Un lugar de pesca muy popular en el río Columbia para los miembros de la Nación Yakama ha sido incluido en la lista del Superfondo por el gobierno federal.

Ahora viene la parte difícil.

Las toxinas que se encuentran cerca de la presa de Bonneville, en un lugar llamado Bradford Island, hicieron que la Agencia de Protección del Medio Ambiente de EE.UU. incluyera la zona en la lista de prioridades nacionales en marzo.

Laura Klasner Shira es ingeniera medioambiental del Programa de Pesca de la Nación Yakama. Ella dice que la zona cercana a la isla de Bradford es un caldo tóxico para los peces residentes, con sustancias químicas como el P-C-B entre las más peligrosas.

"Lo que hay que tener en cuenta cuando se empiezan a analizar todos los efectos individuales de cada una de estas sustancias químicas o grupos químicos es que realmente afectan a múltiples sistemas, afectan a múltiples órganos y pueden causar cáncer, subraya Shira. "Es especialmente perjudicial para los niños pequeños, los fetos y las personas con problemas inmunológicos y de tiroides."

El Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los Estados Unidos derramó productos electrónicos cerca de la isla durante décadas, lo que condujo a la situación tóxica actual. Se aconseja a la gente no comer peces no migratorios hasta una milla de la presa.

Hoy a mediodía, Columbia Riverkeeper organizará un seminario en línea, con la participación de Shira y oradores del Agencia de Protección del Medio Ambiente y del Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los Estados Unidos, para identificar lo que significa para la región la inclusión de la isla de Bradford en la lista del Superfondo.

Shira afirma que la Nación Yakama tomó la iniciativa de solicitar la inclusión de la isla de Bradford en la lista de prioridades nacionales, y que los estados de Oregon y Washington respaldaron esas peticiones.

"Era muy importante estar en la lista de la NPL porque pensamos que podría conducir a una limpieza mas protectora," explica Shira. "Pero también nos dimos cuenta de que con la inclusión, se iba a requerir mucho trabajo todavía."

Shira afirma que a pesar de su liderazgo, la Nación Yakama ha sido excluida de los debates recientes sobre la limpieza. El Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los Estados Unidos dice que el proceso tiene que pasar primero por los reguladores, incluidos los estados, la Agencia de Protección del Medio Ambiente y el Ejército, pero invita al público a participar después. Ella dice que esto es desalentador porque se trata de un sitio ancestral para los miembros de la tribu, donde se pesca desde tiempos inmemoriales.

Shira también señala que la pesca continúa y hace que la limpieza sea un asunto urgente.

"Muchos miembros no van a cambiar su dieta a causa de una advertencia sobre el pescado," dice Shira. "O pueden pescar accidentalmente un pez residente y su cultura les ensena que cada pez es un regalo del creador."

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the state.

Released in March, the plan includes major goals and strategies to limit the spread of hepatitis A, B and C over the next six years. It's gotten new attention after 2,400 patients in Oregon hospitals were potentially exposed to hepatitis and HIV earlier this month.

Concerns are high, but epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon's state health officer, said people should be aware of the threats of hepatitis, but not anxious.

"In day-to-day times, people should feel safe and confident in going to the doctor," he said. "The risk of exposure to these viruses is extremely low in most cases."

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, and contagious viruses are among the causes. Sidelinger said he's confident Oregon has the technology and resources to fully eliminate the threat.

While many people may have heard of hepatitis, they may not fully understand how prevalent it is in their communities. According to OHA data, the proportion of chronic hepatitis C cases among people in their 20s tripled between 2010 and 2019.

Sidelinger said there's a good chance most Oregonians know someone who is affected by chronic hepatitis.

"It can seem out of the blue to be talking about hepatitis and [a] hepatitis awareness day, but this is a disease that affects many individuals," he said. "But the good news is, everyone can take steps to protect themselves."

The OHA says you can help prevent the spread of hepatitis by washing hands and fresh produce, staying current on vaccinations, avoiding sharing needles, and getting tested regularly. These tips and more are part of the state's plan to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.


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CoveredCA announced Wednesday that the average premium for plans on the marketplace will rise 7.9% in 2025, but subsidies are expected to blunt the impact and even lower costs for many consumers.

The Biden-Harris administration's Inflation Reduction Act caps premiums at 8.5% of income for many, and goes even further for those with low incomes.

Rachel Linn Gish, director of communications for the nonprofit Health Access California, said the state has put the federal funds to good use.

"Because of this financial help," she said, "California has been able to take even further steps to lower costs for many CoveredCA enrollees by eliminating deductibles and reducing copays for many health services such as doctors' visits, lab work, generic drugs."

However, the enhanced premium subsidies in the IRA will expire next year, sending costs soaring unless Congress extends them. If not, Gish said, she expects premiums to rise 60% to 80%, costing thousands more per year. Opponents of the extension have cited the need to limit federal spending.

Gish said if the federal premium help ends, people could start seeing much higher deductibles.

"Without the federal assistance, California stands to lose $1.7 billion in assistance, which the state can only backfill a fraction of," she said, "which means consumers could again see deductibles of $5,000 or more."

Other big changes are on the way. Starting Nov. 1, about 40,000 income-eligible DACA recipients in California will be able to apply for premium subsidies through Covered California.

Connecticut insurance companies are requesting rate increases. Companies want a more than 8% increase for individuals and an almost 12% increase for small groups. However, insurance costs are already problematic for residents. A 2022 survey shows 46% of people delayed important medical care due to coverage costs.

Liz Dupont-Diehl, associate director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said unaffordable insurance is all too common.

"It is an unfortunate American right of passage to spend hours a week appealing claims denials, or dealing with rising copays, and surprise costs. Even those of us lucky enough to think we have good coverage are continually surprised by hings that are not covered," she said.

Of the legislative solutions lawmakers can take, polls show voters across party lines support the government setting limits on out-of-pocket medical care costs for people with insurance.

Connecticut's Insurance Department will host an informational meeting for people to share their experiences and hear testimony. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 20 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford and over Zoom.

One way Connecticut's General Assembly can better regulate insurance companies is by increasing transparency surrounding pharmacy benefit managers. A recent Federal Trade Commission report finds the six largest pharmacy benefit managers manage 95% of the country's prescriptions.

Dupont-Diehl said this can help people better understand why certain claims get denied.

"We would be interested in knowing exactly which claims are denied based on ZIP code, based on race and ethnicity, based on age, based on gender," she continued.

She notes that much of what needs to be done to fix health care can be done at the federal level, although states can take the lead. Part of Connecticut's 2023 budget calls for the state's Insurance Department to work with the Office of Health Strategy to study ways to make care more affordable.