ACA Health Insurance Premiums At Risk For Increasing Next Year
Enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans are set to expire at the end of this year unless they are renewed by Congress.
Oklahoma’s Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said Oklahomans could see substantial increases in health insurance premiums if they aren’t extended.
Mulready said in a news release this week about 300,000 Oklahomans rely on Marketplace plans for their coverage.
The release said the state saw a 75% increase in enrollment through federal enhanced Advanced Premium Tax Credits, which were introduced in 2021 and extended through the Inflation Reduction Act.
They provide additional assistance to those already eligible for the regular tax credits and expanded eligibility for premium tax credits to enrollees with incomes above 400% of the federal poverty level.
The average cost of a benchmark silver plan for an Oklahoma enrollee is $58 a month this year with enhanced subsidies in place. That could jump to about $153 a month next year if they expire.
Oklahoma Bans DeepSeek On State-Owned Devices
The State of Oklahoma is banning the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek.
The program will no longer be allowed on state-owned devices, including laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets.
Governor Kevin Stitt said in a news release Friday that DeepSeek has security risks, and he does not want foreign adversaries to have access to state information.
Another concern is the AI technology creates regulatory compliance issues for state agencies.
Trump Approves Federal Aid for Oklahoma Tornado Recovery
President Donald Trump approved federal aid this week to help the state rebuild from tornadoes that hit last November.
President Trump declared a major disaster took place in Oklahoma in early November when two tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma City and the surrounding area.
The move opens up funding for rebuilding in 8 counties.
State lawmakers planned accordingly during the last legislative session. They created a state disaster relief fund and seeded it with $45 million meant for matching the feds.
Oklahoma Emergency Management officials report the November storms cost state and local responding agencies around $7.5 million in public assistance damages. Eight hundred forty homes were damaged, 151 of which were totally destroyed.
Disaster declarations – which usually occur much closer to the related event – depend on state requests to the president based on damage assessments the president has sole discretion to make them.
The disaster declaration by Trump applies to tornado damage caused in November, not the fire emergency of the past week. Emergency management officials say the full fire damage assessment is still in progress. They are working with federal officials to determine potential aid.
Spring Outlook: Drought Likely to Persist in Southern Plains
Spring is here and scientists say it’s unlikely the Southern Plains will see much rain throughout the season.
Drought is forecast to develop or persist in central and western Oklahoma between now and mid-June.
The U.S. Spring Outlook from the National Weather Service shows dry conditions are likely across most of the southern plains.
The projected dry and warm conditions come as the state recovers from a deadly few days of wildfires fueled by high winds and low humidity. The National Weather Service says much of the nation will likely experience above-average temperatures over the next couple of months.
The report says moderate-to-exceptional drought conditions currently exist across more than 40% of the U.S.
_________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU AM NewsBrief.