Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Many Long Islanders to see health insurance costs rise
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Many Long Islanders to see health insurance costs rise
As open enrollment begins this month for many health insurance plans, Long Island residents and businesses are seeing increases in premiums, some in double digits. David Olson reports in NEWSDAY that average increases include a projected 6.5% rise nationwide for employer-sponsored plans, 13% for small-group plans in New York and an estimated 11.6% for Medicare Part B standard monthly premiums. Experts said weight-loss drugs, medical advances, hospital consolidation, an aging population, and an increase in the number of people with chronic diseases are among the reasons health care costs are rising.
Most employers in a recent New York based survey said they will implement "cost-cutting changes" in plans — such as increased co-pays and deductibles — to address rising benefit costs and reduce premiums. Others are cutting back coverage of popular, but expensive, weight-loss drugs.
New York businesses with 100 or fewer employees that have small-group plans will see on average an increase of 13%, the largest hike in at least a decade, a Newsday analysis found, and nongroup, individual-based plans will rise an average of 7.1%. The increases for the state-regulated plans were approved by the Department of Financial Services, which noted that the price hikes were typically much less than insurers requested.
Medicare Part B standard premiums will rise by a projected 11.6%. For those on Affordable Care Act plans, premium increases could be massive in some cases, if more generous government subsidies passed in 2021 expire on Dec. 31. Democrats’ push to extend the subsidies is one reason for the federal government shutdown.
***
About 100 community members gathered across from the Hampton Bays Firehouse this past Friday morning in protest of federal agents who conducted broad immigration sweeps throughout Hampton Bays and Westhampton last Wednesday. Another community gathering is planned for this coming Friday morning Nov. 14 from 8:30 to 10:30 at 92 Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach, across from the Westhampton Beach Fire Department. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Organización Latino Americana…OLA of Eastern Long Island…is urging residents to come to the Southampton Town Board’s meeting this coming Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall to “speak out about ICE.”
NYS Assemb. Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Sag Harbor) condemned the raids he said took place in Hampton Bays and Westhampton.
"Thousands across the country are being snatched off the streets without due process," he said in a statement. "Not only is this an affront to the United States Constitution and the New York State Constitution, but the lack of transparency harms the relationship of trust between public officials, law enforcement, and the public, putting civilians and law enforcement in danger."
ICE - United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement - is a federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety.
***
The Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events will be hosting a Veterans Day ceremony tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Agawam Park in Southampton Village. Prior to the service, there will be a short parade from the First Presbyterian Church, west on Jobs Lane, to Agawam Park. All veterans are invited to participate and asked to be at the church parking lot by 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Cars will be available for those who cannot march. The guest speaker will be Joan A. Furey, a U.S. Army nurse veteran. She began her military service in 1968 with deployment in 1969 to Vietnam, where she served as a second lieutenant and eventually earned the Bronze Star. Her post-war accomplishments include pioneering studies in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through her service in the Department of Veteran Affairs, and her service as the director of the Center for Women Veterans. All are invited to the Veterans Memorial Hall for refreshments after the service.
Southampton Village’s Veterans Day Service & Parade is tomorrow from 10:45 am - 12:00 pm. The annual parade steps off at 10:45 a.m. from Southampton Presbyterian Church.
***
The Town of Southampton has been awarded a $19 million federal grant for the Riverside wastewater treatment system project, Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore announced last week. Southampton hailed the award as a “critical funding milestone” in its years-long quest to revitalize the hamlet of Riverside. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the funding, from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was approved Oct. 30 by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation as part of a statewide $135 million initiative to support critical water infrastructure projects. “This award from EFC will allow the Town to proceed with this critical infrastructure project that will enhance water quality by removing thousands of pounds of nitrogen from our waterways each year, and will aid in revitalizing the Riverside community,” Moore said in a press release. The $19 million grant is the second major pot of funding awarded to the project in two months. Last month, Southampton Town was awarded a $5 million grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Grants program. The EPA grant was one of 715 water infrastructure projects totaling $1.47 billion under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, according to the town. Completion of the Riverside wastewater treatment project is a critical component of the Riverside revitalization initiative begun a decade ago with the adoption of zoning in 2015 to allow high- and medium-density mixed-use development in the hamlet, one of the poorest in Suffolk County. The wastewater treatment plant will also improve and protect water quality by replacing outdated and insufficient septic systems. With the wastewater project moving toward the finish line, the town has ramped up planning and development efforts in the Riverside hamlet.
***
The Republican-controlled Suffolk County Legislature will soon begin the process of selecting a successor to Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, whose term concludes at the end of December. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that Republicans maintained their majority, 11-7, after Tuesday’s election, despite losing one seat in the 1st Legislative District. That allows the GOP caucus to nominate a member to be presiding officer when the new board takes over in January and holds an election at its organizational meeting. The presiding officer, the top legislative position in the county, holds power to sway the direction of the governing body, while managing day-to-day operations and overseeing meetings. The presiding officer serves a one-year term.
But the position also involves "dealing with a lot of different personalities or fractions," said Deputy Presiding Officer Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters). McCaffrey, as a union leader, "had the temperament for that," he said.
McCaffrey, of Lindenhurst, could not seek reelection this year after hitting the 12-year term limit.
The presiding officer position comes with higher pay compared with other legislators. In 2024, the presiding officer earned $136,078, the deputy presiding officer earned $123,705 and most of the remaining legislators earned $111,333, according to payroll records.
McCaffrey became the first Republican presiding officer in 16 years when he was elected in 2022, when the GOP gained its majority in the Suffolk County Legislature.
***
Sag Harbor’s annual Veterans Day observance is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. beginning with a short parade that will start at the Civil War monument at Main and Madison streets and end at the American Legion on Bay Street. The American Legion’s Women’s Auxiliary will serve light refreshments following the service. Veterans who would like to participate should meet at the Sag Harbor Legion Hall at 9:30 a.m.
In East Hampton tomorrow, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 550 is holding a Veterans Day Parade that will start at 10 a.m. at the old VFW building (now London Jewelers) on Main Street and run to the Memorial Green, where a short ceremony will take place. Afterward, all participants will go to the American Legion Post 419 in Amagansett for its 11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony.
***
A pot shop promising “Michelin standard” products in Southampton says it will finally open its doors this week after months of red tape and legal wrangling — daring local officials to try to shut it down. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that Brown Budda — one of the first dispensaries to be licensed in the state and the first to be approved on Long Island in 2022 — vowed to open its doors this coming Wednesday with or without final approval from Southampton after NYS regulators voided the town’s restrictive cannabis laws as illegal. “We are very confident we have the weight of the law in our favor,” said Brown Budda lawyer Christian Killoran in a statement. Company founder and CEO Marquis Hayes, hailing the shop’s products as akin to the finest haute cuisine offered at Michelin-starred restaurants, added, “On November 12, Brown Budda New York rolls out the green carpet to a Michelin standard of cannabis, premium quality, real intention, and respect for the plant.” Attorney Killoran revealed that the shop passed a state inspection at the end of last month and got the green light from New York’s Office of Cannabis Management last week to open and begin offering adult-use cannabis products. Southampton officials meanwhile insist the dispensary still lacks the proper local permits, and without them, could face further legal action that would send them back to court if it opens its doors this week. In September, Southampton issued Brown Budda a special-use permit that would have allowed the storefront to open. But it required the business to build a sidewalk in front of its property — an added expense the dispensary’s lawyer called “unnecessary” and “punitive.” Killoran has accused Southampton of costing the business millions of dollars in losses while “weaponizing” local zoning laws and adding hurdles to stall the state-approved shop. Brown Budda has already opened for curbside pickup but is now planning to fully unlock the store for walk-in customers.
Town Attorney James Burke said that if the dispensary follows through on its promise and opens without the proper permits, Southampton may be forced to take the business back to court.
Brown Budda is on the north side of County Road 39 in Southampton just west of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
View all episodes
By WLIW-FMAs open enrollment begins this month for many health insurance plans, Long Island residents and businesses are seeing increases in premiums, some in double digits. David Olson reports in NEWSDAY that average increases include a projected 6.5% rise nationwide for employer-sponsored plans, 13% for small-group plans in New York and an estimated 11.6% for Medicare Part B standard monthly premiums. Experts said weight-loss drugs, medical advances, hospital consolidation, an aging population, and an increase in the number of people with chronic diseases are among the reasons health care costs are rising.
Most employers in a recent New York based survey said they will implement "cost-cutting changes" in plans — such as increased co-pays and deductibles — to address rising benefit costs and reduce premiums. Others are cutting back coverage of popular, but expensive, weight-loss drugs.
New York businesses with 100 or fewer employees that have small-group plans will see on average an increase of 13%, the largest hike in at least a decade, a Newsday analysis found, and nongroup, individual-based plans will rise an average of 7.1%. The increases for the state-regulated plans were approved by the Department of Financial Services, which noted that the price hikes were typically much less than insurers requested.
Medicare Part B standard premiums will rise by a projected 11.6%. For those on Affordable Care Act plans, premium increases could be massive in some cases, if more generous government subsidies passed in 2021 expire on Dec. 31. Democrats’ push to extend the subsidies is one reason for the federal government shutdown.
***
About 100 community members gathered across from the Hampton Bays Firehouse this past Friday morning in protest of federal agents who conducted broad immigration sweeps throughout Hampton Bays and Westhampton last Wednesday. Another community gathering is planned for this coming Friday morning Nov. 14 from 8:30 to 10:30 at 92 Sunset Avenue in Westhampton Beach, across from the Westhampton Beach Fire Department. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Organización Latino Americana…OLA of Eastern Long Island…is urging residents to come to the Southampton Town Board’s meeting this coming Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall to “speak out about ICE.”
NYS Assemb. Tommy John Schiavoni (D-Sag Harbor) condemned the raids he said took place in Hampton Bays and Westhampton.
"Thousands across the country are being snatched off the streets without due process," he said in a statement. "Not only is this an affront to the United States Constitution and the New York State Constitution, but the lack of transparency harms the relationship of trust between public officials, law enforcement, and the public, putting civilians and law enforcement in danger."
ICE - United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement - is a federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety.
***
The Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events will be hosting a Veterans Day ceremony tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Agawam Park in Southampton Village. Prior to the service, there will be a short parade from the First Presbyterian Church, west on Jobs Lane, to Agawam Park. All veterans are invited to participate and asked to be at the church parking lot by 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Cars will be available for those who cannot march. The guest speaker will be Joan A. Furey, a U.S. Army nurse veteran. She began her military service in 1968 with deployment in 1969 to Vietnam, where she served as a second lieutenant and eventually earned the Bronze Star. Her post-war accomplishments include pioneering studies in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through her service in the Department of Veteran Affairs, and her service as the director of the Center for Women Veterans. All are invited to the Veterans Memorial Hall for refreshments after the service.
Southampton Village’s Veterans Day Service & Parade is tomorrow from 10:45 am - 12:00 pm. The annual parade steps off at 10:45 a.m. from Southampton Presbyterian Church.
***
The Town of Southampton has been awarded a $19 million federal grant for the Riverside wastewater treatment system project, Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore announced last week. Southampton hailed the award as a “critical funding milestone” in its years-long quest to revitalize the hamlet of Riverside. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the funding, from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was approved Oct. 30 by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation as part of a statewide $135 million initiative to support critical water infrastructure projects. “This award from EFC will allow the Town to proceed with this critical infrastructure project that will enhance water quality by removing thousands of pounds of nitrogen from our waterways each year, and will aid in revitalizing the Riverside community,” Moore said in a press release. The $19 million grant is the second major pot of funding awarded to the project in two months. Last month, Southampton Town was awarded a $5 million grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Grants program. The EPA grant was one of 715 water infrastructure projects totaling $1.47 billion under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, according to the town. Completion of the Riverside wastewater treatment project is a critical component of the Riverside revitalization initiative begun a decade ago with the adoption of zoning in 2015 to allow high- and medium-density mixed-use development in the hamlet, one of the poorest in Suffolk County. The wastewater treatment plant will also improve and protect water quality by replacing outdated and insufficient septic systems. With the wastewater project moving toward the finish line, the town has ramped up planning and development efforts in the Riverside hamlet.
***
The Republican-controlled Suffolk County Legislature will soon begin the process of selecting a successor to Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, whose term concludes at the end of December. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that Republicans maintained their majority, 11-7, after Tuesday’s election, despite losing one seat in the 1st Legislative District. That allows the GOP caucus to nominate a member to be presiding officer when the new board takes over in January and holds an election at its organizational meeting. The presiding officer, the top legislative position in the county, holds power to sway the direction of the governing body, while managing day-to-day operations and overseeing meetings. The presiding officer serves a one-year term.
But the position also involves "dealing with a lot of different personalities or fractions," said Deputy Presiding Officer Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters). McCaffrey, as a union leader, "had the temperament for that," he said.
McCaffrey, of Lindenhurst, could not seek reelection this year after hitting the 12-year term limit.
The presiding officer position comes with higher pay compared with other legislators. In 2024, the presiding officer earned $136,078, the deputy presiding officer earned $123,705 and most of the remaining legislators earned $111,333, according to payroll records.
McCaffrey became the first Republican presiding officer in 16 years when he was elected in 2022, when the GOP gained its majority in the Suffolk County Legislature.
***
Sag Harbor’s annual Veterans Day observance is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. beginning with a short parade that will start at the Civil War monument at Main and Madison streets and end at the American Legion on Bay Street. The American Legion’s Women’s Auxiliary will serve light refreshments following the service. Veterans who would like to participate should meet at the Sag Harbor Legion Hall at 9:30 a.m.
In East Hampton tomorrow, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 550 is holding a Veterans Day Parade that will start at 10 a.m. at the old VFW building (now London Jewelers) on Main Street and run to the Memorial Green, where a short ceremony will take place. Afterward, all participants will go to the American Legion Post 419 in Amagansett for its 11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony.
***
A pot shop promising “Michelin standard” products in Southampton says it will finally open its doors this week after months of red tape and legal wrangling — daring local officials to try to shut it down. Brandon Cruz reports in THE NY POST that Brown Budda — one of the first dispensaries to be licensed in the state and the first to be approved on Long Island in 2022 — vowed to open its doors this coming Wednesday with or without final approval from Southampton after NYS regulators voided the town’s restrictive cannabis laws as illegal. “We are very confident we have the weight of the law in our favor,” said Brown Budda lawyer Christian Killoran in a statement. Company founder and CEO Marquis Hayes, hailing the shop’s products as akin to the finest haute cuisine offered at Michelin-starred restaurants, added, “On November 12, Brown Budda New York rolls out the green carpet to a Michelin standard of cannabis, premium quality, real intention, and respect for the plant.” Attorney Killoran revealed that the shop passed a state inspection at the end of last month and got the green light from New York’s Office of Cannabis Management last week to open and begin offering adult-use cannabis products. Southampton officials meanwhile insist the dispensary still lacks the proper local permits, and without them, could face further legal action that would send them back to court if it opens its doors this week. In September, Southampton issued Brown Budda a special-use permit that would have allowed the storefront to open. But it required the business to build a sidewalk in front of its property — an added expense the dispensary’s lawyer called “unnecessary” and “punitive.” Killoran has accused Southampton of costing the business millions of dollars in losses while “weaponizing” local zoning laws and adding hurdles to stall the state-approved shop. Brown Budda has already opened for curbside pickup but is now planning to fully unlock the store for walk-in customers.
Town Attorney James Burke said that if the dispensary follows through on its promise and opens without the proper permits, Southampton may be forced to take the business back to court.
Brown Budda is on the north side of County Road 39 in Southampton just west of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.