March 16 – April 5, 2013
www.SanTanSun.com
Health care reform laws taking shape by Miriam Van Scott
HERE’S THE MEAT! About 20,000 pounds of smoked and savory meats, and 200 kegs of craft beer will be served at The Great American Barbeque & Beer Festival in downtown Chandler on Sat. March 23. Turn to Page 48 in the Neighbors Section for complete details. Submitted photo
Chandler calls shotgun on GM’s next ride by Susan Henderson
More than 1,000 high-tech employees will be hired over the next five years to work for a new General Motors Information Technology Innovation Center in Chandler, a development Mayor Jay Tibshraeny says will have a wide range of effects on the community. “Of the 1,000 jobs created, many will be filled by residents outside of Chandler,” he says. “So we will see some influence on the housing market for those who wish to live close to where they work. It also creates a new source of disposable income. Those working at the site will spend a sizable portion of that income in Chandler. The Innovation Center’s close proximity to Chandler Fashion Center should have a positive impact on the mall as well.” Tibshraeny, with Gov. Jan Brewer and other state officials, say GM will invest $21 million in the new Chandler facility, the fourth to enable GM to “in-source the company’s innovation capabilities, strengthening its global see General Motors page 7
Major changes are coming to the SanTan Sun area’s healthcare system over the next few months, as significant provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) begin going into effect. The law, passed in 2010 and now being slowly phased in, reshapes the health insurance industry, regulates coverage standards and provides tax incentives and subsidies to help offset costs. Because of its grand scope, the ACA will impact virtually every citizen and alter the entire medical system in ways that are as yet unclear. “Starting Jan 1, 2014, everyone will be required to have health insurance or pay a fine,” says Don Hughes, health care policy advisor to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. “That much is certain. But we’re getting hundreds of pages of additional federal regulations and modifications. I just received 1,000 new pages this week. And there are still many ‘unknowns’ that either haven’t been decided yet or are buried somewhere in these pages.” When the fog does clear, state officials believe the ACA will drastically reduce the number of uninsured in Arizona and supply the state’s medical care providers with a much-needed infusion of cash. “We anticipate the ACA should provide coverage for 250,000 who don’t currently have insurance,” Hughes reports. “And a federal assessment on hospitals is expected to pump $6 billion into Arizona’s health care system and help stabilize the safety net.”
Mandated coverage
IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, at the podium, announces the GM Innovation Center bringing 1,000 jobs to Chandler. Left to right behind the Mayor: Speaker Andy Tobin, Arizona House of Representatives; President Andy Biggs, Arizona State Senate; Governor Jan Brewer, Arizona; Randy Mott, General Motors vice president & CIO. Submitted photo
For individuals, the ACA’s most immediate consequence is the required package of essential coverage that must be in place by the Jan. 1 deadline. Many Arizonans currently have insurance through their employers, but those who are now uninsured have a variety of options for satisfying the ACA mandate. They can purchase policies directly through an insurance broker, pay a $95 fine in lieu of coverage, or sign up on the government-run insurance exchange beginning this October. This database will also
see Health care page 6
Jazz fest sets stage for local talent by K. M. Lang
As local cool cats gear up for the 14th annual Chandler Jazz Festival, two area ensembles are buffing their instruments, polishing their improvisational skills and heading for the main stage. The Willis Junior High Jazz Band and the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Jazz Band will each perform Sat., April 6 in the same venue as headliners El Chicano and Marcos Crego and the Cuban Tribe. Although Willis’s band is made up of seventh- and eighth-graders, and the CGCC musicians range in age from their 30s to 70s, both groups have a similar history of excellence and something special to offer listeners, says the festival’s founder and artistic director, Bart Salzman. “We only have one college band in Chandler,” he explains, “and since it is the Chandler Jazz Festival and
the CGCC director, Randy Wright, is so great to work with, we’ve invited them annually. They contribute a great deal, as they are an 18-piece band with a full sound that only a big band can create.” As for the Willis band, “I love exposing the audience to the next generation of musicians,” says Salzman. “And most important, it gives the youngsters a priceless opportunity to perform on a professional stage.” Although the Willis students are the youngest performers at this year’s festival, the auditiononly ensemble is as old as the school itself, and membership comes with a measure of prestige, says Director John Studzinski. The musicians, who also take part in the school’s concert bands, meet each weekday
see Jazz fest page 9
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OLD BAND, YOUNG FACES: The Willis Junior High Jazz Band has been entertaining Chandler audiences since 1976 – nearly a quarter-century longer than its current members are old. STSN photo by Ron Lang
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