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Wednesday
June 11, 2014
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Ptarmigan
At 2600 foot elevation, two miles east on the Granite Basin Range, this male ptarmigan tries to remain inconspicuous to the eagles soaring above.
Front Page Photo By KEN ARRIOLA ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Alaska: Analysis of Alaska's health care safety net released By MARY KAUFFMAN - A report analyzing Alaska’s health care safety net and identifying where gaps exist for Alaskans who fall between the eligibility lines of Medicaid and subsidized insurance on the Federal Healthcare Marketplace was completed by the Department of Health and Social Services and delivered to Gov. Sean Parnell on Monday, June 9.
The report defines the gap population, provides an overview of the safety net services available in Alaska, gives a brief description of funding that supports these services and describes gaps in services for the identified population.
The report loosely defines the gap population as an individual who:
• Is between the ages of 18-64.
•
Does not have health insurance.
•
Is not eligible for Medicaid.
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Is not covered under another health care system that provides benefits for members (example: tribal health beneficiaries).
•
Does not have dependents.
•
Has an income less than $14,859/ 1 person or $19,660/ 2 person household.
•
Is not disabled.
In their 2013 analysis, the Lewin Group estimated Alaska's gap population at about 20,000 individuals. This estimate was developed using 2010 and 2011 data. An independent 2014 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated the number as closer to 17,290. For purposes of a starting point, the Alaska Department of Health & Socail Services' analysis used the Kaiser’s estimate of Alaska’s total uninsured population below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL} at 17,290. Of these 17,290 individuals, the analysis estimated approximately 10,000-12,000 Alaskans met the definition and do not have access to any type of health care coverage.
According to the report, in 2010, total spending (public and private) on health care services in Alaska was $7.5 billion, which is more than $10,000 per resident annually. By now, 2014, that cost would have increased stated William Streur, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, in his report.
Streur stated in the report, "It is a sign of the dysfunction of the existing health care system in our country that, despite spending more than $10,000 per [Alaska] resident, there remain gaps in services for some."
The analysis found that through a combination of tribal health organizations, community and federally qualified health centers, locally delivered public health services, and hospitals, Alaskans without health care coverage can access a comprehensive set of services in over 200 communities throughout the state.
One finding within the gap population reported a number of Alaskans between 18 and 64 years of age have no desire or perceived need for health care services and do not show up in any counts, studies, or surveys. According to the report, this group simply will not seek out health care services, except in perceived emergencies where they are admitted and treated. The only way to derive an estimate of this group is through a process of elimination, after identifying all other groups seeking health care. Accordingly, while the analysis uses 10,000-12,000 as an estimated number of individuals in the gap population, the number of those who would actually utilize services is likely much lower.
According to the report, hundreds of millions of public dollars are spent each year in an attempt to provide funding for safety net services in Alaska, yet uncompensated care is identified as a burden by much of the private and tribal health systems. A need was identified to better understand how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year in an attempt to provide coverage to the gap population, yet uncompensated care is identified as a significant burden by much of the private and tribal health systems. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
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Alaska: “Social Security is not a handout” says Begich: Keep Social Security Solvent, Payments Fair. - Making good on his commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security, U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) took to the Senate floor today to encourage his colleagues to support three bills that would broaden Social Security benefits, keep Social Security solvent for future generations, and ensure all Americans who pay into Social Security get the benefits they deserve.
The Retirement and Income Security (RAISE) Act, a bill Begich introduced today, would increase Social Security payments for divorced spouses, enhance benefits for widows and widowers, and extend eligibility for children of retired, disabled or deceased workers. The additional benefits included in the RAISE Act would be offset by the application of a 2 percent payroll tax rate on annual earnings over $400,000—an offset that means Social Security will continue to be fully funded.
Begich noted his Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate unfair reductions to Social Security benefits for people who have worked part of their career in “non-covered” jobs – often state or local government or other civil service jobs. These reductions, first implemented in the 1980s in the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset Act, had the unintended consequence of punishing people by reducing benefits they have rightly earned.
“More than 71,000 people in Alaska rely on Social Security. That’s roughly one out of every 10 Alaskans,” said Begich. “Social Security lifts tens of thousands of Alaskans out of poverty – the elderly and especially elderly women. And it pumps more than $1 billion into our economy each year. These bills are a common sense, fiscally responsible way to protect Social Security. As long as I am in Congress, I will fight to make sure Social Security is solvent and available for Americans who earned it.” - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
Alaska: Maritime Workforce Plan Aims to Increase Alaska Maritime Workforce - A new plan designed to increase the number of Alaska residents working in maritime careers has been released. This plan, the Alaska Maritime Workforce Development Plan, aims to create and educate a large Alaskan workforce in the maritime sector. The plan includes strategies to create a seamless workforce development system to prepare Alaskans for opportunities in 23 priority occupations across four maritime sub-sectors.
A recent study found that Alaska ranks third in the nation in per capita maritime jobs. Representing 70,000 jobs in Alaska, the maritime industry includes seafood harvesters, processors, marine occupations, support jobs and research, enhancement and management.
The waters off Alaska’s shores produce more than 60 percent of the nation’s seafood harvest. Significant amounts of oil and gas are produced offshore. Communities and consumers depend upon marine lines for fuel, durable goods and consumer products. Ferries, cruise ships and personal watercraft ply our waters filled with commuters, fishers, and sightseers, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Alaska’s economy. - More...
Monday PM - June 11, 2014
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Alaska Science: Old-growth spruce destroyed at research site By NED ROZELL - This spring, John Yarie learned of the death of the oldest living things he knew. Since 1988, the silviculture professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks had measured and fertilized a stand of giant spruce trees on a hillside south of Fairbanks. A few weeks ago, forest technicians visited the site and found that one dozen trees had been cut down, possibly by “wood poachers.”
An old-growth white spruce cut down on a long-term forest research plot.
Photo by John Yarie
“I’m just really disappointed somebody would come in and do something like that,” Yarie said. “It ended all the data collection going on for that site.”
The trees were part of a long-term research plot in the 12,487-acre Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest between Fairbanks and Nenana. The 200-year-old trees had aluminum tags on them at chest level and were encircled with silver dendrometer bands that measured tree growth. They were located a few hundred yards off a dirt road, miles from legal woodcutting areas. Whoever cut the trees left the top portions, some of which were 10 to 12 inches in diameter.
A few of the 50-inch diameter trees had been absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen since 1813. Forest expert Glenn Juday of the University of Alaska Fairbanks said mid-slope white spruce trees don’t get much older, because fire sweeps through every 200 years or so.
Yarie, 65, helped establish the plot on a south-facing hillside when he was 39. He then measured every tree in the 15-meter by 15-meter square, and has gone back to check the growth of the white spruce every five years. Each year, he or forest technicians have fertilized part of the plot to see how the trees responded (not much) to more nitrogen in comparison to a nearby untouched control plot. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
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Columns - Commentary
 DAVE KIFFER: Go Forth and Humidify - The other day, a friend asked me if this was one of the worst “droughts” in Ketchikan history. I think she was being a little sarcastic.
After all, one inch of rain in two weeks does not constitute a drought. Even in Ketchikan.
Her point was that one inch (as of this writing) in June following a May in which we only got six inches of rain (three of which was on one day early in the month) may indeed constitute cause for concern.
(The fact that we had 21 inches in April seems to now be water under the (Stedman Street) bridge)
Yes ma’am, soon the Forest Service will be talking about fire danger. The timber will be dry and massive fires will rake the Tongass.
And Fish and Game will be horrified that the creeks are too low for proper escapement. Millions of returning salmon will be forced to pool up in the creek mouths causing massive die-offs and leading to absolutely no returning fish runs in 2-4-6 years. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
 TINA DUPUY: E-Cigarettes Should Be E-Regulated - Let me get one thing out of the way: I hate cigarette smoke. Hate isn't even a strong enough word for my violent contempt for smoking. It's twofold: Smokers stink up common air and often litter common space. When people in public parks flick their butts on walkways they cede their civil rights and we should be able to water board them in the fountain.
And yes, I'm a reformed smoker and a total hypocrite. I smoked like a rendering plant from the time I was a young teenager until I was nearly 30. I attribute my stopping to draconian and fascistic public policy: I couldn't smoke in restaurants; I couldn't smoke in bars; in some states I couldn't smoke 100 feet from said establishments. It got more and more expensive as normally tax-resistant politicians taxed the hack out of my vice. Smoking made me a social pariah.
It was no longer fun nor chic nor dignified so I quit.
In quitting smoking I also ended my life-long love affair with nicotine. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a delectable drug that stimulates brain function, decreases appetite and calms nerves. And then after years of dependence it makes you think it's akin to oxygen, and the notion of being without it sends you into a panic. As an irony to this soothing and comforting drug, long-term use of nicotine means you're rarely ever calm. So to me quitting smoking only to chew nicotine gum is a lateral move. All the health benefits and financial motivations of not smoking are null and void if you are still on nicotine. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014 |
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 Plan addresses workforce needs of Alaska’s maritime industry By Kris Norosz, Julie Decker and Doug Ward - With our massive land endowment and bragging rights as the largest state in the nation, it’s easy to lose sight of an important fact – Alaska is a maritime state. - More...
Wednesday - June 11, 2014
My kid is not fat! ... no really. By Linda Beaupre - Ah my friend Kevin, thank you for writing a thought provoking letter. I am going to have to respectfully disagree with your argument. I have heard of these letters before reading your letter to Sitnews. My child is not yet school aged, but let's pretend he is. - More...
Wednesday - June 11, 2014
Thank you Sen. Begich By Willard S Jackson Sr - My friend Mark Begich, thank you for all you are doing for the veterans. - More...
Wednesday PM- June 11, 2014
Police foot patrol By Helga Ohmer - Years ago there were Ketchikan police on bicycle and on foot present during the summer months. I wished they would continue to do so . I'm tired of pot smokers and abusers of other drugs in the ally and doorways downtown. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
Marijuana legalization By Frank Rodgers - The federal government still holds that marijuana is a drug with no medical benefit, whatsoever. Apparently the federal government has not googled "medical benefits of marijuana" lately. there are tons of benefits, too many to list here, but one big one is that it cures cancer, if taken orally, in quantities sufficient to the cause, without horrible side effects. It helps people who suffer from PTSD and helps some of our veterans who, without a little pot, might harm themselves and others when they enter into depressive episodes. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
TIME ZONES & OBESITY By Chris Elliott - While I was not in any way in favor of the time zone change, I don't believe another hour of daylight would change the level of obesity in Ketchikan children. Referring to Uncle Al's admonishment, I believe changing what we feed our children (Big Mac v. Big Salad) would be considered an inconvenience by some parents just as helping an overweight, out-of-shape child improve would be inconvenient. - More...
Wednesday PM - June 11, 2014
RE: My Kid is not fat By Ken Lewis - In response to this subject of child obesity and how Ketchikan turned down a chance to have Big Brother show us the way to healthier life styles for our children... Please, not just Ketchikan, but SE AK wake up. Bill Sheffield, the worst governor in AK history, consolidated time zones for the railroad that he worked for. In so doing, he stole an hour of afternoon (according to the clock) recreational daylight from SE AK's families! The sound science of time zones was ignored for the convience of a few. And nobody asked our kids if they would prefer to do less after school, nor did SE Alaska voters, vote to give time to this PHAT CAT. - More....
Friday - June 06, 2014
RE: My Kid is not Fat! By Chris Elliott - Bravo, Kevin! I've discussed this health issue many times with the person funded by the grant. There was certainly never any intent to tell parents that their children are "fat." Americans have a real problem with obesity, and all of us should do our best to eat healthy foods and exercise. That starts at home. - More...
Friday - June 06, 2014
Un-necessary consequences for Marijuana By Anthony M. Johnson - I am writing this letter in response to Mr. Seibert. As mentioned in my previous letter, I am a Ketchikan resident and parent of two children. For my children's sake I do support the legalization of Marijuana, please read on. - More...
Friday - June 06, 2014
Surveys By Charlie Freeman - Do I call you dear Sit News? Anyway, I just got off the phone talking to another know nothing conducting a "blind" survey for some unknown group or person interested in either getting elected or getting someone unelected. Considering the questions asked, what kind of idiot would put any faith in the results? I'm sure you've all have gotten at least one. What was your take on the questions? Did you feel the answers you gave represented what you really thought or were you frustrated that none of the little boxes fit your feelings? Moreover, did you know more than half the people mentioned? Bet not. Pretty much an Anchorage show and, outside of Anchorage, nobody much cares about Anchorage but Anchorage, but they care a lot. Sorry about the rest of us. Don't mention we're here. - More...
Monday PM - JUne 02, 2014
MY KID IS NOT FAT! By Kevin Staples - At the beginning of the school year, Ketchikan was lucky enough to receive a grant that was aimed at helping our youth live a healthier and more active life style. All of our children were measured for BMI, and after all of the data was collected letters were sent out letting parents know that some should be concerned about very real risk factors. - More...
Monday PM - June 02, 2014
Unuk River fishery changes By Victoria McDonald - Recently, the Ketchikan Daily News reported that ADFG is concerned about king salmon not meeting escapement goals for the past 2 years on the Unuk River. King salmon fishing in northern Behm Canal is closed from May 27-June 30 and only one king can be harvested per day in eastern Behm. Meanwhile the rest of Southeast has a limit of 3 kings per day. Restricted fishing is bad news for a community that markets itself as “Salmon Capital of the World”. - More...
Monday PM - June 06, 2014
A mother's pride By Bonna L. Booth - I wrote this comment into a review online after having tried civilly to deal with Ketchikan-based airline people via telephone. The situation began on May 16th, after our having had a beautiful flower bouquet of roses and sunflowers (the yellows being part of the school colors) hand-delivered to a Ketchikan-based airline company's freight department and told that they would be on the 3:00 p.m. flight to Metlakatla for our high school graduate to have for her walk of promotion. You could imagine our excitement in anticipation of handing my daughter (and granddaughter to the other two ladies involved in this transaction) this floral arrangement, unexpectedly, for her special night. - More...
Monday PM - June 06, 2014
Name that Team By A. M. Johnson - In these glory days of political correctness the opportunity to poke fun at the absurdly displayed lack of common sense is over whelming. Take the latest waste of stupid. - More...
Monday PM - June 02, 2014
Response to Jail for processing Marijuana By Marvin Seibert - I would like to respond to Mr. Anthony M. Johnson on the prospect of jailing our children for procession of Marijuana. No one is suggesting that some youngster who makes a mistake because he is young and foolish be sent to a penitentiary. I am also for making kids accountable for those actions. Currently in the State of Alaska procession for less than 1oz of this poison named marijuana is a maximum of 90 days and a maximum of $2,000 fine and is listed as a misdemeanor. Now if you are caught with Intent to distribute or selling or distributing and you have more than an ounce it is a felony punishable by a maximum of 5 years and $50,000 fine. The selling of this poison should have stiff penalties. If you can't do the time don't do the crime. - More...
Monday PM - June 02, 2014
Marijuana and addiction By Marie Zellmer - Legalization? It is weird for me to say that i am a former pothead, most people who know me would be shocked. But it's true. In college I tried it for the first time and discovered that it helped me deal with all the stresses I was faced with, and kept me on track to getting an AA with a gpa of 3.75. My grades improved because i smoked, but I was concerned that if i got arrested for it I would lose everything - my scholarships, my grades, my respect. I was fortunate to never get caught buying or selling it because I grew it myself. - More...
Monday PM - June 02, 2014
Repeal the 16th Amendment By Wiley Brooks - I have an answer to the below listed revelations: Repeal the 16th Amendment which will end the income tax and close the IRS doors. Replace the income tax with a consumption tax which will be transparent to everyone who pays for needs and wants at point of purchase. There are now approximately 140 million individual/family income tax filers with only one-half of them paying taxes. Under the proposed consumption tax legislation all 325 million inhabitants on our shores will have skin in the game (legal and illegal residents, foreign visitors, those that prosper in the underground economy and those who never file a return). The proposed legislation in Congress is known as the “FairTax” designated as H.R. 25 in the House and S.122 in the Senate. - More...
Monday PM - June 02, 2014
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