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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 19, 2017)
2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 19, 2017 State says determining Medicaid eligibility complicated expensive attempt at a health insurance marketplace. Oregon decided to expand Medicaid in 2013 under the federal Affordable Care Act, and dramatically widened the pool of Oregonians who could receive government health coverage. State auditors’ preliminary fi ndings, fi rst reported by The Oregonian on Tuesday eve- ning, brought more visibil- ity to what has been another wrinkle in a litany of problems with the state’s implementa- tion of the Medicaid expan- sion, including the Cover Ore- gon failure, which cost state and federal taxpayers about $300 million. Process hampered by old tracking systems By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — More than three years after Oregon opted to expand healthcare coverage under Medicaid, the govern- ment’s healthcare plan, it’s still not clear how much the state may have spent on people who don’t qualify. In response to an audit memo released by the Sec- retary of State’s Offi ce this week, the Oregon Health Authority said that the pro- cess for determining eligibility for the program has been ham- pered by old, disparate sys- tems for keeping track of Med- icaid recipients and the failure of Cover Oregon, the state’s Still in question Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s memo said that at a cost of $430 per patient per month, the state could have spent millions of dol- lars providing coverage for approximately 86,000 people whose qualifi cations for the program are still in question. The health authority and several Democratic legisla- tors on healthcare committees maintained this week that the Legislature, Gov. Kate Brown and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were already aware of problems with enrollment and eligibil- ity, which are in the process of being resolved. As of May 1, there were more than 1 million Ore- gonians on the Oregon Health Plan, representing about a quarter of the state’s population. Most people receiving Medicaid coverage in the state — nearly 734,000 recipients — have been determined eli- gible and have been enrolled in a new eligibility system called ONE. Another 180,000 people are receiving benefi ts through programs for foster children, the elderly and peo- ple with disabilities adminis- tered by the Oregon Depart- ment of Human Services. That leaves about 115,000 people who were previously determined eligible for Med- icaid benefi ts, but whose current qualifi cations for the program have not been confi rmed. Of that 115,000: • 14,000 are in the pro- cess of having their benefi ts terminated because they hav- en’t responded to the health authority’s inquiry. • 17,000 have responded and are undergoing analy- sis to determine whether they are eligible for Medicaid, a process the health authority expects to complete today . • 84,000 people are still being analyzed to fi nd out what the agency needs to do next about them, as they have previously been eligi- ble for Medicaid benefi ts, but have not been “redetermined” eligible. “Just because redetermina- tion is not complete, does not indicate that they are ineligi- ble for Medicaid,” an agency ON THE RECORD Seaside, was arrested by the Warrenton Police Depart- ment on the 600 block of U.S. Highway 101 for driving under the infl uence of intox- icants and recklessly endan- gering another person. She allegedly was seen slumped over a wheel and driving the wrong way in the Fred Meyer parking lot. Two chil- dren were also in the car, and Menacing • At 3:33 p.m. Thursday, Paul Fenimore, 48, of War- renton, was arrested by the Clastop County Sheriff’s Office on Sunset Beach Lane in Warrenton for menacing and disorderly conduct. DUII • At 5:37 p.m. Thursday, Shanon Bella Sabey, 35, of SATURDAY SUNDAY 63 49 51 A couple of morning showers Mainly cloudy ALMANAC Agnar Allen ‘Al’ Straumfjord, M.D. Sisters Dec. 1, 1928 — May 7, 2017 78 55 Mostly sunny, pleasant and warmer Times of clouds and sun Sunny to partly cloudy and very warm First June 1 Newport 49/59 Coos Bay 51/62 Last June 9 June 17 Ontario 47/76 Bend 42/69 June Elizabeth Sellers Burns 38/70 Astoria Feb. 6, 1932 — May 14, 2017 Klamath Falls 38/75 Lakeview 38/75 Ashland 48/78 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 3:24 a.m. 3:31 p.m. Low 2.5 ft. 1.0 ft. REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 68 72 64 76 58 75 83 74 59 63 Today Lo 38 42 50 48 52 38 51 51 49 52 W s s s s pc s s s s s Hi 65 69 65 70 58 75 81 70 59 62 Sat. Lo 39 40 52 48 51 42 50 51 47 51 W s s s pc c s s c pc pc City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 70 73 75 80 75 60 67 76 74 79 Today Lo 50 51 54 52 51 51 50 49 53 51 W s s s s s s s s s s Hi 69 71 71 74 72 60 65 70 70 78 Sat. Lo 45 47 53 51 52 50 48 48 53 49 W pc s c pc c c c pc c s TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES Hi 89 86 53 41 53 62 82 62 84 77 74 82 83 87 90 89 87 90 75 92 80 62 76 70 91 Baker 38/65 John Day 45/69 W t pc sh sn r pc s pc pc t t s s t sh t pc pc t pc t pc s s t Hi 88 63 74 59 66 68 84 62 85 81 63 89 87 85 89 89 83 70 70 72 80 70 76 69 72 Sat. Lo 69 50 53 37 45 60 61 39 72 63 45 69 62 67 79 68 72 52 48 54 57 52 52 52 59 Agnar Allen Straumfjord, M.D., died peace- Marianne Sawin Sanders married, and he added fully in his sleep May 7, 2017, at his home in his son, Peter, to his family. In 1975, they moved Sisters, Oregon. to a large farm in Albany, Oregon, followed by “Al” was born Dec. 1, 1928, to Jon Vid- many years in Camp Sherman and Sisters, Ore- alin Straumfjord, M.D., and Thorey gon. He loved the farm but eventually Thorderson Straumfjord, and was retired to his beloved c entral Oregon. raised in Astoria, Oregon, the middle “Doctor Al” was known for his child of three brothers. vast range of knowledge in a multi- A graduate of Astoria High tude of areas, his special love for his School, he attended Willamette Uni- Icelandic heritage, and anything to do with railroads. His support of his chil- versity and the University of Oregon dren and wife was never-ending. Medical School, now OHSU, earning He was preceded in death by his his medical degree and completing parents; his son, Agnar Allen Jr.; and residencies there in internal medicine his brother, Robert. He is survived and psychiatry. He served in the U.S. Agnar “Al” by his wife, Marianne; his children, Navy as a fl ight surgeon, and readily admitted he only spent one day at sea. Straumfjord, M.D. Karen (John) Timmers and Peter Straumfjord; his brother, Jon Straum- He had special interest in provid- ing student health care, both at Oregon State fjord, M.D.; his grandchildren, Kristjana, Jens, University and at OHSU, where he was a pro- Steen, Johann and Kaisa; a great grandchild, fessor in the Department of Psychiatry. Later he Ezra; and many special nieces and nephews. An open house to celebrate his life will be practiced psychiatry in Corvallis, Oregon, for many years, followed by work at Oregon State held June 3, 2017, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the fam- Hospital and the Benton County Mental Health ily home. Donations in his honor may be made to the Marianne and Al Straumfjord Family Clinic. Al had Agnar Allen Jr. and Karen Lee with Scholarship Trust at Oregon Health Sciences his fi rst wife, Louise Ulvin. In 1973, he and University. Roseburg 52/74 Brookings 50/69 Tonight's Sky: Vega will climb into view in the north- east with Arcturus in the east-southeast. Today Lo 69 53 50 31 48 49 55 41 72 65 56 64 61 72 80 71 74 56 52 59 69 46 52 54 64 Prineville 43/72 Lebanon 49/71 Medford 51/81 UNDER THE SKY High 6.8 ft. 7.8 ft. La Grande 45/66 Salem 51/72 Eugene 48/70 Full Pendleton 51/71 The Dalles 57/77 Portland 54/71 Sunset tonight ........................... 8:46 p.m. Sunrise Saturday ........................ 5:37 a.m. Moonrise today ........................... 2:33 a.m. Moonset today ........................... 1:29 p.m. City Atlanta Boston Chicago Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Honolulu Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Miami Nashville New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC 79 58 Tillamook 48/62 SUN AND MOON Time 9:02 a.m. 10:07 p.m. 69 54 Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 51/63 Precipitation Thursday .......................................... 0.00" Month to date ................................... 5.76" Normal month to date ....................... 2.04" Year to date .................................... 47.00" Normal year to date ........................ 32.08" May 25 TUESDAY REGIONAL WEATHER Astoria through Thursday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 62°/43° Normal high/low ........................... 61°/46° Record high ............................ 79° in 1997 Record low ............................. 36° in 2003 New MONDAY ‘Poor data quality’ According to the health authority , “poor data qual- ity” in Cover Oregon and the state’s older data systems meant that the agency had to contact each person receiving benefi ts to complete a paper application. It took more than two years to fi nish that process on fairly straightforward cases. What’s left, the agency said, are cases “more complex in nature.” The health authority says it will know what to do next with the group of about 84,000 people by the end of the month. “At that time we will be abl e to clearly understand the number of Oregonians that still need to go through the redetermination process to ensure they remain eligi- ble for Medicaid benefi ts,” the health authority said in a statement. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. OBITUARIES her blood alcohol content was 0.34 percent. Assault • A 10:45 p.m. Thurs- day, Jonathan Lawrence Pre- uss, 32, of Warrenton, was arrested by the Warrenton Police Department on the 1300 block of Southwest Ridge Road for fourth-degree assault. His girlfriend’s wrist was allegedly injured. FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT spokeswoman said in an email. Eligibility is an offi cial term that denotes whether or not someone has met the gov- ernment’s criteria for health coverage. Eligibility deter- mination is a formal process that is supposed to take place annually; the state got several passes on performing those annual determinations from the federal government until mid-2016. According to the Oregon Health Authority, federal law says that once someone has been determined eligible for Medicaid coverage, eligibil- ity cannot be revoked until the case has been reviewed, and he or she has been noti- fi ed and given a chance to respond. Someone would no longer meet the criteria if he or she started earning more than the maximum income, for exam- ple, but offi cial eligibility isn’t up until the formal deter- mination and revocation pro- cesses are complete. Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W pc s t pc t pc s pc sh t t s s t pc t t s pc pc t s s pc pc June Elizabeth Sellers, age 85, passed away in-law, Joseph and Teresita Sellers of Knappa, peacefully at home on May 14, 2017, in Asto- Oregon; fi ve grandchildren, Eric and his wife Stefanie, Amy, Sarah, Hillary and Shawn; and ria, Oregon. She was born on Feb. 6, 1932, in Afton, Ten- six great-grandchildren, Tristan, Lucas, Aiden, Elise, Kaelyse and Shamus. She is nessee, to Joseph F. and Nancy Grace also survived by an uncle, Harry Childress, the youngest of seven chil- Childress of West Virginia and chil- dren. She was raised in West Virginia dren; a sister-in-law, Clarice Sellers until the age of 12, and then her fam- of Orlando, Florida; and numerous ily moved west to Oregon. She grad- nieces and nephews whom she loved uated from high school in Vernonia, dearly. She was preceded in death by Oregon, and then trained as a nurse at her husband of 60 years, Bobby. Good Samaritan in Portland, Oregon. A memorial service will be held She married Bobby Elton Sellers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, 2017, on Aug. 5, 1950. June devoted her at Grace Community Baptist Church, life to taking care of people, whether June Sellers 1195 Irving Ave., in Astoria, Oregon. it was her family, or as a caregiver to A reception will follow. the elderly and ill. She attended Grace Her interment will be with her Community Bible Church in Astoria. June will be remembered for her quiet husband at Willamette National Cemetery in strength and selfl ess love for her family. Her Portland, Oregon. The family would like to extend their gratitude generous, sweet and kind nature made every- one feel special. She could make you laugh with to Mr. and Mrs. Croos and family for providing her quick wit and sense of humor. She loved attentive care and comfort over the past few years. Remembrances may be made to Lower cooking and telling stories, so you never left her Columbia Hospice in Astoria. home without a full stomach and a full heart. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary in Astoria, Ore- She is survived by her three children, a daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Barry gon, is handling the funeral arrangements. Visit Craft of Long Beach, a son, John Sellers of www.hughes-ransom.com to leave a message Warrenton, Oregon, and a son and daughter- and/or sign the online guest book. LOTTERIES CORRECTION Location incorrect — The location of the fi nal Get Lit at the Beach event — a moderated Q& A with several authors Sunday — was incor- rectly reported in the Coast Weekend calendar Thursday. It will take place at the Coaster Theatre, 108 N. Hemlock St., in Cannon Beach. Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. MEMORIAL I NSERTS R ELIEF FOR B UNIONS , F ALLEN A RCHES , P LANTAR F ASCIITIS AND M ORE ! 20 % OFF Now thru May 31, 2017 60 D AY C OMFORT G UARANTEE ! Sunday, May 21 SODERBERG, Leanne — Memorial at 1 p.m., Pine Grove Community House, 225 Laneda Ave. in Manzanita. PUBLIC MEETINGS MONDAY Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 Follow us on www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. 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