(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, along with Iowa Insurance Division Commissioner Nick Gerhart, today moved forward with administrative action allowing Iowa health care insurers to extend current insurance plans and protecting Iowans from being forced off plans they chose. A copy of the guidance sent from the Iowa Insurance Division to Iowa insurance carriers can be found here.

"Iowans deserve predictability and stability in their health care coverage," said Branstad. "The guidance issued today protects Iowans from losing plans they like, but also allows Iowans the flexibility to shop for a plan on the exchange."

Last year, Branstad, Reynolds, and Gerhart wrote to former United State Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius asking for a three year extension for association health plans, saying, "In President Obama's press conference on April 30, 2013 he stated 'If you already got health insurance, then that part of Obamacare that affects you, it's pretty much already in place.'"

Sebelius granted a one year extension, without which 65,000 Iowa Farm Bureau members would have lost their insurance.

In June 2013, the Branstad Administration allowed a one-year plan extension, allowing Iowans to keep the coverage they enjoyed while also allowing for the freedom and flexibility to review plans on the exchanges.

"First, with the Farm Bureau extension and then the plan year extension, Iowa has been a leader in allowing Iowans who like their insurance to keep it," said Reynolds. "Today's action continues that commitment and gives Iowans certainty in their coverage."

In the guidance issued by the Iowa Insurance Division, Gerhart said, "We have concerns about policy cancellations and the anxiety Iowans face when they receive cancellation notices." Gerhart continues that the goal of the Iowa Insurance Division in issuing this guidance is "to assure that Iowa consumers have access to health care coverage in a stable, competitive health insurance market."

As of April 15, 2014, 18 other states have taken similar action allowing plan extensions pursuant to the March 5, 2014 guidance from the HHS. A link to the HHS guidance can be found here.

Approximately 330,000 individual and small group members are impacted by the extension, which was secured by the Branstad administration in an effort to protect Iowans.  The Iowa Insurance Division allowed all Iowa carriers to extend their plan year on existing small group and individual coverage through 2016. The extension provides additional time to become more informed about what the changes in the market mean without losing the current coverage they know and trust.

The Bible and America

So Help Me God, a new book that traces the historical connection between the Bible and the Inaugural ceremonies of the United States and each of  the individual states, will be in book stores next week. Author Michael B. Costanzo creates snapshot affects of all the presidential ceremonies and all the governments that once occupied territory in the U.S. specifically the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the Republic of Hawaii. So Help Me God is a complete work of the Bible and its relationship with the United States.

This fascinating book sets the groundwork for the tradition of the Bible in America by providing an overview of the use of the Bible in England's coronation ceremonies, Bible publishing in England, and the beginning of Bible publishing in America in colonial times. It provides a fascinating view of the changing social traditions and customs in America set against the backdrop of political practices, governmental procedures, and social celebrations for each president. Starting with the simple ceremony in New York City for George Washing ton who stood on a balcony viewed by a standing crowd on the street below to the elaborate parades and dress affairs for contemporary presidents, the reader will witness the growth of America's position in the world and the changing culture that developed with that growth.

So Help Me God 9781933909950 was published by History Publishing Company in soft cover, 410 pages, and is indexed with appendices and endnotes. Cover price is $18.95. It will available in bookstores nationally and in e-books globally.

Historian and author Michael Costanzo resides in Columbia, Tennessee with his wife and family. His forthcoming book In the Course of Human Events, the story of the remarkable and little known journey of the actual document that is The Declaration of Independence will be published in July, 2015                          

Contact Don Bracken, djb@historypublishingco.com, (Tel) 845-398-8161)

Amana- Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, a musical celebration of the legendary "Man In Black" opens April 24 and runs through May 25 on the Old Creamery's Main Stage, with shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 2:00 pm and on Fridays and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm.

He started out as a "Country Boy" who against all odds became one of the greatest country music legends of all time. From "Daddy Sang Bass" to "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," and "A Boy Named Sue," you'll experience Johnny Cash's life through his lyrics.

The cast includes Eric Scott Anthoy of St. Louis, MO, and Scott Wakefield of Brooklyn, NY, both members of the Ring of Fire original Broadway cast , and Jessica Bradish of Astoria, NY, Kendra Jo Brook of Judith Gap, MT, Jon Brown of St. Louis, MO, and Chaz'men Williams-Ali of St. Louis, MO.

Tickets are $28 for adults and $18.50 for students. Ring of Fire: The Music Of Johnny Cash is Rated PG. The show is sponsored by KHAK.

Call the box office for tickets and information 319-622-6262 or visit us online at www.oldcreamery.com.

The Old Creamery Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The Company is celebrating 43 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest.