Month: December 2015

More of the same: Frigid forecast

National Weather Service graphic
National Weather Service graphic

The high was 25 degrees at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and it may climb to a high of 29 today, according to the National Weather Service.

A west wind of 5 to 7 mph is expected Wednesday.

Some of the region may get light snow showers this morning, with little accumulation expected, the weather service said.

Tonight, the low will be around 18 degrees, according to the weather service.

Thursday, expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 32, the weather service said, and a west wind of 5 to 8 mph.

On New Year’s Eve, Thursday night, the low will be around 15 with partly cloudy skies and a west northwest wind of 7 mph, the weather service said.

On Friday, New Year’s Day, it will be sunny with a high near 32, according to the weather service. The west northwest wind will be 7 to 9 mph.

Friday night, the low will be around 20.

Saturday, it will be sunny with a high near 40, according to the weather service. Saturday night, the low will be around 21.

Sunday, the high will be near 38, and Sunday night, the low will be around 20, according to the weather service.

Car slides down embankment, goes airborne and strikes vehicle on I-635

A Ford passenger car was westbound on I-70 near the Park Drive exit when it went down a steep embankment, then went airborne and went onto I-635, striking another vehicle, before landing on its nose.

A Kansas Turnpike Authority trooper’s report stated that the Ford drove onto the shoulder, and hit snow and ice before losing control. The crash happened at 12:20 p.m. Dec. 29.

After it went into the left ditch, down the embankment, it then went airborne, lofted onto I-635, and struck a Jeep Patriot before the Ford stood vertically on its front end, the report stated.

After that the Ford crossed all lanes of traffic on I-635, coming to rest in the left ditch of I-635, the report said.

The driver of the Ford, a 22-year-old woman from Edwardsville, Kan., was not injured, according to the trooper’s report.

The driver of the Jeep Patriot, a 29-year-old woman, was injured and taken to a hospital, the report stated.

A 6-year-old girl in the Patriot also was injured and taken to the hospital, according to the report.

Eligible beneficiaries can keep Medicare Supplement Plans C and F

Kansas Medicare beneficiaries can still purchase Medicare Supplement Plans C or F through the end of 2019, according to Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas commissioner of insurance.

The plans, which are regulated by the Kansas Insurance Department, will not be sold beginning in 2020, Commissioner Selzer said. However, those who are already eligible or enrolled in Medicare before 2020 will be able to keep those plans if they have them.

“Those plans will still be in force for you if you have them before 2020,” Commissioner Selzer said. “There is no reason you have to replace them. Your insurance company will still service your claims under those plans’ provisions.”

Congressional changes to the Medicare Access CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 prohibit the sale beginning in 2020. KID has received inquiries from consumers who have been misinformed about the plans’ immediate discontinuance.

Medicare Supplement insurance can help cover the expenses that come with coverage gaps in original Medicare. Plans such as these are often referred to as Medigap plans.

These plans and several others are described in the insurance department’s “Medicare Supplement Insurance Shopper’s Guide,” which is available for order in hard copy form or online at www.ksinsurance.org.

“I urge those seeking Medicare Supplement information to call your insurance agent or our department’s Consumer Assistance Hotline at 800-432-2484,” Commissioner Selzer said.