Business / Economy
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Governor Looks to Get CA into the Rx Business
Posted By Judy Lin and Elizabeth Aguilera, CalMatters on Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 8:51 AM
In a bold strategy to drive down prescription drug prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California become the first state in the nation to establish its own generic drug label, making those medications available at an affordable price to the state’s 40 million residents.
The proposal, part of the new state budget Newsom sent to the Legislature on Friday, would authorize the state to negotiate contracts with drugmakers to manufacture selected prescriptions on behalf of California. Such a disruption of the pharmaceutical industry, proponents say, would leverage the state’s massive market to increase competition and lower generic drug prices nationally.
The strategy is one of several the Democratic governor's plans aimed to lower the cost of healthcare for Californians. The administration indicated the proposal is part of a multi-prong effort that includes strengthening the state’s public option for health insurance and increasing drug pricing transparency.
Newsom will also continue last year’s push to establish a single market for drug pricing, direct the state to ask for more rebates from drug manufacturers and open a new health care affordability office sometime this spring.
“The cost of health care is just too damn high, and California is fighting back,” Newsom said in a statement. “These nation-leading reforms seek to put consumers back in the driver seat and lower health care costs for every Californian.”
The proposal, part of the new state budget Newsom sent to the Legislature on Friday, would authorize the state to negotiate contracts with drugmakers to manufacture selected prescriptions on behalf of California. Such a disruption of the pharmaceutical industry, proponents say, would leverage the state’s massive market to increase competition and lower generic drug prices nationally.
The strategy is one of several the Democratic governor's plans aimed to lower the cost of healthcare for Californians. The administration indicated the proposal is part of a multi-prong effort that includes strengthening the state’s public option for health insurance and increasing drug pricing transparency.
Newsom will also continue last year’s push to establish a single market for drug pricing, direct the state to ask for more rebates from drug manufacturers and open a new health care affordability office sometime this spring.
“The cost of health care is just too damn high, and California is fighting back,” Newsom said in a statement. “These nation-leading reforms seek to put consumers back in the driver seat and lower health care costs for every Californian.”
Monday, December 23, 2019
Five Things to Know About Microgrids
Posted By Julie Cart, CalMatters on Mon, Dec 23, 2019 at 10:46 AM
More than 1 million Californians were left in the dark for days recently as their big utility companies shut off power for fear of sparking wildfires. Frustrated by those outages, some homeowners say they’d like to turn their backs on the companies in favor of smaller providers who might do a better job of keeping the lights on. The mayors of San Francisco and San Jose say they want to sever ties with Pacific Gas and Electric, which serves much of Northern California, and create separate utilities for their cities.
Grasping for solutions, people toss around ideas like joining “microgrids” or setting up banks of generators to keep the electricity flowing during widespread power cutoffs. Would that really help?
What, exactly, is a microgrid?
A microgrid can be as simple as a single home operating on its own solar power, or a complex series of connections between a power source and distribution lines to end users. It can run a business, a neighborhood or even a city. It can be any size and may be fueled by renewable energy stored in batteries, or by generators run on a conventional fuel such as diesel.
Here’s Chris Marnay, a senior scientific fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who wrote the definition of microgrid that is used by the U.S. Department of Energy: “There are two characteristics: It is a locally controlled system, and it can function either connected to the grid or as an electrical island.”
How many microgrids are in California?
It’s difficult to say how many have sprouted across the state and are now dotting the landscape, producing and sharing their own energy. Such systems include small neighborhood operations and one that runs the desert town of Borrego Springs.
That town, and others like it, are known as end-of-the-line communities, lying just beyond the reach of power companies’ distribution lines. For those small locales, and for residents in many rural parts of California, a microgrid is the only choice if they want power.
Many state universities have training-wheels versions that use small solar arrays to power a building or a section of the campus. UC San Diego runs a much larger system that provides up to 90% of campus electricity.
If some California lawmakers have their way, there will be many more such systems. A bill in the Legislature would require utility companies to identify the best areas of the state for employing microgrids and then build them.
A 2018 law sets a deadline of Dec. 1, 2020, for creation of a program for how they might operate, especially during times of emergency. The state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates California’s power companies, the California Energy Commission and the Independent System Operator—which runs most of the state’s electrical grid—are developing the plan.
Not surprisingly, former Gov. Jerry Brown is an enthusiastic supporter of microgrids. He said in his 2015 inaugural address that they should be greatly expanded. His rural retirement compound, Rancho Venada, at the end of a dusty road in Colusa County, is powered by a microgrid system.
Grasping for solutions, people toss around ideas like joining “microgrids” or setting up banks of generators to keep the electricity flowing during widespread power cutoffs. Would that really help?
What, exactly, is a microgrid?
A microgrid can be as simple as a single home operating on its own solar power, or a complex series of connections between a power source and distribution lines to end users. It can run a business, a neighborhood or even a city. It can be any size and may be fueled by renewable energy stored in batteries, or by generators run on a conventional fuel such as diesel.
Here’s Chris Marnay, a senior scientific fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who wrote the definition of microgrid that is used by the U.S. Department of Energy: “There are two characteristics: It is a locally controlled system, and it can function either connected to the grid or as an electrical island.”
How many microgrids are in California?
It’s difficult to say how many have sprouted across the state and are now dotting the landscape, producing and sharing their own energy. Such systems include small neighborhood operations and one that runs the desert town of Borrego Springs.
That town, and others like it, are known as end-of-the-line communities, lying just beyond the reach of power companies’ distribution lines. For those small locales, and for residents in many rural parts of California, a microgrid is the only choice if they want power.
Many state universities have training-wheels versions that use small solar arrays to power a building or a section of the campus. UC San Diego runs a much larger system that provides up to 90% of campus electricity.
If some California lawmakers have their way, there will be many more such systems. A bill in the Legislature would require utility companies to identify the best areas of the state for employing microgrids and then build them.
A 2018 law sets a deadline of Dec. 1, 2020, for creation of a program for how they might operate, especially during times of emergency. The state Public Utilities Commission, which regulates California’s power companies, the California Energy Commission and the Independent System Operator—which runs most of the state’s electrical grid—are developing the plan.
Not surprisingly, former Gov. Jerry Brown is an enthusiastic supporter of microgrids. He said in his 2015 inaugural address that they should be greatly expanded. His rural retirement compound, Rancho Venada, at the end of a dusty road in Colusa County, is powered by a microgrid system.
Friday, December 20, 2019
Crab Season to Start Dec. 31
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Fri, Dec 20, 2019 at 12:25 PM
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today the news so many have been waiting to hear: The commercial crab season for Humboldt County will start Dec. 31.
After being delayed twice while waiting for the crab to fatten up a bit, fishermen can now begin setting gear in local waters on Dec. 28.
“Dungeness crab quality test results from Dec. 17, 2019 met the minimum guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee,” the release states. “Director Charlton H. Bonham had announced a delay to Dec. 31 based on the last round of tests conducted on Dec. 3, 2019, but with these new results no additional delay is warranted.”
Read the full CDFW release below:
After being delayed twice while waiting for the crab to fatten up a bit, fishermen can now begin setting gear in local waters on Dec. 28.
“Dungeness crab quality test results from Dec. 17, 2019 met the minimum guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee,” the release states. “Director Charlton H. Bonham had announced a delay to Dec. 31 based on the last round of tests conducted on Dec. 3, 2019, but with these new results no additional delay is warranted.”
Read the full CDFW release below:
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Why the Supes Denied Terra-Gen's Wind Project, Despite a Series of 11th Hour Concessions from the Company
Posted By Thadeus Greenson and Elaine Weinreb on Tue, Dec 17, 2019 at 8:27 PM
With Humboldt County supervisors Rex Bohn and Virginia Bass having indicated they would support controversial plans to erect a wind farm on Monument and Bear River ridges south of Rio Dell, and supervisors Steve Madrone and Estelle Fennell having indicated they would not, Supervisor Mike Wilson was left as the swing vote.
Obviously deeply conflicted at the end of a marathon 16-hour meeting spread over two days that were punctuated by emotional testimony and the occasional outburst, Wilson was still clearly trying to get to yes. Torn between the realities of the climate crisis and a project that promised to deliver 56 percent of Humboldt County’s electricity load from 47 wind turbines — but planned to do so by placing 20 of them on Bear River Ridge, desecrating a sacred ancestral prayer site of the Wiyot Tribe known as Tsakiyuwit — Wilson first asked if the project would be viable if moved entirely to Monument Ridge.
Randy Hoyle, senior vice president and chief development officer of Terra-Gen, the company proposing the project, replied that the company had already crunched the numbers on that alternative and it wasn’t feasible.
“I understand the extreme sensitivity of this but, from a commercial standpoint, remove the turbines from Bear River Ridge and this project will not be built,” he said.
Wilson said that was the sticking point for him. He wanted to support the project but couldn’t do so if it meant adding to the generational trauma suffered by Wiyot tribal members, whose ancestors had been victims of an attempted genocide, by forever altering a “culturally important” landscape.
“From my perspective, this is a heavy and horrible place to be at this moment,” Wilson said, lamenting that the Wiyot Tribe had brought up the sacred nature of the site months ago when commenting on the project’s environmental impact report, yet apparently little had been done to bring them to the table to find a workable solution. Now, as he flailed to find one, the tribe didn’t have a seat the table. “It’s somewhat patronizing that we’re having this conversation without the impacted peoples — I apologize for that. This is terrible. I’m crying. Seriously.”
Hoyle then responded, saying he’d felt the “sensitivity of the issue,” as well, floating a potential solution. He said the projected local sales and property tax revenues from the project — a total of $9.8 million over the span of its 30-year lease that many considered one of the project’s more tantalizing carrots from the county’s perspective — could be redirected to “certain affected people” at the board’s discretion.
“I think along with that … we are willing to put aside and fund an endowment, and we’ll call it a community endowment, prior to the start of construction for the board to distribute at its full discretion,” Hoyle said, adding that the company was then and there pledging $1 million to go into the endowment to be dispersed as the board sees fit. “That is something the applicant is willing to consider.”
Seemingly a bit surprised at what he’d just heard, Bohn, the board chair, mused that he knows “sacred sites are not for sale” and called Wiyot Tribal elder Cheryl Seidner to the podium to offer a response on behalf of the tribe.
“There’s not enough money to do that,” Seidner said, addressing her comments directly to Terra-Gen’s representatives. “You would not sell your mother, we cannot sell our earth. And I don’t mean to be disrespectful. You don’t know where Indigenous peoples come from. We come from here. We come from the earth.”
Obviously deeply conflicted at the end of a marathon 16-hour meeting spread over two days that were punctuated by emotional testimony and the occasional outburst, Wilson was still clearly trying to get to yes. Torn between the realities of the climate crisis and a project that promised to deliver 56 percent of Humboldt County’s electricity load from 47 wind turbines — but planned to do so by placing 20 of them on Bear River Ridge, desecrating a sacred ancestral prayer site of the Wiyot Tribe known as Tsakiyuwit — Wilson first asked if the project would be viable if moved entirely to Monument Ridge.
Randy Hoyle, senior vice president and chief development officer of Terra-Gen, the company proposing the project, replied that the company had already crunched the numbers on that alternative and it wasn’t feasible.
“I understand the extreme sensitivity of this but, from a commercial standpoint, remove the turbines from Bear River Ridge and this project will not be built,” he said.
Wilson said that was the sticking point for him. He wanted to support the project but couldn’t do so if it meant adding to the generational trauma suffered by Wiyot tribal members, whose ancestors had been victims of an attempted genocide, by forever altering a “culturally important” landscape.
“From my perspective, this is a heavy and horrible place to be at this moment,” Wilson said, lamenting that the Wiyot Tribe had brought up the sacred nature of the site months ago when commenting on the project’s environmental impact report, yet apparently little had been done to bring them to the table to find a workable solution. Now, as he flailed to find one, the tribe didn’t have a seat the table. “It’s somewhat patronizing that we’re having this conversation without the impacted peoples — I apologize for that. This is terrible. I’m crying. Seriously.”
Hoyle then responded, saying he’d felt the “sensitivity of the issue,” as well, floating a potential solution. He said the projected local sales and property tax revenues from the project — a total of $9.8 million over the span of its 30-year lease that many considered one of the project’s more tantalizing carrots from the county’s perspective — could be redirected to “certain affected people” at the board’s discretion.
“I think along with that … we are willing to put aside and fund an endowment, and we’ll call it a community endowment, prior to the start of construction for the board to distribute at its full discretion,” Hoyle said, adding that the company was then and there pledging $1 million to go into the endowment to be dispersed as the board sees fit. “That is something the applicant is willing to consider.”
Seemingly a bit surprised at what he’d just heard, Bohn, the board chair, mused that he knows “sacred sites are not for sale” and called Wiyot Tribal elder Cheryl Seidner to the podium to offer a response on behalf of the tribe.
“There’s not enough money to do that,” Seidner said, addressing her comments directly to Terra-Gen’s representatives. “You would not sell your mother, we cannot sell our earth. And I don’t mean to be disrespectful. You don’t know where Indigenous peoples come from. We come from here. We come from the earth.”
Divided Board Votes Down Wind Project
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Dec 17, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Clearly conflicted individually and collectively, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to reject controversial plans to build a wind farm project on Monument and Bear River ridges south of Rio Dell.
The vote, which saw supervisors Virginia Bass and Rex Bohn support the project and the balance of the board reject it, came at the conclusion of a more than 16-hour meeting spread over two days that included public comment from hundreds of residents.
A short round of applause followed the vote.
The project, which would have seen 47 600-foot-high wind turbines placed on Bear River and Monument ridges south of Rio Dell and Scotia, was projected to provide enough electricity to supply 56 percent of Humboldt County’s demand. Proponents argued that not only was the project a necessary step to combat the global climate crisis, but it would also be an economic boon to the area, creating 300 construction jobs and 15 permanent positions, while generating millions of dollars in property tax revenue for the county over its 30-year life.
Opponents, meanwhile, argued the project was little more than a green-washed money grab that would harm local bird populations, clear-cut miles of forest, damage a biologically diverse coastal prairie and desecrate a sacred Wiyot prayer site.
The project was officially opposed by the city of Rio Dell, the town of Scotia, the Wiyot Tribe and the Yurok Tribe. It was endorsed by the city of Eureka, the Humboldt Del Norte Building and Construction Trades union and the county planning department, which recommended the board find there were overriding concerns present that trumped the unmitigable environmental impacts that would accompany the project.
After the 3-2 vote described above, staff told the board a passing vote was needed to make the denial official, so a motion was made to flatly reject the project. It passed 4-1, with Bass having joined the majority. She offered no explanation for the shift in position.
Check back for a full report on the marathon meeting.
The vote, which saw supervisors Virginia Bass and Rex Bohn support the project and the balance of the board reject it, came at the conclusion of a more than 16-hour meeting spread over two days that included public comment from hundreds of residents.
A short round of applause followed the vote.
The project, which would have seen 47 600-foot-high wind turbines placed on Bear River and Monument ridges south of Rio Dell and Scotia, was projected to provide enough electricity to supply 56 percent of Humboldt County’s demand. Proponents argued that not only was the project a necessary step to combat the global climate crisis, but it would also be an economic boon to the area, creating 300 construction jobs and 15 permanent positions, while generating millions of dollars in property tax revenue for the county over its 30-year life.
Opponents, meanwhile, argued the project was little more than a green-washed money grab that would harm local bird populations, clear-cut miles of forest, damage a biologically diverse coastal prairie and desecrate a sacred Wiyot prayer site.
The project was officially opposed by the city of Rio Dell, the town of Scotia, the Wiyot Tribe and the Yurok Tribe. It was endorsed by the city of Eureka, the Humboldt Del Norte Building and Construction Trades union and the county planning department, which recommended the board find there were overriding concerns present that trumped the unmitigable environmental impacts that would accompany the project.
After the 3-2 vote described above, staff told the board a passing vote was needed to make the denial official, so a motion was made to flatly reject the project. It passed 4-1, with Bass having joined the majority. She offered no explanation for the shift in position.
Check back for a full report on the marathon meeting.
Monday, December 16, 2019
UPDATE: Covered California Has Extended Deadline to Friday, Officials Say New Subsidies and Eligibility Requirements Are Available
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Mon, Dec 16, 2019 at 12:56 PM
UPDATE:
The state has extended the deadline to sign up and receive Covered California coverage beginning Jan. 1 until Friday due to a surge in enrollment.
According to a press release, “Covered California saw tens of thousands of people sign up for coverage” beginning late last week.
“Open enrollment is full-steam ahead, and this year’s enrollment period is more important than before,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Sign up now and you may be eligible for new financial help that is available for the first time, and you can avoid the possibility of paying a significant penalty for not being covered.”
The full Covered California release on the extension can be found at the bottom of the story.
PREVIOUS:
If you want to sign up for health insurance through Covered California and enter 2020 insured, you’re running out of time.
The Dec. 15 deadline (extended to Dec. 20) to sign up in time to start the New Year with coverage is approaching and state officials are reminding California residents without health insurance that they will face a penalty next year. While Congress reduced the penalty for failing to get insured under the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act, the California Legislature enacted its own version this year, meaning residents who don’t have health insurance next year could face penalties of up to $695 per person.
But the looming penalties promise to bring more people into the insurance pool, which will reduce costs, said Covered California spokesperson James Scullary. Rates for next year are only going up 0.8 percent statewide, Scullary said, the lowest rate change in the program’s history. And in Humboldt County, he said, the average rate change is a 1.7-percent reduction.
There are also more subsidies available than in previous years, Scullary said, and they are available to a wider swath of customers.
Customers who make less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level — which equates to about $49,960 for an individual or $103,000 for a family of four — on average receive subsidies that cover 80 percent of their insurance costs, Scullary said. Further, he said individuals making up to $75,000 and families of four with incomes up to $154,000 are now eligible.
Scullary said he’s heard from lots of people in Humboldt County who assumed they were ineligible for Covered California and/or subsidies because that was the case a couple of years ago.
“We’re really encouraging them to check again because things have changed substantially,” he said. “That could make a big difference in people’s lives.”
To find out if you’re eligible, visit www.coveredcalifornia.com or call (800) 300-1506. Scullary said the website also has a tool that allows people to anonymously enter their zip code, household income and ages of household residents in order to see the assortment of plans available and what federal and state subsidies may be available.
Open enrollment for Covered California extends through Jan. 31, though, again, customers must sign up by Dec. 15 to be insured by Jan. 1. As of March, Scullary said about 5,900 Humboldt County residents were enrolled in the program.
Read the Covered California release below:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to a strong surge in enrollment, Covered California extended the deadline for consumers to sign up for health insurance that would start on Jan. 1. They will now have through Friday, Dec. 20, to sign up and have their coverage go into effect on New Year’s Day.
“Covered California is still open for business and making sure consumers can have a health plan in place on Jan. 1,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Covered California is putting consumers first, making sure they have time to find the plan that best fits their needs.”
Beginning late last week, Covered California saw tens of thousands of people sign up for coverage on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“Open enrollment is full-steam ahead, and this year’s enrollment period is more important than before,” Lee said. “Sign up now and you may be eligible for new financial help that is available for the first time, and you can avoid the possibility of paying a significant penalty for not being covered.”
Governor Gavin Newsom Amplifies Message
Governor Newsom took to social media this weekend to help remind all Californians they can get help paying for their health insurance. In this Twitter video, the governor used the holiday season as a way to spread the news about the first in the nation state subsidies that are available and that Californians have until the end of Friday to sign up for coverage that begins Jan. 1.
Restoring the Individual Mandate
California lawmakers put two new policies in place for 2020 that were designed to encourage enrollment and lower costs.
First, they restored the individual mandate penalty that was part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from 2014 to 2018, meaning consumers who do not get covered could face a penalty when they file their 2020 taxes in the spring of 2021.
For those facing a penalty, a family of four would pay at least $2,000, and potentially more, for not having health insurance throughout 2020.
Covered California is working with the Franchise Tax Board, which will administer the penalty, to alert Californians about the new law and reduce the number of uninsured people in our state.
New State Subsidies
The second new policy for 2020 is new financial help for eligible Californians that will lower the cost of their coverage. Last week, Covered California announced that nearly 500,000 people who had already signed up for coverage in 2020 will be receiving the new subsidies.
On average, consumers between 200 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level will receive $21 per household, per month on top of their federal tax credits. Meanwhile, for the first time in the nation, people who earn between 400 and 600 percent of the federal poverty level will be receiving an average of $460 per month, per household.
“California will be making history this year, becoming the first state in the nation to make coverage more affordable for middle-income people like small-businesses owners and entrepreneurs,” Lee said. “If you have checked Covered California out before, check again, because you could be eligible for new financial help that will lower the cost of your coverage by hundreds of dollars a month.”
Getting Help Enrolling
Consumers can easily find out if they are eligible for financial help and see which plans are available in their area by entering their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage into Covered California’s Shop and Compare Tool.
Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can:
Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.
California’s open-enrollment period continues through Jan. 31, 2020, but people who enroll after Dec. 20 will have their coverage start Feb. 1.
Residents of Minnesota, Rhode Island, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia should visit www.HealthCare.gov to be directed to their state exchange to enroll. Enrollment in Idaho’s health exchange ends today.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
The state has extended the deadline to sign up and receive Covered California coverage beginning Jan. 1 until Friday due to a surge in enrollment.
According to a press release, “Covered California saw tens of thousands of people sign up for coverage” beginning late last week.
“Open enrollment is full-steam ahead, and this year’s enrollment period is more important than before,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Sign up now and you may be eligible for new financial help that is available for the first time, and you can avoid the possibility of paying a significant penalty for not being covered.”
The full Covered California release on the extension can be found at the bottom of the story.
PREVIOUS:
If you want to sign up for health insurance through Covered California and enter 2020 insured, you’re running out of time.
The Dec. 15 deadline (extended to Dec. 20) to sign up in time to start the New Year with coverage is approaching and state officials are reminding California residents without health insurance that they will face a penalty next year. While Congress reduced the penalty for failing to get insured under the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act, the California Legislature enacted its own version this year, meaning residents who don’t have health insurance next year could face penalties of up to $695 per person.
But the looming penalties promise to bring more people into the insurance pool, which will reduce costs, said Covered California spokesperson James Scullary. Rates for next year are only going up 0.8 percent statewide, Scullary said, the lowest rate change in the program’s history. And in Humboldt County, he said, the average rate change is a 1.7-percent reduction.
There are also more subsidies available than in previous years, Scullary said, and they are available to a wider swath of customers.
Customers who make less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level — which equates to about $49,960 for an individual or $103,000 for a family of four — on average receive subsidies that cover 80 percent of their insurance costs, Scullary said. Further, he said individuals making up to $75,000 and families of four with incomes up to $154,000 are now eligible.
Scullary said he’s heard from lots of people in Humboldt County who assumed they were ineligible for Covered California and/or subsidies because that was the case a couple of years ago.
“We’re really encouraging them to check again because things have changed substantially,” he said. “That could make a big difference in people’s lives.”
To find out if you’re eligible, visit www.coveredcalifornia.com or call (800) 300-1506. Scullary said the website also has a tool that allows people to anonymously enter their zip code, household income and ages of household residents in order to see the assortment of plans available and what federal and state subsidies may be available.
Open enrollment for Covered California extends through Jan. 31, though, again, customers must sign up by Dec. 15 to be insured by Jan. 1. As of March, Scullary said about 5,900 Humboldt County residents were enrolled in the program.
Read the Covered California release below:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to a strong surge in enrollment, Covered California extended the deadline for consumers to sign up for health insurance that would start on Jan. 1. They will now have through Friday, Dec. 20, to sign up and have their coverage go into effect on New Year’s Day.
“Covered California is still open for business and making sure consumers can have a health plan in place on Jan. 1,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee. “Covered California is putting consumers first, making sure they have time to find the plan that best fits their needs.”
Beginning late last week, Covered California saw tens of thousands of people sign up for coverage on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“Open enrollment is full-steam ahead, and this year’s enrollment period is more important than before,” Lee said. “Sign up now and you may be eligible for new financial help that is available for the first time, and you can avoid the possibility of paying a significant penalty for not being covered.”
Governor Gavin Newsom Amplifies Message
Governor Newsom took to social media this weekend to help remind all Californians they can get help paying for their health insurance. In this Twitter video, the governor used the holiday season as a way to spread the news about the first in the nation state subsidies that are available and that Californians have until the end of Friday to sign up for coverage that begins Jan. 1.
Restoring the Individual Mandate
California lawmakers put two new policies in place for 2020 that were designed to encourage enrollment and lower costs.
First, they restored the individual mandate penalty that was part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from 2014 to 2018, meaning consumers who do not get covered could face a penalty when they file their 2020 taxes in the spring of 2021.
For those facing a penalty, a family of four would pay at least $2,000, and potentially more, for not having health insurance throughout 2020.
Covered California is working with the Franchise Tax Board, which will administer the penalty, to alert Californians about the new law and reduce the number of uninsured people in our state.
New State Subsidies
The second new policy for 2020 is new financial help for eligible Californians that will lower the cost of their coverage. Last week, Covered California announced that nearly 500,000 people who had already signed up for coverage in 2020 will be receiving the new subsidies.
On average, consumers between 200 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level will receive $21 per household, per month on top of their federal tax credits. Meanwhile, for the first time in the nation, people who earn between 400 and 600 percent of the federal poverty level will be receiving an average of $460 per month, per household.
“California will be making history this year, becoming the first state in the nation to make coverage more affordable for middle-income people like small-businesses owners and entrepreneurs,” Lee said. “If you have checked Covered California out before, check again, because you could be eligible for new financial help that will lower the cost of your coverage by hundreds of dollars a month.”
Getting Help Enrolling
Consumers can easily find out if they are eligible for financial help and see which plans are available in their area by entering their ZIP code, household income and the ages of those who need coverage into Covered California’s Shop and Compare Tool.
Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can:
Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.
California’s open-enrollment period continues through Jan. 31, 2020, but people who enroll after Dec. 20 will have their coverage start Feb. 1.
Residents of Minnesota, Rhode Island, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York and the District of Columbia should visit www.HealthCare.gov to be directed to their state exchange to enroll. Enrollment in Idaho’s health exchange ends today.
About Covered California
Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budget. Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program.
Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California’s consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Diverting Holiday Waste
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Sun, Dec 15, 2019 at 4:54 PM
Now that the holiday season has arrived, so has the waste generated by the festivities, from wrapping paper and plastic bows to dirty foil trays and more plastic packaging.
During this time of the year, Recology Humboldt’s Material Recovery Facility starts to collect about 25 percent more waste, says General Manager Linda Wise.
“Right now we’re seeing a lot of dirty foil and tin pans and Amazon plastic packaging as people are doing a lot of online shopping,” she says.
The waste-collection company especially sees a lot of wishful recycling — a term that describes people putting items in the recycling bins thinking that they're recyclable when they actually aren’t — especially with plastic film and bubble wrap, which impacts the entire recycling stream.
The more garbage recycling-collection companies process, the higher the costs will be for everyone in the recycling industry, which includes consumers paying for recycling, as workers now have to separate, bale and ship the garbage to landfills. MRFs do not clean our recyclables, so make sure that your rinse out any tin foil pans or they’ll contaminate other recyclables.
Non-recyclable holiday items that shouldn’t be placed in your recycling bin include wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbon and bows, and gift bags. All the holiday waste on top of the regular recycling produces a slower production line and forces workers to sort out more material.
According to Wise, contamination in the waste stream slows the line to about 12 tons per hour, which is a big difference from the line's normal run of 17 to 20 tons per hour.
“It’s amazing how much waste comes this time of the year,” Wise says. “We see a lot of it, that’s why we don’t take vacations. There’s a big waste generation.”
So be sure to place non recyclable items in the trash bin, because if they wind up at Recology’s MRF, they'll make things really complicated. Better yet, try different sustainable materials to wrap your gifts in.
Wise suggests gift givers opt for reusable produce bags as gift bags and newspaper comic strips for wrapping paper (with twine to add a little flare). She also suggests reducing the waste stream by reusing old Christmas cards or brown paper sacks as gift tags, and keeping ribbon to reuse over and over again. But the most important thing Wise emphasized is shopping local to support local businesses and avoid the online packaging that comes with online purchases.
“Buy a Christmas card from a local artist,” she suggested. “Instead of shopping online, shop locally, or instead, buy gift certificates for services like a massage or a pedicure.”
For more information on local recycling check out our past coverage here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Animals / Business / Economy / Community / Environment / Natural Resources / Government / Outdoors / Science
No Local Crab Before the New Year
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Tue, Dec 10, 2019 at 4:52 PM
The commercial Dungeness crab season off of Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties has been delayed again at least until Dec. 31 due quality tests that “continue to show crab are below the minimum testing guidelines.”
According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife release, another round of testing will take place around Dec. 20 to determine whether the New Year’s Eve opening is a go or another delay until Jan. 15 is in order.
“No vessel may take or land crab in an area closed for a meat quality delay (i.e., Fish and Game districts 6, 7, 8 and 9),” the release states. “In addition, any vessel that takes, possesses onboard or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in the delayed area for 30 days following the opening of that area.”
In other news, CDFW reports a warning on sports caught crab in the Shelter Cove to Point Arena zone was lifted after new tests show the level of domoic acid at low to undetectable levels in the area.
“Although there are currently no areas under an active health advisory for Dungeness crab in the state, CDPH recommends consumers follow best practices to avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in the crab viscera,” the release states.
The Sonoma County and south commercial fishery, which had been delayed due to concerns about marine life entanglements, will open Dec. 15.
Read the CDFW update below:
According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife release, another round of testing will take place around Dec. 20 to determine whether the New Year’s Eve opening is a go or another delay until Jan. 15 is in order.
“No vessel may take or land crab in an area closed for a meat quality delay (i.e., Fish and Game districts 6, 7, 8 and 9),” the release states. “In addition, any vessel that takes, possesses onboard or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in the delayed area for 30 days following the opening of that area.”
In other news, CDFW reports a warning on sports caught crab in the Shelter Cove to Point Arena zone was lifted after new tests show the level of domoic acid at low to undetectable levels in the area.
“Although there are currently no areas under an active health advisory for Dungeness crab in the state, CDPH recommends consumers follow best practices to avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in the crab viscera,” the release states.
The Sonoma County and south commercial fishery, which had been delayed due to concerns about marine life entanglements, will open Dec. 15.
Read the CDFW update below:
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Planning Commission Denies Wind Farm Project
Posted By Thadeus Greenson and Elaine Weinreb on Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 9:58 PM
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted 4-2, with commissioners Mike Newman and Alan Bongio dissenting and commissioner Brian Mitchell absent, to deny a proposal to build a wind farm on Monument and Bear River ridges south of Rio Dell.
An initial vote on a motion to accept the project stalled with a 3-3 vote, which prompted commission Chair Robert Morris to ask Terra-Gen's representative if he would be OK delaying the vote a couple of weeks until after the Thanksgiving holiday when the full commission would be available. The representative — Terra-Gen Senior Director for Wind Development Nathan Vajdos — replied that he wanted a clear answer then and there, prompting the vote on whether to deny the project. (Bongio, who had voted for the motion to accept the project, was the swing vote in denying it, but offered no explanation for the change.)
The proposal brought forward by Terra-Gen, a subsidiary of Energy Capital Partners, would see 47 600-foot wind turbines erected on the ridge lines, each placed on a large concrete platform. Proponents of the project conceded it would bring unavoidable environmental consequences but argued it would be an expedient local response to the global climate crisis, powering more than 40,000 homes with clean, renewable energy. In addition to the potential environmental benefits and impacts of the project, it promised to create hundreds of jobs during construction, as well as 15 permanent ones, while putting more than $2 million in tax revenue into county coffers.
But opponents — including some environmental groups and the Wiyot Tribe — argued the environmental cost of the project was too much, clearing carbon-sequestering forests and prairies, harming vulnerable bird populations and forever altering a sacred Wiyot prayer site. At the Nov. 14 planning commission meeting, about a dozen members of the public spoke in support of the project while 54 opposed it.
After hearing more than five hours of public comment spread over three meetings, the planning commission voted the project down tonight, denying a conditional use permit application that would have paved the way for Terra-Gen to begin the process of securing the dozens of other permits needed to begin construction.
The commission's decision is appealable to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. Check back for full coverage of the planning commission's decision in the coming days.
An initial vote on a motion to accept the project stalled with a 3-3 vote, which prompted commission Chair Robert Morris to ask Terra-Gen's representative if he would be OK delaying the vote a couple of weeks until after the Thanksgiving holiday when the full commission would be available. The representative — Terra-Gen Senior Director for Wind Development Nathan Vajdos — replied that he wanted a clear answer then and there, prompting the vote on whether to deny the project. (Bongio, who had voted for the motion to accept the project, was the swing vote in denying it, but offered no explanation for the change.)
The proposal brought forward by Terra-Gen, a subsidiary of Energy Capital Partners, would see 47 600-foot wind turbines erected on the ridge lines, each placed on a large concrete platform. Proponents of the project conceded it would bring unavoidable environmental consequences but argued it would be an expedient local response to the global climate crisis, powering more than 40,000 homes with clean, renewable energy. In addition to the potential environmental benefits and impacts of the project, it promised to create hundreds of jobs during construction, as well as 15 permanent ones, while putting more than $2 million in tax revenue into county coffers.
But opponents — including some environmental groups and the Wiyot Tribe — argued the environmental cost of the project was too much, clearing carbon-sequestering forests and prairies, harming vulnerable bird populations and forever altering a sacred Wiyot prayer site. At the Nov. 14 planning commission meeting, about a dozen members of the public spoke in support of the project while 54 opposed it.
After hearing more than five hours of public comment spread over three meetings, the planning commission voted the project down tonight, denying a conditional use permit application that would have paved the way for Terra-Gen to begin the process of securing the dozens of other permits needed to begin construction.
The commission's decision is appealable to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. Check back for full coverage of the planning commission's decision in the coming days.
Vocality Gives Big to SoHum Nonprofits
Posted By Kym Kemp on Thu, Nov 21, 2019 at 9:31 AM
Last night may have been chilly but hearts were warmed at the Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce’s Mixer in Garberville when Vocality Community Credit Union unexpectedly donated a total of $200,000 to Southern Humboldt’s two main medical organizations.
Both Redwoods Rural Health Care and Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District received $100,000 checks.
“People were totally surprised,” said the chamber’s board President Michelle Bushnell. “They are very much being good to our community with community earned money. … It’s keeping the money local.”
Vocality also revealed the NOMAD mobile banking vehicle at the mixer with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The completely self-contained vehicle has an ATM and will be able to process loan applications, open new accounts and provide credit counseling, according to an earlier interview with Pat Neighbors, president and CEO of Vocality.
Bushnell said she is excited about the possibilities of the Freightliner van.
“It’s going to the Cove [today],” she told us. “There are a lot of elderly out there who don’t come into town a lot. … If a disaster happens, it can be used for emergency response. … It can be taken to festivals … and go to places that are remote.”
Both Redwoods Rural Health Care and Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District received $100,000 checks.
“People were totally surprised,” said the chamber’s board President Michelle Bushnell. “They are very much being good to our community with community earned money. … It’s keeping the money local.”
Vocality also revealed the NOMAD mobile banking vehicle at the mixer with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The completely self-contained vehicle has an ATM and will be able to process loan applications, open new accounts and provide credit counseling, according to an earlier interview with Pat Neighbors, president and CEO of Vocality.
Bushnell said she is excited about the possibilities of the Freightliner van.
“It’s going to the Cove [today],” she told us. “There are a lot of elderly out there who don’t come into town a lot. … If a disaster happens, it can be used for emergency response. … It can be taken to festivals … and go to places that are remote.”
