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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2017)
2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2017 Oregon had no plan for checking Medicaid eligibility Oregon’s new system for managing its Medicaid enroll- ees, called ONE, has this capa- bility, according to the Oregon Health Authority. But since ONE was launched in late 2015, patients are still being entered into the system, due in part to disparate datasets and a laborious initial process that requires enrollees to com- plete a paper application more than 30 pages long. And the 465 state workers assigned to the task of re-enroll- ment are not yet fi nished. As a result of the prob- lems with Cover Oregon, the state received a series of waiv- ers from the federal government on performing the checks until mid-2016. The health authority maintains the Centers for Medi- care and Medicaid Services are aware of and have approved the agency’s ongoing efforts to resolve the backlog, despite the current lack of a formal waiver. One of many shortcomings in Cover Oregon By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — When Oregon expanded access to Medicaid in 2014, it had no system in place to perform the annual checks on recipient eligibility required by federal law. That was one of the many fl aws of Cover Oregon, a state health care exchange also intended to handle patient reg- istration for Medicaid. Medic- aid is the federal government’s health care coverage for the poor and disabled . In Oregon, about a quarter of the state’s population — approximately 1 million peo- ple — receives it. More than three years after the expansion was launched under the Affordable Care Act, the state is scrambling to fi nish verifying whether every Orego- nian on Medicaid — the Ore- gon Health Plan — meets the criteria. the process of being removed from the Oregon Health Plan because they did not respond to the state’s termination warnings. Although the health author- ity emphasizes the process is now about 90 percent com- plete, the remaining 10 percent has come to the attention of the state’s top auditor, who released a memo arguing that the state could have spent millions of dollars on people who do not qualify for the program. Secretary of State Den- nis Richardson’s memo riled up legislators on both sides of the aisle, who are busy ham- mering out health care budgets and a potential tax on provid- ers to cover some of the costs of expanding Medicaid. The possibility that the state could have lost money by pay- ing for unqualifi ed recipients — and to clean up the data — in its effort to provide coverage to more people has been high- lighted as legislators attempt to close a $1.4 billion budget gap. Richardson’s offi ce released an audit Wednesday fi nding the new ONE system functions well when it comes to verifying people for Medicaid. However, Deadline The governor has given the health authority an Aug. 31 deadline to get about 101,000 Oregonians double-checked. Another 14,000 people are in FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY 73 51 51 69 52 Mostly sunny and pleasantly warm Clear Mostly sunny and pleasant TUESDAY 68 52 66 52 Pleasant with times of clouds and sun Mostly cloudy auditors also found that man- ual entry poses a risk to the accuracy of eligibility deter- minations and payments to healthcare providers. Simpler The health authority says the enrollment and rede- termination process will be simpler as time goes on because the system can do certain things automatically, such as verifying an appli- cant’s income by compar- ing the application to exist- ing datasets. Asked whether the health authority was equipped to redetermine the eligibility of the approximately 1 million people on the Oregon Health Plan, the agency responded Wednesday that it has “taken aggressive action” to verify recipients’ eligibility since the Cover Oregon failure. The agency hired 300 temporary employ- ees, according to a spokes- woman. It has brought on multiple private contrac- tors to help with the process, Oregon Health Authority Director Lynne Saxton told legislators Tuesday. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. REGIONAL WEATHER Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 51/73 Astoria through Thursday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 62°/43° Normal high/low ........................... 62°/47° Record high ............................ 81° in 2005 Record low ............................. 34° in 1967 Tillamook 50/71 Precipitation Thursday .......................................... 0.00" Month to date ................................... 5.79" Normal month to date ....................... 2.72" Year to date .................................... 47.03" Normal year to date ........................ 32.76" Salem 53/87 Newport 49/62 Sunset tonight ........................... 8:54 p.m. Sunrise Saturday ........................ 5:31 a.m. Moonrise today ........................... 6:44 a.m. Moonset today ......................... 10:03 p.m. Full June 1 Last June 9 Coos Bay 49/63 New June 17 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 9:39 a.m. 9:35 p.m. Low -1.8 ft. 2.1 ft. Hi 83 57 72 71 78 72 95 54 83 78 82 89 68 87 89 86 86 73 89 75 86 70 67 77 78 Today Lo 65 53 56 47 58 57 69 33 69 63 62 68 55 74 79 69 73 60 68 58 67 48 52 56 60 U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley will hold a town hall meeting on Sunday in Warrenton. The Oregon Democrat is scheduled to appear at 12:30 p.m. at Warrenton High School. The senator also has a town hall set for 4:30 p.m. at St. Helens Senior Center in Columbia County. “In our ‘We the People’ democracy, town hall meet- ings are an essential tool for me to hear from Oregonians Price holds meet-and-greet Ontario 47/82 The Daily Astorian Burns 37/76 All are welcome to meet with Astoria City Councilor Cindy Price at her May Salonical. The event is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Klamath Falls 40/80 Lakeview 39/77 Ashland 51/87 and represent their inter- ests back in D.C.,” Merkley said in a statement. “I invite all residents of Clatsop and Columbia counties to come and discuss what we need to do to strengthen our state and our nation.” in the Flag Room at the Astoria Library, 450 10th St. Residents can exchange ideas and informa- tion, ask questions and express concerns about ongoing and proposed city projects. ON THE RECORD REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 69 72 60 80 65 74 87 82 64 67 Today Lo 35 43 48 48 51 40 53 54 49 50 W pc s pc s s s s s s pc Hi 77 80 59 86 66 80 93 87 62 62 Sat. Lo W 38 s 46 s 48 pc 49 s 52 s 42 s 56 s 55 s 50 s 51 s City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 80 76 83 85 82 68 73 81 83 83 Today Lo 49 49 57 53 53 51 52 50 55 51 W s s s s s s s s s s Hi 86 83 89 90 87 69 79 85 87 89 Sat. Lo W 51 s 53 s 58 s 54 s 53 s 52 s 54 s 50 s 57 s 53 s Assault • At 10:44 p.m. Wednesday, Jeanne Joe Han- sen, 45, of Astoria, was arrested by the Astoria Police Department on the 1800 block of Fifth Street for fourth-degree assault. She allegedly assaulted a male family member, who sustained minor injuries. DUII • At 2:20 a.m. Thursday, Kevin J. Kel- ley, 55, of Winchester Bay, was arrested by the Seaside Police Department on U.S. High- way 101 near Avenue S for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants and refusing to take a breath test. MEMORIAL DAY TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES 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 Baker 35/77 SOUTH BEND, Wash. — Marijuana may be legal for adults now, but giving the drug to a child will still land you in prison, as one Ocean Park, Wash- ington, woman has learned . In a Pacifi c County Superior Court hearing earlier this month, Christina Lee Yanez, 36, was sentenced to 13 months in state prison for criminal mistreatment and delivery of marijuana. Yanez was arrested in April after an ambulance crew responded to a report of an intoxicated 9-year-old at the Dunes Bible Camp swimming pool. The child was taken to the emergency room. Deputies learned that Yanez intentionally gave the child a brownie laced with “dabs,” a highly concen- trated form of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Accord- ing to Pacifi c County Prose- cutor Mark McClain, the child asked for one of the brownies Yanez’s boyfriend had made. The boyfriend objected, saying they were drugged and the child should not eat them. “Ms. Yanez decided to give them to her child anyway,” McClain said. “It is inexcusable to give a 9-year-old marijuana, regardless of how relaxed we have become about its use.” After eating the brownie, the child went to the pool. Allowing the child to swim while intoxi- cated added to the already sig- nifi cant risk, McClain said. According to court records, Yanez used “dabs” and other forms of marijuana on a daily basis. She will be required to undergo drug treatment while she is in prison. Child Protective Services will decide whether Yanez is allowed future contact with her child. Parents who use marijuana need to be especially vigilant about pot products that appeal to children, including candies, cookies and brownies, McClain said. According to a 2016 report from the Washington Poison Control Center, toxic exposures to marijuana rose in 2014 and 2015, following the start of legal marijuana sales in mid-2014. In 2015, the center documented 272 marijuana-related poison- ings, most of which occurred in the victims’ homes. About a third of the cases involved edible pot products. Forty-six percent involved people under the age of 18. The number of THC poison- ing-related calls increased for almost all age groups in 2015, but the jump was highest among children 1 to 4 years old. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 UNDER THE SKY High 10.0 ft. 8.1 ft. La Grande 43/78 Roseburg 53/90 Brookings 47/60 June 23 John Day 43/80 Bend 43/80 Medford 53/93 Tonight's Sky: Ursa Major will be nearly overhead before midnight and Cassiopeia will be low above the northern horizon. Time 2:33 a.m. 4:03 p.m. Prineville 42/83 Lebanon 49/87 Eugene 48/86 SUN AND MOON First Pendleton 49/83 The Dalles 53/91 Portland 57/89 By NATALIE ST. JOHN EO Media Group Merkley to hold town hall The Daily Astorian ALMANAC Ocean Park woman imprisoned for giving drug to child W s r t t c pc s c sh pc c s sh pc c pc s pc pc pc t pc pc s pc Hi 87 62 77 59 78 76 94 58 83 80 80 90 69 86 92 85 89 72 94 76 87 71 67 83 78 Sat. Lo 71 51 59 41 57 58 64 36 70 63 59 71 55 74 78 71 75 58 63 60 69 51 52 58 64 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W pc c pc t t pc s pc sh t t s pc c pc c pc pc pc pc t s pc s t Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. C h a r t Yo u r C o u r s e Register Now! For Summer Term Classes begin June 26th Contact Student Services at registration@clatsopcc.edu or call 503-338-2411 In observance of Memo- rial Day on Monday, all fed- eral, state, county and city offi ces and services, includ- ing Astoria, Warrenton, Gear- hart, Seaside and Cannon Beach city halls, are closed. All U.S. post offi ces are closed, and there is no mail delivery. Astoria, Jewell, Knappa, Warrenton/Hammond, Sea- side (including Cannon Beach and Gearhart schools) and Ocean Beach School District schools and Clatsop Commu- nity College are closed. The Astoria Library, Seaside Library, Warren- ton Library and all Timber- land libraries in Washington, including Ilwaco, Ocean Park and Naselle, are closed. The Port of Astoria offi ces and services are closed. Garbage collection through Recology Western Oregon (covering Astoria, Seaside, Gearhart and Can- non Beach), city of Warren- ton garbage collection, and Peninsula Sanitation (cover- ing the Long Beach, Wash- ington, Peninsula) are not affected by the holiday. Recology Western Oregon’s transfer station is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Penin- sula Sanitation’s transfer sta- tion is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Sunset Pool in Sea- side is open from noon to 5 p.m. The Astoria Aquatic Center is open. The Clatsop County Her- CORRECTION Budget decrease incor- rect — The Port of Asto- ria’s $13.6 million pro- posed budget for next fiscal year is about $2 million less LOTTERIES than the budget for the fiscal year that ends in June. A 1A story Thursday incorrectly said the decline would be $7 million. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Port of Astoria Budget Committee, noon, 10 Pier 1 Suite 209. Astoria City Council, 6 p.m., library work session, City Hall, 1095 Duane St. 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 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. www.clatsopcc.edu CLATSOP COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY INSTITUTION. ADA ACCESSIBLE. itage Museum, Oregon Film Museum and Flavel House are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Carriage House is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Uppertown Fire- fi ghters’ Museum is closed. Capt. Gray’s Port of Play and Lil’ Sprouts are closed. Fort Clatsop is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Seaside Museum is closed. Sunset Empire Transpor- tation (“The Bus”) is run- ning. Weekend Seaside Streetcar is running from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Daily Astorian offi ces are closed, but the newspa- per printed and delivered as usual. SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. OREGON Thursday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 8-9-6-0 4 p.m.: 3-9-8-1 7 p.m.: 4-7-8-2 10 p.m.: 2-4-6-9 WASHINGTON Thursday’s Daily Game: 3-1-2 Thursday’s Keno: 01-13-15- 17-19-21-25-28-29-31-35-36- 51-53-55-57-58-66-71-77 Thursday’s Match 4: 08-20-21-24 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Effective July 1, 2015 HOME DELIVERY MAIL EZpay (per month) ................$11.25 EZpay (per month) ............... $16.60 13 weeks in advance ........... $36.79 13 weeks in advance ........... $51.98 26 weeks in advance ........... $70.82 26 weeks in advance ......... $102.63 52 weeks in advance ......... $135.05 52 weeks in advance ......... $199.90 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2017 by The Daily Astorian. Printed on recycled paper
