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Friday, March 29, 2013 – Daily News 7A Obituaries Study: Some health premiums to rise by 14 percent next year SACRAMENTO (AP) — Californians who buy individual health plans will see their premiums increase an average of 14 percent next year under the Affordable Care Act, but payments will largely depend on income, age and where they live, according to a new report released Thursday by California's health care exchange. The report commissioned by Covered California found the increase is ROBERT JAMES RICE largely due to an influx of people who August 9, 1940 - March 24, 2013 Robert James Rice 72, passed away on March 24, 2013. previously could not afford health He was born in Britton, So. Dakota to Lloyd and Rachel insurance or were denied coverage Rice. He graduated from Red Bluff High School in 1958 because of pre-existing conditions. and served in the US Navy from 1958 - 1961. Robert was While premiums will go up, married to Loretta Lee Zachesky (deceased) from 1961 1994. He married Joanne Newport in 1997. Robert exchange director Peter Lee said the worked as a supervisor at Pactiv Corp. for 40 years. He small group of people will get better was in the Ishi Archery Club from 1968 to 2013. He health plans that won't bankrupt them loved to hunt and fish and was an expert shot with a rifle if they become ill. and even a better hunter. He was very proud of going 40 About 2 million Californians puryears without missing a year to Wyoming and Idaho to hunt big game. Robert is survived by wife; Joann of chase individual plans, which repreRed Bluff, sons; Jim and Zack of Red Bluff, and Allan sents a small portion of the state's 38 Newport, of Anchorage, Alaska, brothers; Daryl Rice of million people. Those people lack Pendleton, OR., Larry Rice of Madras, Or, sisters; Jerylynn employer health coverage and tend to Masters, Dee Johnson both of Grants Past, OR. Robert earn too much to qualify for public was pre-deceased by his sisters, Wanda Rice of Pendleton, OR, Eleanor Beers, of Pilot Rock, OR & Patty health programs. They can include independent Maupin of Grants Pass, OR. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. contractors, self-employed individuals such as attorneys or florists, and small business owners. ''What we have as of Jan. 1, 2014, Death notices must be provided by mortuaries to the news department, is real insurance that can provide the are published at no charge, and feature only specific basic information protection for the first time that all about the deceased. Paid obituaries are placed through the Classified advertising department. Paid obituaries may be placed by mortuaries or by Californians that buy coverage families of the deceased and include online publication linked to the newsthrough the individual market will paper's website. Paid obituaries may be of any length, may run multiple days and offer wide latitude of content, including photos. know they will never go bankrupt,'' Lee said in a conference call with reporters. ''That's a game changer.'' Lee said one of the exchange's William Duvall died Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at his residence in Red Bluff. He was 70. Hoyt-Cole challenges will be to communicate changes coming under the federal Chapel of the Flowers is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, March 29, 2013, in the Daily health care overhaul. Even though News, Red Bluff, Calif. Death Notices William Duvall Elizabeth Macy Elizabeth Macy of Red Bluff died Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at Red Bluff Health Care. She was 87. Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers is handling the arrangements. Published Friday, March 29, 2013, in the Daily News, Red Bluff, Calif. Tehama Reads! book drive AmeriCorps is looking for book donations to help support Tehama Reads! Before third grade children are learning to read, after third grade they need to read to learn. In Tehama County only 42 percent of students are reading at grade level. Tehama Reads is working to ensure all children will be able to read at grade level by making books more accessible. The goal is to set up bookshelves throughout Tehama County were children can pick free books. How to Help: Drop off good condition books at: • Corning School Readiness Office, 1480 South St., 8244111 • First Steps Family Resource Center in Los Molinos, 7700 Stanford Ave, 384-7833 • U.S. Bank, 801 Main St. Red Bluff BRIDGE (Continued from page 1A) The 2-lane bridge was built in 1942 and widened in 1977. It's located about 3.4 miles south of Dusty Road. The change came as the result of a routine inspection and recalculation. The weight limit for a bridge on McCarty Creek TECHS (Continued from page 1A) review found. It said that the supervisor in charge of the two staffers did not require them to obtain the necessary preapproval for working overtime or make any effort to verify through easily available documents that they worked the extra time. Howle's review was prompted by a whistleblower complaint in 2009. It also affirms some of the findings in an investigation last year by The Sacramento Bee, which reported that a technician who conducted tests to determine the structural integrity of the foundation of the main tower of the new Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area falsified testing on other projects. A subsequent investigation by the federal Highway Administration found that the supervisor, with help from the two technicians, stole steel beams from Caltrans facilities and directed state employees to build and install a metal gate on his property. He was dismissed, but he Road over the McCarty Creek was raised from three to seven tons. CalTrans said the 3-ton limit was actually rescinded in 2004 following repair work, but the signage was never changed. The 1-lane bridge was built in 1937 and is located about a mile west of Paskenta Road. The bridge will be rerated in two years. has filed an appeal. The auditor recommended 14 actions for the Department of Transportation to take, including seeking reimbursement for the improper pay the technicians collected and requiring more detailed raw data about foundation testing be submitted to Caltrans supervisors. Caltrans said it now requires technicians to submit such raw data. Caltrans said it could not seek reimbursement for the nearly $14,000 in wrongly collected pay because it reached settlement agreements with each of the employees. The agency said it has revised its overtime policy to require additional documentation prior to claiming overtime pay. The technician accused of falsifying test data was allowed to retire from state service, avoiding dismissal despite the agency's contention that he was ''dishonest on multiple occasions and that he had engaged in inexcusable neglect of duty.'' The other technician who illegally claimed overtime pay was suspended without pay for 10 days. premiums may go up, Californians will receive more benefits to offset the costs, such as guaranteed coverage, limits on out-of-pocket expenses, and comprehensive medical coverage to protect them when they need it. The report estimates that rates in California would rise 9 percent in 2014 without federal changes. California, which is ahead of most states in planning an insurance exchange, is expected to be a trendsetter on rates. The study by the Milliman consulting firm did not look at the impact of federal health care overhaul on costs for most adults who receive coverage through their employer. Instead, it analyzed how the federal law would impact individual premium rates next year. Covered California is hoping the study will guide health insurers in pricing their plans as the companies submit bids to sell on the state's insurance marketplace. The exchange, as it's called, launches Oct. 1. The report estimated that extending coverage to the uninsured will result in a 26.5 percent average increase for individual plan premiums. However, the report said much of that increase will be offset by other factors, such as special payments to insurers to attract an outsize share of the sick, and the price-cutting effect of competition and more effective contracting. Premium prices will vary greatly depending on an individual's age, income and where they live. For example, a person earning less than $28,725, or 250 percent of federal poverty level, will see rates drop an average of 85 percent because they will be eligible for larger tax credits. A person earning between $28,725 and $45,960, or between 250 percent and 400 percent of federal poverty level, will pay an average of 45 percent less due to partial subsidies. Individuals making more than $45,960 would likely see an average premium increase of 30 percent because they won't receive any subsidies. Larry Levitt, a private health insurance expert with the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which analyzes health policy issues, said the projections illustrate flaws in the current individual insurance market system. He said rates are misleadingly low because people who are sick or have pre-existing conditions are excluded from medical underwriting. ''You may be paying a low premium because you're healthy but there's no guarantee that if you get sick, that that premium is going to stay low,'' Levitt said. ''By fixing the market, people are getting more security and stability in their coverage over time.'' The study also showed that younger adults will experience higher rate increases while older adults could see decreases. Exchange officials said increases could be offset by federal subsidies because younger people tend to earn less and people under 30 can select a catastrophic plan for less money. Adults under 26 can also remain covered under their parent's health plans, which was one of the provisions that has already gone into effect. STATE BRIEFING Snowpack 50% of normal SACRAMENTO (AP) — There's more bad news for California water users: the snow pack is just half the amount of normal and has already begun to melt. After a wet fall, the state recorded the driest January and February on record, and March didn't fare much better. Measurements taken Thursday show 28.5 inches of snow at 7,600 feet with a water content of just over a foot. The sparse snow was particularly alarming for state water managers because this is the time of year it is supposed to be most plentiful. Snowmelt provides about a third of the water used in households and on farms across California. The Department of Water Resources says reservoir storage will meet most of this year's needs but cautions that successive dry years could result in drought. 2 dead after truck driver chokes on highway DAVIS (AP) — A big rig driver choked on food and lost consciousness on a highway near Sacramento on Thursday morning, leading to a crash that killed two people and injured three others, including the truck driver, authorities said. The crash occurred around 10:30 a.m. on Interstate 80 near Davis, which is about 15 miles west of Sacramento. The tractor-trailer driver was in the eastbound lanes when he lost consciousness, drifted onto the right shoulder and then veered sharply to the left, going across the highway and over the center divider, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Parker said. He regained consciousness, but not in time to avoid an oncoming BMW. The vehicles collided head-on and burst into flames. The driver of the BMW and a second person in the vehicle died, said Deputy Tenzin Dorji of the Solano County Coroner's Office. The truck driver suffered minor to moderate injuries, including burns, Parker said. He also collided with two other vehicles as his truck went across the highway, leaving two others with minor to moderate injuries. Authorities haven't released the identities of the truck driver or the BMW driver. The highway was shut down in both directions for hours, but the eastbound lanes were reopened by early afternoon, Parker said. New council to promote defense industry SAN DIEGO (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown launched a major push Thursday to bolster California's military installations and defense industries amid federal cutbacks by establishing a council of retired generals and admirals to promote the state. The 18-member Governor's Military Council will be led by former congresswoman and Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher. It will include former military leaders from different branches, along with state lawmakers and business leaders, Brown's office announced. ''California plays a crucial role in our nation's defense, and military bases and activities are vital to our state's economy,'' Brown said in a statement. ''As federal priorities shift to cyber security and new military technology, this council will work to expand defenseindustry jobs and investment in California.'' California is home to 29 federal military installations. The Pentagon directly employs more than 236,000 people in the state. Brown said the council will work to protect that presence. Interior rejects bias claim on Klamath dams REDDING (AP) — The U.S. Department of Interior has rejected a whistleblower complaint that a department press release on scientific reports reviewing the proposed removal of four dams from the Klamath River was biased. The Redding RecordSearchlight reports (http://bit.ly/ZCEeBL ) Thursday that the decision to reject the complaint followed the recommendation of a panel of scientists, which found no scientific misconduct in the press release. While serving as a scientific integrity officer, Paul Houser had claimed the press release was biased in favor of removing four dams on the Klamath river in Oregon and Northern California. He was later fired, and agreed to resolve the personnel issues in his complaint through mediation. The department is considering whether to remove the dams to help wild salmon. Authorization for the Interior Secretary to make the decision has stalled in Congress. Decision by state to release pet deer criticized SACRAMENTO (AP) — An animal rescue group has criticized a decision by California wildlife officials to release a family's pet deer into the wild, saying the animal lacks the skills to survive and could become easy prey. The deer was released on Wednesday, a day after it was confiscated from the family's home in Sacramento County, the Sacramento Bee reported (http://bit.ly/14y43I2). The California Department of Fish and Wildlife initially said there was little chance of the doe being returned to the wild. But officials later said that was an early assessment and an examination determined the animal was fit for release. The doe was skittish around humans and aware of its environment, said Mark Michilizzi, a warden with the agency. ''She showed very good wild instinct, that she could survive on her own,'' he said. ''We want to keep wildlife wild, as much as possible that's our goal.'' As an herbivore, finding food would not be as difficult for the deer as it would be for a carnivore, he said. Preston Doughty, president of Austin Wildlife Rescue in Texas and a deer rehabilitation expert, said the doe would not have the skills to make it in the wild after two years as a family pet. His group would have tried to place the animal in an educational facility or put it down, he said. ''She's going to walk right up to a dog or a horse or a human who will slash her throat,'' Doughty told the Bee. Another deer rehabilitation expert, Diane Nicholas of Kindred Spirits Fawn Rescue in Loomis, said it usually takes months to get a domesticated deer of that age ready for life in the wild. Beautiful Blooming Flowers, Trees & Shrubs Stop by and Visit Saturday, March 30th: KIDS EASTER BASKET PLANTING PARTY-Free 10am to Noon Bring the kids and plant a basket of spring flowers Limited to stock on hand. No reservations Required 21st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION - April 6th Join us for a day of informative Classes, Vendors, Raffles & Goodies See website or Facebook for class schedule Closed Sunday, March 31st for Easter WYNTOUR GARDENS 365-2256 8026 Airport Road, Redding I-5 North, Exit #673, Rt on Knighton, Rt on Airport Located 1 mile south of the Airport (Next to Kents Mkt) Open Mon-Sat 8-5 & Sunday's 10-4 wyntourgardens.com Facebook inform@wyntourgardens.com