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Oct. 14 to 20
Drought Watch
On Oct. 17 Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration declared a drought watch for all of New Jersey. September set records for lack of rainfall, and no measurable rain has come with the calendar turning to October. The water level at the Manasquan Reservoir in Monmouth County has dropped to 58% of capacity, a record low, according to the New Jersey Water Supply Authority.
In mid-September Cape May County was rated as abnormally dry by the National Drought Mitigation Center. On Oct. 17 that designation changed to moderate drought, with parts of Atlantic County to our north rated as in severe drought. The latest U. S. Drought Monitor data shows all of the Garden State at least abnormally dry, with 59% of the state in moderate drought and 4% in severe drought.
Murphy has asked residents to conserve water. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said in a statement that “voluntary water conservation now can help to avoid more serious and restrictive measures in the future.”
The Office of the State Climatologist says the lack of rainfall in September made the month the third-driest September on record, dating to 1895. Unless the state sees unexpected rainfall soon, October may be the driest on record as well.
The last time the state issued a drought watch was in August 2022. It was lifted that December. The most recent period when a drought emergency was declared with mandatory water restrictions was in March 2002. That lasted until January 2003.
With the DEP warning that the state’s water supplies are being impacted by climate change, a new Water Supply Plan was issued in 2024.
Subscription Cancellations
Saying they took the action after receiving thousands of complaints from the public, the Federal Trade Commission issued its new “click to cancel” rule regarding subscriptions, especially those that automatically renew. The rule formally issued Wednesday, Oct. 16, was proposed in March 2023.
The 3 to 2 vote on the commission was along party lines, with Republican commissioners saying there was a rush to get this issued before the November election. Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, a Republican member, accused the majority of putting “political expediency over getting things right,” referring to the short time before the election. Democratic members point to the fact that the rule has been under development for several years and that work began under President Donald Trump.
The FTC reacted to complaints that publishers and advertisers lure people into auto-renewal subscriptions and then make them go through unnecessary hoops when they wish to cancel.
Now the public must have an easy to find and easy-to-use mechanism to cancel unwanted subscriptions. Those offering the subscriptions also cannot require that a person speak with a live person or engage in a chat session in order to cancel.
In a statement, the FTC said the click-and-cancel rule is part of an ongoing effort by the agency to combat unfair and deceptive practices relating to subscriptions, memberships and other recurring payment programs.
In short, the commission is saying that canceling a subscription must be as easy as signing up for one.
Medicare Advantage
This past week, on Oct. 15, the open enrollment period for Medicare began. It runs to Dec. 5. One of the things that can happen in this period is a switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage program, or the reverse switch, from an Advantage program to original Medicare.
There is also a Medicare Advantage open enrollment period from Jan. 1 to March 31, but it is only for those already in Advantage programs who may want to switch such plans or return to original Medicare.
The Medicare Advantage program, also known as Part C of Medicare, dates to 1997, when it was established as the Medicare Choice program as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The program grew rapidly as a number of private insurers entered the arena. In 2024 Advantage programs provide health coverage for more than 50% of the nation’s seniors. The popularity of the programs was largely driven by lower premiums or expanded coverage options.
Now a crisis of sorts is playing itself out. Many hospitals and health systems are ending contracts with Advantage programs over what they say are excessive prior-authorization demands and slow pay by insurers. A January 2024 survey of 134 hospital CFOs showed 16% saying they are in the process of ending their acceptance of one or more Advantage programs, with another 45% saying they are considering the same move but had not made a final decision.
These are hospital systems spread across the country, from Brewer, Maine, to Christiana Care in Newark, Delaware, to San Diego-based Scripps Health, which is ending all Advantage contracts for its integrated medical groups. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, 28 health-care systems dropped Advantage plans in 2024 thus far.
Several Advantage plans say profitability has been a problem, with greater-than-expected utilization of benefits and slower-than-expected government reimbursements. Some plans are cutting benefits and pulling out of unprofitable areas.
Here in Cape May County a Burleigh man in his 80s talked of receiving a mailer from his Aetna Medicare Advantage plan telling him the plan would be discontinued and his coverage ended Jan. 1. He said no explanation was provided, just the notification. Days later a letter arrived pointing him to other Aetna plans that will be available. He declined to consider them and is looking at his options during the open enrollment period. He is not alone; a North Cape May senior tells a similar story.
The plans remain popular and enrollments continue to grow. Complaints to Congress are also up, leading to bipartisan scrutiny of care denials.
How this will all play out is unclear, but it bears close observation, as millions of senior Americans determine their health coverage option for 2025.
Happenings
*Herald staff writer Christopher South spent part of a recent Sunday at Sunset Beach taking in the scene on a beautiful early autumn day, and taking photos such as this monarch butterfly pausing during its migration.
*Nine residents from the small Reeds Beach community came to the Middle Township Committee meeting Oct. 7 to ask for help on flooding problems.
*Four candidates for one seat on the Cape May City Council addressed subjects ranging from current and future projects in the city to parking and traffic to city financial management at a candidates night at the elementary school Oct. 10.
*Dennis Volunteer Fire Company units responded Tuesday, Oct. 15, to a fatal accident on Route 47 in the area of Tyler Road.
*The Cape May City Council has voted unanimously to withdraw from the New Jersey State Health Benefits Plan following a third straight year in which that plan has seen significant rate increases. For 2025, the state plan will raise rates by an average 17% for municipal employees.
*Residents of Beesley’s Point came out to the Upper Township Committee meeting Tuesday, Oct. 15, to hear more about mercury contamination in 11 wells in the Bayaire Road/Homestead Court area.
*Atlantic Cape Community College’s Cape May County campus hosted nearly 100 seventh and eighth grade students from Middle and Dennis township middle schools on Oct. 11 for Middle School Career Exploration Day, where the students heard from experts around the county about ways to make a career on the Cape.
*Stone Harbor’s external auditor made a presentation about beach utilities at the Borough Council’s Oct. 15 meeting, part of a wide-ranging consideration of options that might aid the borough in addressing an appropriations cap problem that could hamper budget formulation for 2025.
*A Marmora firefighter was injured while taking part in a charity ride on his motorcycle on Sunday, Oct. 13, on Route 55.
*Despite a surprise plea agreement signed last month by their co-defendant – former Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron – that will enlist his cooperation against them, Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. and Commissioner Steve Mikulski were unwavering in their resolve to take the official misconduct cases they are facing before juries.
*The Stone Harbor Borough Council has doubled down in its opposition to the state’s proposed Resilient Environments and Landscapes program, known as REAL, which tightens regulations on coastal development in the face of climate change.
*Two motorcycle accidents less than three weeks apart that took the lives of two Cape May County residents were classic examples of the most dangerous situation motorcyclists face on the road. In both cases there was a collision between a motorcycle and a left-turning automobile.
Spout Off of the Week
Wildwood Crest – The Herald had a good article in the paper describing our electric bills. What needs to
be understood is that several of those Extra charges are not caused by the power company but from NJ
state policies and the NJBPU. Those are mandated charges related to climate change. What also needs to
be understood is that while scientists agree humans impact climate change, they don’t tell us we only
cause about 3%. So we are paying A LOT for nothing. So let that sink in a bit. There are people making a
lot of Money on us. Stop the nonsense! Yes we want clean air/water but stop scamming us!
