News

Some health insurance seems too good to be true

It took nearly a year for Kelly Macauley to realize the health plan she bought while shopping for insurance coverage last October was not, in fact, insurance. Sure, red flags popped up along the way, but when she called to complain, she said, she was met with explanations that sounded reasonable enough and kept her paying her $700 monthly premiums. She said she was told that her medical bills weren’t being paid because the hospital was submitting them incorrectly. That Jericho Share, the nonprofit that sent her a membership card reading “THIS IS NOT INSURANCE,” was just her policy’s underwriter, not the actual insurer. That she hadn’t received a policy welcome packet because the company was saving paper and passing those savings on to customers.

Read MoreSome health insurance seems too good to be true

Through the lens: Fall colors

One of the first Christmas events of the season has grown over the past few years - this year growing large enough that the Newton Area Chamber of Commerce had to make a couple of changes on the fly to “Taste of Christmas.” “People love doing it, and there will all kinds of good treats,” said Rachael Gibbons with the Newton Area Chamber of Commerce. The event has grown well outside the down town footprint that has anchored it in the past.

Read MoreThrough the lens: Fall colors