CALIFORNIA
American Rescue Plan provides big savings to those who have Covered California Health Plans
More money for more people equals more and better health insurance coverage for millions of Californians and consumers nationwide — especially vital during this age of COVID-19.
That’s the upshot of President Joe Biden’s recently passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, with health care provisions containing new and expanded financial help to benefit an estimated 3 million Californians, among the 25 million Americans who qualify. The new financial help will greatly reduce monthly health care costs, making health care coverage more affordable and generating savings of hundreds of dollars each month.
Covered California is poised to take a leadership role in ensuring that consumers take full advantage of this unique opportunity that expands the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and reap the benefits of these new health care funds.
“The new and expanded financial help provided by the American Rescue Plan is a very big deal for millions of Americans,” said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. “These new subsidies will help more people get covered, lower health care premium costs and put money back into people’s pockets when they sign up for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act.”
Additionally, Covered California announced that it’s opening its doors to enroll as many uninsured people as possible into health plans between April and the end of December 2021, because of these American Rescue Plan’s health care provisions. Major efforts will also launch to recruit consumers who now have expensive health coverage outside of Covered California and haven’t been able to get financial help in the past.
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CALIFORNIA
Rare California condor, gray wolf events
In two once-in-a-century events, the endangered California condor will return to the northern part of the state, and a rare gray wolf has entered Fresno County in the species’ farthest trip south in modern history.
The Yurok Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to release four or six captive-bred juvenile California condors each year for 20 years throughout Redwood National Park, which intersects with ancestral Yurok territory, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The birds, which almost became extinct in the 1970s, can live to about 60 and have magnificent 10-feet wingspans.
Tiana Williams-Clausen, director of the Yurok tribe’s wildlife department: “Not having him here for 100 years now, we as a people are wounded without having that spirit flying in our skies.”
The rare gray wolf, OR-93, entered Fresno County on Monday after crossing into California from Oregon on Jan. 30. Gray wolves are endangered in California, where fewer than 12 live.
Amaroq Weiss, senior West Coast wolf advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity: “We think OR-93 is in search of a mate, but even if he doesn’t find one this year, we sure hope he sticks around. He adds genetic diversity to our tiny wolf population and a very Californian flair for outdoor adventure.”
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