About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2018)
LOCATNATION The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com ^ Saturday, December 15, 2018 7A Health insurance open enrollment closes today Associated Press With just days left to enroll, fewer people are signing up for the Affordable Care Act, even though premiums are stable, more plans are available and millions of uninsured people can still get financial help. Barring an enrollment surge, the nation’s uninsured rate could edge up again after a yearslong coverage expan sion that has seen about 20 million people obtain health insurance. A status report Wednesday from the Centers for Medi care and Medicaid Services showed nearly 20 percent fewer new people signed up than at about the same time last year. New sign-ups drive the growth of the Healthcare, gov marketplaces, helping keep premiums in check. The sign-up deadline in most states is today, for coverage beginning Jan. 1. A few states that run their own health care websites have later deadlines. Trying to encourage enrollment, former Presi dent Barack Obama posted a whimsical video on social media Monday encouraging young adults to sign up for his signature program. That same day, a crush of people tried to enroll in what was the highest traffic this open enrollment season. Disappointing sign-ups will add to the long-running politi cal blame game over health care. Democrats accuse the Trump administration of “sabotage” on the health law. Republicans counter that pricey Obama-law pre miums are too high for solid middle-class people who don’t qualify for taxpayer-financed subsidies. The Trump administra tion said in a statement this week “our primary goal is to provide a seamless open enrollment experience for HealthCare.gov consum ers and ensure that those who want coverage offered through the (program) can enroll in a plan.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also posted his own straightforward video pitch on Twitter. The new numbers suggest there may be less demand for government-subsidized insurance during a time of strong economic growth. But interviews with current and former officials, consumer organizations and indepen dent experts also revealed several factors that appear to be cutting into enrollment. The Trump administration didn’t set sign-up targets for the health overhaul, accord ing to a report this summer from the nonpartisan Govern ment Accountability Office. Such targets are a standard management tool for govern ment agencies. “Marketing does matter,” said Peter Lee, executive director of Covered Califor nia, a state-run insurance mar ketplace. “Not doing active promotion, millions of Ameri cans are not going to find their way to HealthCare.gov.” The administration has been using targeted emails and social media messaging, but that’s nowhere near the effort expended in the Obama years. Administration offi cials say they are focused on providing a smooth sign-up experience for consumers who want coverage. The GOP-led Congress repealed the fine for being uninsured, effective this Jan. 1. The tax penalty was the most unpopular part of Obama’s law. “The really big change tak ing effect for this open enroll ment period is repeal of the individual mandate penalty, so that is very likely a major factor,” said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Fam ily Foundation. The administration also increased access to lower- cost plans that provide less coverage than the more com prehensive insurance offered under the overhaul. Short-term health insur ance plans don’t have to offer basic benefits such as pre scription drugs, and insurers can turn down people with medical conditions. But such plans may appeal to healthy people looking for a measure of financial protection against an unexpected illness. Clerk accused of stealing $36,000 from Hall County Juvenile Court BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A former Hall County Juvenile Court clerk is accused of stealing $36,000 from fines and fees paid to the court, according to authorities. Court officials performed an audit after Lorena Marceleno, 36, of Gainesville, resigned in February. “The investigation revealed that Marceleno, who was in charge of deposits and account books, appropriated cash from fines and fees for her own use,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth wrote in a news release. Authorities believe Marceleno took the money between February 2016 and February of this year. A warrant for theft by taking was issued for Marceleno, who turned herself in Thursday, Dec. 13. The case is still under investigation. Attorney Jeff Talley declined to comment on the case. Core provisions of ‘Obamacare’ ruled unconstitutional BY TOM K0R0SEC AND KARTIKAY MEHR0TRA Tribune News Service DALLAS — The Affordable Care Act was gut ted by a Texas federal judge in a ruling that casts uncertainty on insurance coverage for millions of U.S. residents. The decision Friday finding core provisions of “Obamacare” unconstitutional comes just before the end of a six-week open enrollment period for the program in 2019 and underscores a divide between Republicans who have long sought to invalidate the law and Democrats who fought to keep it in place. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth agreed with a coalition of Republican states led by Texas that he had to eviscerate the Affordable Care Act, the signature health care overhaul by President Barack Obama, after Congress last year zeroed out a key provision — the tax penalty for not complying with the requirement to buy insur ance. The decision is almost certain to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. Texas and an alliance of 19 states argued to the judge that they have been harmed by an increase in the number of people on state-supported insur ance rolls. They claimed that when Congress repealed the tax penalty last year, it eliminated the U.S. Supreme Court’s rationale for finding the ACA constitutional in 2012. California and Democratic officials in 14 states, along with the District of Columbia, won permis sion to defend ACA in the Fort Worth case when the Trump administration sided with the states seek ing to dismantle it. They contended overturning the law would throw millions off health insurance rolls by reversing Medicaid expansion, ending tax credits that help people and empowering insurers to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Justice Department lawyers urged the judge to strike down the individual mandate and provisions requiring insurance companies to cover individu als with pre-existing health conditions and charge them the same premiums as healthy individuals. They argued the judge should spare the rest of the law, which includes Medicaid expansion, the employer mandate, health exchanges, premium subsidies and federal health care reimbursement rates for hospitals. SOUTH CAROLINA Regulators OK merger of troubled utility CHUCK BURTON I Associated Press V.C. Summer Nuclear Station’s unit two’s turbine is under construction near Jenkinsville, S.C., Sept. 21,2016, during a media tour of the facility. BY MEG KINNARD AND JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA — A power company’s $15 billion deal to purchase a troubled South Carolina-based utility after a costly nuclear construction failure won approval Friday from state regulators. Following more than an hour of com ment and debate, South Carolina’s Public Service Commission approved Virginia- based Dominion Energy’s offer of cash and stock to buy SCANA Corp., the parent company of South Carolina Electric & Gas. The deal approved by commission ers would cut customer rates by about $22 a month — a smaller reduction than con sumer advocates had requested. Friday’s vote marked a pivotal point in the unraveling of South Carolina’s nuclear debacle, which started in the summer of 2017 when privately-owned SCANA and its minority partner, state-owned Santee Cooper, abandoned the reactors they had spent a decade planning and building at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. The main contractor, Westinghouse, went bankrupt as it failed to make good on its promises of cheaper, easier con struction methods. Projections of soaring electricity demand never materialized, thanks to energy efficiency and the advent of cheap natural gas. About 737,000 SCE&G ratepayers have already paid more than $2 billion toward the project, which never produced any electricity. Thousands of project work ers lost their jobs. The disaster spawned myriad lawsuits, as well as state and fed eral investigations. On Friday, commis sioners defeated an amendment that said SCE&G had lied to them about the project in order to get rate increases. For most of the past 18 months, South Carolina political leaders told SCE&G and Dominion they weren’t doing enough to ease the ratepayers’ burden. But Attorney General Alan Wilson and House Speaker Jay Lucas ultimately backed Dominion’s latest offer, which the state’s own con sumer advocate and environmental and consumer groups said fell short. In a release after Friday’s vote, Gov. Henry McMaster said that he felt state regulators had done their best to resolve a mess. “Since we learned of SCANA and San tee Cooper’s decision to abandon the VC Summer Project, my goal has been to ensure that the customers bear no burden for the failings of others,” McMaster said. “The Public Service Commission - which I am confident has vigorously sought to make the best of a bad situation - has con ducted a transparent, open process and has carefully deliberated the positions of ratepayers, the power companies, and the court.” During legislative debate about the debacle, McMaster said repeatedly he didn’t think ratepayers should have to shoulder any of the project’s burden going forward. Legislators ultimately overrode his veto of a measure that removed all but $5 of the monthly surcharge to pay toward the defunct endeavor. McMaster and some lawmakers want to sell Santee Cooper, which has $8 billion in debt, much of it from the failed reactor project. A legislative committee has set a mid-January deadline for any offers, emphasizing they have not made a defini tive decision on whether to sell. Dominion’s latest offer gets rid of the $1,000 rebate checks to SCE&G custom ers that dominated much of the merger discussion in 2018. Instead, Dominion proposed keeping SCE&G rates at the same level set by legislators who passed a temporary 15 percent rate cut earlier this year that knocks about $22 off the typical monthly bill. In 20 years, SCE&G customers would add $2.3 billion to the $2 billion they already paid for the mothballed project. Most of the consumer advocacy groups had pushed for more. Watchdogs in the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff wanted about a 20 percent rate cut, removing closer to $30 from monthly bills, and elim inating most of the extra charges for the reactors. Consumers and environmental groups wanted a bigger cut. OBITUARIES Sarah Foster Anderson Aug. 18, 1941 -Dec. 13, 2018 Sarah Foster Anderson, age 77, of Cornelia, Geor gia, went to her Heavenly Home on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, following an extended illness. Mrs. Anderson was born on Aug. 18, 1941, in Gaines ville, Georgia. She was preceded in death by her father, Gene Foster; mother, Charlsey “Bubba” Ander son; husband, Jack Ander son; son, Harry Wiggins; daughter, Merry Wiggins; and brother, Ronnie Foster. Mrs. Anderson retired as Vice President of Sales with Aflac. She was a member of Baldwin Baptist Church. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Melissa “Missy” Wiggins Robinson and John of Lees burg, VA; son and daughter- in-law, Andrew “Drew” Anderson and Amanda of Clarkesville; sister-in-law, Peggy Anderson Nestler of Gainesville; brothers, Gene Foster of Auburn and John L. Foster of Gainesville; grandchildren: Amy Cham bers, John-Scott Wiggins, Harrison Wiggins, Trevor Wiggins, Andy Anderson, Cameron Robinson, and Lauren Robinson; and three great-grandchildren. Funeral services are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sun day, Dec. 16, 2018, at Whit field Funeral Home, North Chapel, Demorest, Georgia, with Rev. Daniel Parker officiating. Interment will follow in Yonah Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until the service hour on Sunday at the funeral home. Those wishing to express online condolences to the family may do so by visit ing www.whitfieldfuneral- homes.com. Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, Demorest Sign the online guest book at gainesvilletimes.com. The Times, Gainesville, Ga. Dec. 15, 2018 DEATH NOTICES Mary Louise Beard Aug. 11, 1942 -Dec. 14, 2018 Mary Louise Beard, 76, of Dahlonega died Friday. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, funeral home chapel. Anderson- Underwood Funeral Home, Dahlonega. Betty Borders Died Dec. 9, 2018 Betty Borders, 82, of Commerce died Sunday. Memorial service, 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, Mt. Pleas ant CME Church. Wimberly Funeral Home, Gainesville. Runette Cash Cantrell Died Dec. 14, 2018 Runette Cash Cantrell, 78, of Hoschton died Fri day. Funeral service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, funeral home chapel. Evans Funeral Home, Jefferson. Dianne Turner Green Died Dec. 13, 2018 Dianne Turner Green, 69, of Norcross died Thurs day. Funeral service, 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, funeral home chapel. Ingram Funeral Home & Crematory, Cumming. George W. Osborn Died Dec. 14, 2018 George W. Osborn, 90, of Homer died Friday. Whit field Funeral Home & Cre matory, Baldwin, Elise Bagwell Webb Died Dec. 14, 2018 Elise Bagwell Webb, 90, of Cornelia died Friday. Whit field Funeral Home & Cre matory, Baldwin, Ricky Lee Wike Jr. Died Dec. 14, 2018 Ricky Lee “Rick” Wike Jr., 44, of Buford died Fri day. Hamilton Mill Memo rial Chapel, Buford. Earl Denson Worsham Died Dec. 13, 2018 Earl Denson Worsham, 95, of Buford died Thursday. Flangian Funeral Home and Crematory, Buford. Obituary information Death notices are printed free as a public service by The Times. More information can be provided in paid obituaries. The rate is $50 per 100 words (or any part thereof). There is an additional mandatory $40 fee for online services, which includes a guest book that allows family and friends to post condolences. Deadline for publication is 6:30 p.m. seven days a week. Death notices and obituaries are accepted only from funeral homes. They should be emailed to obits@gainesvilletimes com. All submissions will appear in The Times and online at gainesvilletimes. com. For additional information, please call 770-718-3419 or 800-395- 5005, extension 3419, between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. f 0/ WorsKipj For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. - 1 Peter 3:12 (NIV) HARDY HARDY CHEVROLET, INC. Wayne Alexander & Personnel 770-532-4389 C lSa^i n i rance Agency www. chastainagency. com HOURS Mon-Fri 8:30-5:00 770-297-1166 235 Pearl Nix Pkwy, Suite 8 Gainesville, GA 30501 Special thanks to our sponsors who make this page possible. For more information about advertising in this space, call 770-532-1234 or email classifieds @gainesvilletimes.com A McEver Road United Methodist Church SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP Traditional at 9 | Contemporary at 11 Nursery provided at all services. Loving Christ. Loving People. Helping People Love Christ. 3606 McEver Rd, Oakwood, Ga (770)532-3160 /\tlanta j^oad CIIIJUCII OF CHRIST Sunday Bible Study 9:30A& 6:00P Sunday Worship 10:30A Wednesday Bible Study 7:00P 902 Atlanta Hwy, Gainesville 770-536-4284 www.atlantaroad.org
