ST. LOUIS, MO (02/10/2012)(readMedia)-- Maryville University of St. Louis congratulates Stacy Clark of Riverdale, IA, who earned Deans' List honors for the Fall 2011 semester. Clark is a student in Maryville's School of Education.

Maryville's undergraduate students are eligible for the Deans' List when they complete at least 12 Maryville University credit hours in a semester with a minimum of a 3.33 grade-point average.

ANKENY, IA, Feb. 10, 2012 - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack held a roundtable meeting today with local business and agricultural leaders at the Des Moines Area Community College to discuss the vision laid out in President Obama's State of the Union address that will help grow the Iowa economy. The meeting provided Secretary Vilsack with an opportunity to hear directly from Iowans on how to make sure our students and workers get the education and training they need so that we have a workforce ready to take on the jobs of today and tomorrow.

"President Obama believes this is a make or break moment for the middle class and has laid out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last?an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values," said Vilsack. "Today I had the opportunity to hear directly from Iowans on how we work together to build a nation where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. Together we will keep our nation moving forward and rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded."

Last Friday's employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 257,000 in January and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. After losing more than 8 million jobs in the recession, the economy has added private sector jobs for 23 straight months, for a total of 3.7 million jobs over that period. Manufacturing jobs are coming back and the auto industry has rebounded. In the last 12 months, 2.2 million private sector jobs were added on net. To ensure we build an economy to last over the long term, we must continue this progress. In his State of the Union Address, the President announced proposals and outlined his vision for:

• How we will bring about a new era of American manufacturing, with more good jobs and more products stamped Made in the USA;
• A new era for American energy?an economy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that will be designed and produced by American workers;
• How we will make sure our students and workers get the education and training they need so that we have a workforce ready to take on the jobs of today and tomorrow; and
• Return to American Values - of fairness for all, and responsibility from all.

USDA is working to support the President's efforts to promote a new era of American manufacturing by supporting rural businesses, farmers and ranchers to export products made or grown in America. USDA is also supporting the President's vision for a new era for American made renewable energy by working with scientists, farmers and entrepreneurs to help develop a nationwide biofuels economy that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the countryside.

In Iowa, USDA has provided 62 grants and loans to assist rural small and mid-sized businesses create or save 5,300 jobs over the past three years. USDA has also improved and modernized rural electric infrastructure for over 91,000 rural residents and businesses in Iowa with more than 2,636 miles of new and upgraded electric lines. Across the country, USDA has helped more than 7,435 rural families in all 99 counties buy or refinance a home. The department has provided grants and loans for water and waste water community infrastructure projects to help safeguard the health of 257,000 rural residents and create or save 1,900 jobs.

Learn more about President Obama's Blueprint for an America Built to Last here.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

Friday February 10, 2012

Departments of Health & Human Services, Labor, and Treasury announce final rule for implementation

Washington, DC - Three government agencies announced new rules late yesterday to fully implement Rep. Bruce Braley's (IA-01) Plain Language in Health Insurance Act, a bill he introduced that was later passed into law as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Under the rule announced today, health insurers must provide clear, consistent and comparable summary information to consumers about their health plan benefits and coverage. The new forms will be available beginning on September 23^rd, and will be a helpful resource for the roughly 150 million Americans with private health insurance.

"I think everyone agrees that health insurance forms should be written as clearly as possible," said Braley. "These new rules will make insurance forms much easier to understand, so that consumers know exactly what they're paying for.  Small businesses will also save time and money as they can easily compare plans for their employees, and won't have to decipher the same old insurance gobbledygook that we've dealt with for years.  This is a big step towards a more transparent, consumer-friendly healthcare marketplace."

The Braley Plain Language in Health Insurance provision of the Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to eliminate confusing language from marketing materials that make it difficult for consumers to understand exactly what they are buying.

The rules announced yesterday stipulate that consumers have access to two key documents to help them understand and evaluate their health insurance choices:

·         A short, easy-to-understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage; and

·         A uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage, such as "deductible" and "co-payment."

A key feature of the Summary of Benefits and Coverage is a new, standardized plan comparison tool called "coverage examples," similar to the Nutrition Facts label required for packaged foods.  The coverage examples will illustrate sample medical situations, describing how much coverage the plan would provide in events such as having a baby or managing diabetes.  These examples will help consumers understand and compare what they would have to pay under each plan they are considering.

A template of the Summary of Benefits and Coverage can be downloaded at the following link: http://go.usa.gov/Q9H

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012-On THURSDAY, Feb. 16, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will host American and Chinese officials and private sector representatives for the first U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. Vilsack traveled to China for the second time as Agriculture Secretary in November to continue to strengthen bilateral trade relations and support the American brand of agriculture throughout the Asia Pacific region. During the visit, Vilsack and Chinese officials developed the U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium as a key forum to expand their discussions into 2012 and beyond. The all-day forum will feature a morning program of remarks by U.S. and Chinese officials, followed by discussions on four main topics: sustainable agriculture; food security; food safety; and the role of the private sector in agriculture in the United States and China. USDA anticipates about 100 guests for the Symposium, including high-level U.S. and Chinese officials.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

9-9:45 a.m. CST

WHAT: Remarks by Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Chinese Agriculture Minister Han Changfu, and other officials.

WHERE: World Food Prize Hall of Laureates

100 Locust Street

Des Moines, IA 50309 

RSVP: Credentialed members of the media may attend the 9-9:45 a.m. opening session. Media should RSVP by contacting Stephanie Chan at (202) 720-4623 or stephanie.chan@oc.usda.gov.

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