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Sheriff's office looking for shooting suspects From Staff Reports The Coos County Sheriff's Office is looking for two people believed to be linked to a shooting in Lakeside on April 26. Capt. Gabriel Fabrizio said deputies are looking for Michael Benitez, 27, and Dominique Steman, 21. Fabrizio is asking the public for help in locating the suspects. Fabrizio said a shooting took
place at 12:53 a.m. April 26 near the intersection of South 8th Street and Park Avenue in Lakeside. Fabrizio said Benitez is the prime suspect in the incident and Steman was believed to be with Benitez at the time of the shooting. Benitez should be treated as armed and dangerous and not approached, Fabrizio said. Benitez was last seen driving a black 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
bearing Oregon License Plate 913JFE. It is reported that there was a white sticker with the word “FOX” On the rear window. Benitez and Dominique are thought to have possibly fled to the Eugene area but that has not been confirmed. Any information would be appreciated, and can be reported to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office at 541-396-2106.
Michael Benitez
Dominique Steman
Planting trees to celebrate Arbor Day in Coos Bay By DAVID RUPKALVIS The World
A small Arbor Day celebration could benefit generations of outdoor lovers in Coos Bay. On Arbor Day, employees from the city of Coos Bay partnered with Jim Toffelmire and one member of the city’s Tree Board to plant seven new trees at John Topits Park. If left alone, the trees will easily outlive everyone who planted them and could provide shade and beauty for hundreds of years to those who visit Topits Park. Toffelmire, who is best known for volunteer work done at Ferry Road Park in North Bend, reached out to the city of Coos Bay because he has extra trees that were ready to be planted, The first tree that was planted near the playground next the middle lake at the park was a white oak that came from Deadwood, South Dakota. When visiting, Toffelmire picked up acorns that he planted at home. More than a decade later, the tree was placed in Topits Park. Please see ARBOR DAY, Page A2
Photos by David Rupkalvis/The World
Above: Jim Toffelmire, left, loosens the soil on a white oak as Will Spellman prepares to plant it during an Arbor Day tree planting at John Topits Park. Right: City of Coos Bay employees and Jim Toffelmire pose with three trees they planted near the playground at Topits Park.
Healthcare costs continue rising in Oregon
From Staff Reports
A new report shows average health care costs in Oregon totaled more than 23% of family expenditures in 2019. The Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) Health Care Cost Growth Target Program report showing impacts of rising health care costs on Oregon families and individuals found personal spending for health care rose by 34% from 2013 to 2019, outpacing national averages. Between out-of-pocket costs and rising premiums, high health care costs are jeopardizing the financial stability of people in Oregon, as 10% of people in Oregon reported using up all or most of their savings because of medical bills, according to the OHA report. “This report fleshes out with data a troubling picture of the impacts of rising health care costs on Oregon families,” OHA Director of the Health Policy and Analytics Division Jeremy Vandehey said. “While we’ve known for a long while that the rate of cost growth was unsustainable, COVID showed us in stark relief how important access to affordable care was to Oregon families.” According to Vandehey,
high costs not only cause poor health outcomes, but they also do real financial harm to people in Oregon. “The data in this report reinforces the need in our state for our cost growth target, which aims to limit annual increases in health care costs statewide to 3.4% over the next several years,” he said. “And even as the pandemic destabilized so many things, we still know Oregon families cannot sustain further health care cost burdens.” An illustration of the impacts of the unsustainable health care cost that the report quantifies include people: • Delaying care • Unable to pay medical bills in the past year. • Experiencing difficulty paying medical bills over time • Using up savings to pay medical bills • Incurring significant medical debt Declaring bankruptcy A hearing of the Cost Growth Target Committee focused on real stories of people’s struggles with high medical costs, according to an OHA release. Testimony highlighted the difficulties Oregonians face with high medical costs and the resulting life quality impacts.
During the hearing, a small business owner described the business’s high deductible health plan which covers nothing until an $8,000 deductible is met. “I pay nearly $500/month for what really is catastrophic coverage,” the business owner stated. “I use my Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay out of pocket for all of my health care expenses. This is a formidable barrier to health care. I find myself “going without” because of the high cost of accessing any type of health care.” “I’m paying the equivalent of another mortgage, without having income other than my fixed retirement that needs to last for years,” another person commented at the hearing. “It is also difficult to plan what the amount I will pay for medical care before the deductible is met.” According to a summary of the report by the OHA: Commercial health insurance premiums in Oregon have increased by 22 percent between 2013 and 2019, for both single and family plans. In 2019, the average family premium was $19,405 and the average single premium was $6,651. On average, people in Oregon pay between a quarter and a third of their premium costs for family
Photo by Metro Creative Connection
Between out-of-pocket costs and rising premiums, high healthcare costs are jeopardizing the financial stability of people in Oregon, according to the OHA report. plans, and less than a quarter for single plans; employers pay the rest. However, the employer share of health insurance premiums is often considered part of total compensation and employees often experience these increasing health insurance costs through lower wages. In addition to paying health insurance premiums, many individuals must also pay a deductible as part of their health insurance plan. A deductible is the amount that an individual pays for their care before their health insur-
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ance starts to pay. Unlike health insurance premiums, the deductible is only paid when people seek health care services. Nine out of 10 people in Oregon with commercial health insurance have a deductible. Between 2013 and 2019, deductibles for commercial insurance family plans grew by 40 percent to an average of $3,634, and deductibles for single plans grew 51 percent to an average of $1,958. These cost increases are Please see HEALTHCARE, Page A3
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