The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 68, No. 40 - October 3, 2019
City of Champions 5K a Success
The inaugural City of Champions 5K Walk and Run at Edward Vincent, Jr. Park last weekend was a tremendous success! The City of Inglewood expressed thanks to the 300-plus participants, all the sponsors, and in particular to Doris Obih of 40 Love Foundation and Bryce
Fluellen of the American Heart Association for their tireless efforts in making this event come to fruition. Photo: City of Inglewood
South Bay Health from page 3
City Council from front page
of this council’s success in managing money
and (with the city treasurer’s guidance) investing
wisely.
During reports, the recent Cuban Festival
received praise from all for being a successful
and well-run event. Monteiro called for
the future hire of an economic development
manager or director – a standard position in
other communities – to ensure Hawthorne can
benefit from the regional expansion coming
into the area with the new stadium in Inglewood.
Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Valentine echoed
the sentiment and urged the city manager to
“look into this seriously,” as “all cities have
economic development managers.”’
Pulling a consent calendar item earlier for
discussion, Valentine said she was glad to see
the City embark on a new noise study with
a hired consultant. She wanted to ensure the
updated study will include different sites from
the previous one conducted in 2014, given the
increased air traffic since that time. Shadbehr
noted that the study will indeed expand site
locations, but must conform to Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) protocols. “We
cannot just pick and choose,” he said of the
potential study spots.
In a presentation at the beginning of the
meeting, the Council recognized the 23
Hawthorne High School manufacturing and
engineering students who graduated from the
South Bay Workforce Investment Board’s
Aero-Flex Pre-Apprenticeship program. Each
of the honorees received a certificate for their
accomplishment. SBWIB Director Jan Vogel
noted that this is the first such program in
the country certified by the Department of
Labor, with 288 graduates since its inception.
Connecting to the relationship with
Centinela Valley Union High School District,
Superintendent Dr. Gregory O’Brien came to
the podium wearing a “Show Me the Math”
t-shirt and spoke of the importance of focusing
heavily on that subject. •
the rate changes or new subsidies. However,
more than 200,000 people in the southwest
corner of Los Angeles County use Covered
California to buy their health insurance.
Though a 9 percent drop in premiums is
the high average, it could be even higher in
some cases. Switching to a plan in the same
metal tier -- bronze or silver -- could lower the
cost for South Bay families and individuals
by as much as 12 percent, the exchange said.
Expect more competition next year among
health plans in the South Bay. People who
should benefit most include existing health
plan participants whose annual household
income falls below 138 percent of the federal
poverty level, according to Covered California.
Their premiums for basic coverage drop to
$1 per member, per month. Individuals with
income less than $17,237 or $35,535 for
a family of four qualify for the additional
financial assistance next year.
As many as 663,000 Covered California
participants who currently receive federal
financial assistance could pay slightly less,
too, thanks to a monthly bump of $15 per
household. Though a small amount, it could
lower current premiums an average of 5
percent for those who qualify, the state’s
affordable care market coordinator explained.
Rate relief is coming for middle-income
Californians who previously did not qualify
for financial help because they exceeded
federal income requirements. Starting next
year, these health plan buyers can receive an
average of $172 per household each month
if they use Covered California. It predicts
nearly a quarter-million state residents will
qualify, including many who live in high-cost
areas of the state, including parts of L.A.
County. The subsidies could make health
insurance more affordable and accessible to
small businesses, contractors and workers,
and drivers in the gig economy.
The agency offered an example of a married
couple in their early 60s earning $72,000
per year. This year, they weren’t eligible for
any financial assistance. Under the coming
changes, that couple could receive $1,700
per month in financial assistance, which
would cover 70 percent of their monthly
health premiums.
The Legislature recognized the plight
of middle-income earners, whose health
insurance plans increased steeply under the
Affordable Care Act and the mandate that
everyone be insured. Lawmakers extended
some rate relief to those residents with an
appropriation in next year’s state budget.
Covered California’s chief applauded the
move. “Thanks to these bold steps from
California’s leaders, rates across the state in
2020 will be on average from 2 to 5 percent
lower across the state than they would have
been without these policies,” said Executive
Director Peter V. Lee with Covered California.
The South Bay region could see the deepest
savings for coverage with nine health plans
returning to the fold in 2020 and a 10th insurer
rejoining the competition. Anthem Blue Cross
HMO withdrew from the California exchange
in 2017, citing uncertainty surrounding the
Affordable Care Act and lawsuits over the
legality of the law.
The average rate for consumers who don’t
shop and switch from their current insurer
will increase a minuscule one-tenth of 1
percent next year, according to rate charts
released by Covered California.
The plans available through the state’s
exchange include four of the market leaders:
Kaiser Permanente HMO, L.A. Care HMO,
Blue Shield PPO and Health Net HMO. Outof
pocket premiums next year are expected
to drop about 1 percent for Kaiser customers
and almost 5.5 percent on average for Health
Net enrollees, according to the rate data.
The two Blue Shield Plans and L.A. Care’s
HMO are hiking their rates by 2 percent.
To reach Covered California by phone, call
(800) 300-1506 weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You
must apply for financial assistance through
the exchange. Frequently asked questions are
found at the website, www.coveredca.com,
along with health plan details. •