Berkeley

GOP Health Plan Could Be Bitter Pill For California

Published

9 years ago

March 12, 2017

By Chad Terhune, California Healthline

Republicans are touting their health plan as the right medicine for ailing insurance markets across the country, from Arizona to Tennessee.

But California never landed in sick bay. Its insurance exchange, Covered California, features the healthiest mix of customers nationwide, federal data show. That’s been instrumental in holding down rates and boosting enrollment to 1.5 million.

Now state and insurance industry officials fear the replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act, introduced by GOP leaders this week, would threaten those gains. They warn that the proposal, which would cut subsidies to lower-income consumers, could undermine the broader market, driving up premiums for the wide range of Californians who purchase their own coverage.

Republicans and some industry analysts say those fears are overblown and that the GOP replacement plan would strengthen the individual insurance market by lowering premiums for young, healthy people and offering more latitude on covered benefits. In any case, the Trump administration said the plan was not final, describing it as a “work in progress.”

Nearly 90 percent of Covered California enrollees rely on federal premium subsidies and many could drop coverage if they lose thousands of dollars in government assistance. And the ones who do stay insured are likely to be the sickest and costliest patients, according to some experts.

In response, health insurers would be forced to significantly raise rates in the individual market, both on and off the exchange. It could mark a return to the double-digit rate hikes routinely seen before the 2010 health law.

“The worst possible thing is a market that tends to just have sick people,” California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said. “That is exactly where the Republican proposal is taking us. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, predicts a downward spiral if only the sickest customers hang onto coverage. The net effect of the Republican proposal “would be to increase the costs for everyone in the individual market since the lower-income people that do enroll are likely to be sicker and costlier — raising the premiums paid by everyone covered.”

Under Obamacare, premium subsidies are tied to income and the local cost of coverage. The less people earn, the more financial assistance they receive. The Republican plan pegs premium tax credits only to age, starting out at $2,000 a year for people under 30 and increasing to $4,000 for those over 60.

Those credits begin to phase out for people making $75,000 a year or more.

The chief executive of Molina Healthcare, an insurer in Covered California and other exchanges, said the GOP’s age-based tax credits are inadequate for people to maintain insurance. Dr. J. Mario Molina said premium rate hikes could reach 30 percent next year in California and other states if Congress and the Trump administration don’t do more to stabilize the marketplaces. This year’s increase in California was an average of 13.2 percent.

“This bill is not making me more optimistic about the future of the marketplaces,” Molina said. “There is nothing here providing any comfort or relief.”

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which represents California’s Anthem Blue Cross and other big insurers, expressed similar concerns in a letter this week to House Republicans.

“The flat tax credit which is adjusted by age, but not by income or premium, does not give healthy people enough incentive to stay in the market, especially in absence of an individual mandate,” the group wrote.

For more information go to Kaiser Health News.

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

1 month ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

1 month ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

11 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.