. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should go without health insurance. Since it sounds like you don’t have coverage through an

Howe’s That

band president Mikayla Doty contacted me for us to meet up sometime in the second half of the game. She now is a member of the OSU band. We did meet up in the fourth to say hello and that was a pretty neat experience. Even a smile took place from the 13-year-old boy.

When all was said and done, our Sooners pulled out the win in Stillwater again. I was a bit concerned seeings how I’m no lucky rabbit foot for the Boomer Boys. The last two games I’ve attended in person were both a year ago and witnessed both of their losses. We saw them get beat by Texas at the Cotton Bowl and saw them lose to Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

employer, going to the healthinsurance.org or healthc are.gov to see what options are available for you before the cut off date is a good bet. Even if your state doesn’t offer expanded Medicaid, you’ll find some direction and learn more about cost and coverage.

Open enrollment ensures 2020 coverage. Since millions of people get policies through the state and federal programs, you have to get your application in during this window to confirm coverage at the start of next year. If you don’t have coverage at all you can still find 2019 plans, but the open enrollment period is specific to next year’s policies.

Nothing about health insurance is particularly easy, starting with understanding how the various plans and programs work. The only universal truth about the whole system is that insurance is vitally important so you don’t find yourself with insurmountable debt after an emergency. I hope this helps and you get a plan that works for you!

Taylor Kovar, CEO of Kovar Capital. Read more about Taylor at GoFarWithKovar.com

Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901.

Q: I’m already dreading the holidays. Our eight-yearold is a very excitable child and our family is expected to attend numerous holiday gettogethers at the homes of family members. When he’s included in events where there’s lots of excitement and anticipation in the air, he has a reputation for becoming very impulsive, loud, talkative, bouncy, and generally annoying. He’s also the oldest grandchild and the other, younger kids tend to follow his lead. I do not want to be constantly correcting him, but I don’t know what else to do. People tolerate him because he’s family, but I can tell that his presence and behavior often makes them feel uncomfortable. In addition, I begin to feel like everyone is watching to see how I’m going to deal with him. For me, it’s like being under a microscope. My husband gets equally frustrated, but he doesn’t know what to do either. Help!

A: Hands down, your question is the Number One Question I Am Asked Around the Holidays. I’m glad you don’t want to suffer through another discomforting family get-together. I’m heartened, in fact, to hear that there are actually parents out there, still, who think it’s important that their children learn how to properly conduct themselves in such gatherings. Lots of parents abdicate the responsibility with excuses like, “Oh, c’mon, it’s Christmas, after all!”

What does that mean? That “holiday” means parents can and should take a holiday from teaching children the whys and hows of proper behavior? A holiday from discipline? What a concept! I don’t think so. Learning how to properly behave when in a group, especially a mixed-age group, is important to a child’s overall socialization.

The moral of the story for me is this: Sometimes you need to get out of town and make memories. Whether your passion is college football, pro football, the symphony, or dining in new places do it and do it often with your loved ones as time goes by very quickly. The 13-year-old will one day be gone from the house and regrets of today become enlarged in the future. Conversely, memories of today become elevated in the future and things to cling on to during those times of reminiscing.

You are in charge of your own happiness and your own memories that you want to have about this place and your people. Make it good.

Besides, your son is a ringleader.

He’s regarded by the younger kids as the “lead monkey,” which makes it all the more important that he be well-behaved and set a good example at family gatherings.

I’d be willing to bet that you’re waiting too long to do something about his misbehavior. By the time you act, the proverbial snowball has already rolled considerably downhill. It’s gained a lot of momentum and mass. If you’re going to do something, which I think is important, you need to put the brakes on the snowball before it makes one full turn.

As soon as you see tell-tale signs of disruptive behavior, you need to take him to the garage, car, outside (your choice, largely dependent on the weather) – a quiet, private place. Tell him that you are going to stand or sit with him until he calms down, but regardless, he’s not going back into the group for at least fifteen minutes.

At the end of the fifteen minutes, assuming he’s got both feet on the ground, take him back in and try again. But before you do, tell him that if you remove him again, it will be for at least thirty minutes. And if you need to remove him and third time, you’ll just go home where he will spend the rest of the day in his room.

The key ingredient in this recipe is “right away.” Don’t let his behavior escalate to the point where it’s disruptive. Quarantine it before it becomes discomforting to you and others.

You might say that my “solution” punishes you, too. In a sense, it does, but there’s a price to be paid for everything.

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, parent guru.com.

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.

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