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Category Archives: Progress

Salzman Road extension project making progress – Hamilton Journal News

Posted: May 7, 2017 at 11:45 pm

MONROE

Construction is moving forward as a dead-end road that serving an industrial park in Monroe will soon become a major through route for heavy truck traffic to an industrial park in Middletown as well.

Everything is on schedule to be finished by the end of the year, said David Spinney, executive director of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District. He said utility relocations and site preparation work are underway for the Salzman Road extension.

Were almost done with the water line and the storm sewer should be completed in mid-May. he said. Weve done a good bit of grading work to build up the profile of the road, he said. We had to strip a lot of topsoil from the ground to wrap up the utility work.

Spinney said Duke Energy is scheduled later this month to raise the power transmission lines crossing the site.

The BCTID coordinated the design and funding for the $1.81 million project with the cities of Middletown and Monroe, Spinney said. He said the project is scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, weather permitting and will be managed by the Butler County Engineers Office.

No road closures are anticipated with this project since it is a new roadway extension. However, there may be some lane closures or short-duration intersection closures at Todhunter and Yankee Roads for utility work and when tie-in of the new extension occurs.

Spinney said Salzman Road will be extended from its current terminus northward to Todhunter Road where it will tie in at the Yankee Road west intersection. Yankee Road currently doglegs east on Todhunter Road and then south to Ohio 63, crossing a railroad in the process and forcing large semi-trucks to negotiate two sharp 90-degree turns.

Once Salzman Road is connected and aligned with the north section of Yankee Road, motorists will have a straight route between Todhunter and Ohio 63. This will provide much easier access to the commercial and industrial portions of Monroe and Middletown, lending a positive impact on the local economy. It will also pull heavy truck traffic off of nearby Yankee Road where it passes the Monroe school campus.

Spinney said the road extension has been identified as a needed project in the BCEO long range Thoroughfare Plan since 1994. It is also included in Middletown and Monroes comprehensive plans.

A construction contract was awarded to Kelchner of Springboro, Ohio which submitted a low bid of nearly $1,82 million. Funding for the project consists of federal money from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and state money from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The cities of Middletown and Monroe will provide local matching funds to the federal portion.

Monroes City Manager William Brock said the project represents an important piece of the citys overall infrastructure plan with the major goal of separating industrial and school traffic.

Middletown will see immediate benefits from the road extension as a $16 million distribution facility was recently announced for a 35-acre site near Yankee and Todhunter roads in the MADE Industrial Park.

Middletown officials are also excited to see this project becoming a reality.

Middletown Public Works Director Scott Tadych said the project is a critical piece of infrastructure to the South Middletown area that will benefit existing and future commercial and industrial development by providing direct access to Ohio 63.

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Leicester progress overshadowed by tragic news about Tom Youngs’ wife – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: at 11:45 pm

If it was all about individual records you would be a tennis player or a golfer, Dowson said.

I would swap a fair number of those Premiership appearances for international caps and trophies.

I dont how many I would swap for a Heineken Cup win over Leinster with Northampton when we were winning at half-time.

Dowson was given a rousing ovation when he left the pitch for the last time when he was substituted in the second half at the end of an emotional week.

Donncha OCallaghan spoke very well before the game, as he always does, and I really appreciated that, he said.

The messages I got from boys at my previous clubs, Newcastle and Northampton, as well as here, it was emotional. Its been a great weekend. Its a shame we didnt get the result here.

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Prey Review In Progress – GameSpot

Posted: May 6, 2017 at 3:30 am

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Due to Bethesda's pre-release review policy, we're unable to provide a full Prey review in time for its launch. We recently acquired the game and, since it is quite lengthy, it may be some time until we can deliver our final verdict. However, having played it for close to 10 hours, we are able to offer some early impressions in the meantime.

And those impressions, at this stage, are mixed. If you've played the Opening Hour demo available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, you'll know that Prey starts strong. It leans on a big narrative twist that pulls the rug from underneath you, and it's very effective in sparking curiosity. We won't spoil the nature of this revelation, but suffice it to say that it plants a seed of doubt, forcing you to question everything and everyone around you.

Thus far that aspect of the narrative hasn't developed into anything of note, however. The lingering supposition of dishonesty has been the main driving force behind a story that has otherwise been quite uneventful. That's not to say it won't develop into something more interesting, and shades of nuance are indeed slowly revealing themselves over time.

In its early hours, Prey wants you to immerse yourself in Talos I, the space station where the game is set, and soak in the story its environments have to tell. Talos I is a wreck, with upturned furniture strewn around its rooms, corrupted companion robots marauding about its hallways, and raging fires enveloping its corridors. The station has been overrun by a sentient alien life form called the Typhon, and while it's clear they're the cause of all this, the exact circumstances of the outbreak are still shrouded in some mystery. Furthermore, there's also the question of who's to blame for it.

Similarly, Prey's gameplay feels like it is yet to develop into something unique, mostly because the more interesting abilities are deeper into the various skill trees than I've been able to reach. Up front, Prey is surprisingly generous with the Neuromod items that unlock skills, but so far I have only been able to develop a rudimentary playstyle. I've spent the majority of my points improving my health pool, allowing myself to repair broken turrets, and expanding my inventory space.

This, in turn, translates to a vanilla combat experience. I'm using the GLOO Cannon to immobilize enemies, and then bludgeoning them with a wrench or emptying shotgun shells into them. In other situations--usually when I'm low on health or ammo--I have opted to sneak around enemies to avoid combat, using lures to manipulate enemy movements or methodically crouch-walking in between furnishings.

Developer Arkane Austin has promised players they will be able to take on challenges in a variety of ways, and while that seems to be true so far, the options I've been given have felt uninteresting. I've made note of numerous blocked pathways that will no doubt become available as my skillset improves, but as of yet, my path through the game has been fairly directed. Dishonored 2--developed by Arkane's Lyon, France-based sister studio--encouraged players to achieve their objectives through creative use of powers. My hope is that when more powers are available to me, alternative opportunities will open up and combat will allow me to be experimental.

A major sticking point for me so far is the behaviour of the Mimic enemies. As their name suggests, they have the ability to shapeshift into any object that is in their immediate surroundings. This means that you can walk into an ordinary, empty room and not know that you're actually seconds away from having a Mimic pounce on you. The idea behind this is sound--it creates a constant sense of tension--but in practice it has very quickly become annoying. Not just because a Mimic can attack when your back is turned and you're focused on something else, but also because the appearance of a Mimic is signalled by a sharp, shrill sound effect that--thanks to its overuse--soon grates. It is designed to create a jump scare moment, but since I was frequently looking in another direction and away from the Mimic, it often felt mistimed.

There are other reservations I have with enemy behaviour and combat right now, but I'm hoping that, given some time, they'll click into place.

At around 10 hours, I've been acquainted with the fundamentals of the Prey experience. It all feels quite familiar at the moment, but I'm aware that these are also building blocks. I have just unlocked the ability to use alien powers, which introduces an interesting dynamic when you consider Talos I is littered with sentry turrets that attack lifeforms with alien DNA in them. I'm also moving into a brand-new area of Talos I and accruing side-quests as the world opens up, and with any luck it will start to coalesce into something worthwhile.

Stay tuned for our full review in the near future.

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More Progress For Firefighter/Paramedic Shot Monday – CBS DFW

Posted: at 3:30 am

May 5, 2017 3:35 PM

William An (credit: Dallas Fire-Rescue)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) Dallas Fire-Rescue firefighter/paramedic, William An, who was shot while trying to assist a shooting victim Monday, remains in critical condition, but DFR says heis consistently improving.

Over the past few days, family, friends and co-workers have witnessed Officer An go from incomprehensible indications of discomfort and fatigue, to normal verbal exchanges, sitting upright and even the occasional laugh, a DFR news release stated.

The statement went on to say:

Officer An, still has a long road ahead as he continues to undergo procedures, and follow-up with medical personnel, related to the injuries he sustained from the shooting.

His wife, and entire family, is in relatively good spirits considering Ans status at the beginning of the week. They are thankful for all the prayers and well-wishes from first responders, the Dallas Community and people across the country who have shown their support; but understand that his recovery is far from over.

If you would like to help the family, the Dallas Firefighters Associations Local 58 Relief Fund is accepting donations for Officer An.

It is a 501c3 non-profit charity from which DFR says 100 percent of the money donated goes to the intended cause.

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Wallaceton man seriously injured after jump from Lawrence Twp. bridge – Clearfield Progress

Posted: at 3:30 am

A 55-year-old Wallaceton man was flown by medical helicopter to a trauma center after he jumped off a bridge in Lawrence Township yesterday morning.

According to Lawrence Township Police Acting Chief Sgt. James Glass, at 8:39 a.m. witnesses reported seeing a male jump off the bridge on U.S. Route 322 over Clearfield Creek in the Golden Rod area near the Beauty Lane intersection. According to Glass, the male fell in approximately three inches of water in the creek below.

Glass estimated the bridge to be about 40-60 feet high.

Police were assisted on scene by Clearfield Borough Police, Lawrence Township Vol. Fire Co. No. 1 Rescue, Clearfield EMS and Clearfield EMA.

Police identified the victim but did not release his name to the media.

Glass said the victim suffered serious injuries and was semi-conscious when they found him, but Glass said the victim was going into shock.

Because of the difficulty accessing the site, emergency responders used Clearfield County EMAs side-by-side ATV to drive down close to the victim. But he said they still had to carry the victim about 100 yards to the ATV because it couldnt get the ATV all the way down to where the victim had fallen.

The male was then placed into an ambulance and then transported to a medical helicopter that had landed on the bridge. He was flown to a trauma center. Glass said he didnt know which trauma center the victim was flown to.

Glass said he would give additional updates when available.

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East Chicago Residents ‘Worried About Everything’ Despite Progress – WFYI

Posted: at 3:30 am

Keesha Daniels advocates for Calumet residents with state and national NAACP leaders the day EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt visted East Chicago. Pruitt was invited to the NAACP meeting, but declined to attend.

Keesha Daniels just moved from one lead contaminated neighborhood to another.

Both her new house and her old West Calumet Housing Complex apartment sit within East Chicagos USS Lead Superfund site. The city is tearing down her old home because of extremely high levels of lead in the soil. So she had to move.

Daniels is still unpacking. Most rooms have a pile of boxes stacked tidily in a corner. Two heavy dressers sit in one otherwise empty room her sons are coming later to move them. As Daniels takes me on a tour of her new house, she offers me some water.

Its bottled water, she says with a laugh. A water filter hangs pointedly from her kitchen faucet.

Despite progress at the state and federal levels, many East Chicago residents, such as Daniels, are frustrated with the public officials in charge of cleaning up the lead contaminated neighborhood.

The Environmental Protection Agency told Daniels and her sons that her new front yard is lead free. The government offered to move the family off the superfund site, to Chicago, but Daniels didnt like that option.

Im still worried about everything; were still doing the bottled water a lot, Daniels says. I just feel safer in East Chicago. I was born and raised here, so Ive been here 40 plus years, so Im kind of nervous about going some place else.

Like Daniels, most West Calumet residents have moved now. Thats Zone 1 of the Superfund, it tested for the highest lead levels. But she also says residents in the other two zones have a lot left to fight for, even though they arent being relocated.

So now, the struggle still continues, because I still have family in [Zone] 2 and I live in [Zone] 3, says Daniels. Its not going to stop just because I moved out of Zone 1.

Daniels really hasnt stopped. In the past month shes had her bones tested for lead (she doesnt know results yet), she traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for lead-free housing, and she met with state leaders and EPA Chief Scott Pruitt.

Hours before that meeting, Tyra Taylor stands on her porch, watching a group of activists march for clean air and water in East Chicago.

Hours before that meeting, Tyra Taylor stands on her porch, watching a group of activists march for clean air and water in East Chicago.

Taylors yard, running down the side of her house, laid in disarray that day. Bushes and mounds of dirt surround the excavator, which digs out contaminated soil and replaces it with clean soil.

So todays my day to get dug up, Taylor says. See they even brought a whole machine in here, I didnt even notice that.

A letter sent to her by the EPA explains that sampling results from her yard showed lead or arsenic concentrations above the limit the federal government considers safe.

Taylor says shes grateful her yard is being remediated, but shes far from satisfied. She says more crews are needed to do the work faster.

While residents who met with Pruitt that day say officials didnt relay specific plans for the future, it does sound like Taylors wish might come true.

Speaking with reporters after Pruitts press conference Pruitt only gave a brief statement; no questions Regional EPA Administrator Robert Kaplan said they would be doing more work, faster.

So the most important aspect is getting out into the field earlier, and thats what we did, and committing to more residents being done, and thats what we did as well, says Kaplan.

Officials are continuing to make progress:

On the other hand, an investigationby the Northwest Indiana Times found evidence that theres lead paint dust surrounding homes reserved for people moving out of lead contaminated Zone 1.

Both Keesha Daniels and Tyra Taylor say the Calumet neighborhood used to be a tight-knit community. But they feel isolated now, like their lives have been turned upside down. Daniels says $1,000 and a Section 8 voucher arent enough to replace family.

And Taylor says she continues to be frustrated because residents have to deal with lead contamination every hour of every day, and theyve been doing it for decades.

You know, theyre having meetings and people coming in from out of town, senators, you know, whatever thats fine, Taylor says. But then you go on, you have to go back to the rest of whats on your desk. You know, we are just in a pile. We are a pile of paperwork.

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Progress Software: Digital agencies are key to partner ecosystem – TechTarget

Posted: at 3:30 am

Traditional partners typically view digital agencies as competitors, but Progress Software sees it differently.

Progress' partner ecosystem includes ISVs, distributors, systems integrators and services partners. More recently, the company has added new types of partners such as digital agencies and services partners that have specialties in vertical markets. In total, Progress has about 2,500 active partners today.

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"We see a tremendous amount of opportunity from lots of different angles," said Kimberly King, vice president of global partners and channels at Progress . "When we look at our partner ecosystem, the uniqueness of those partners allows us to work very collaboratively with them."

She said digital agencies have unique capabilities for helping customers solve business problems as well as a branding, messaging and marketing background.

"They were basically born out of a vacuum that was created between systems integrators and business consultants," she said, noting that business consultants will look at customer business processes and reengineer them while systems integrators will just look at technology products.

"In the middle, we found these amazing digital agencies that can bridge the gap between both," she said.

Progress began approaching digital agencies and other more traditional partners as complementary rather than competitive, King said, with the company looking for opportunities for pairing them as collaborators. For example, Progress will pair digital agencies with implementation partners that don't do any of the marketing strategy, product selection or go-to-market work.

"They generally sync up well," she said. "We rarely see clashing."

She added that Progress will bring in digital agencies to train other partners on social media, websites, branding and more.

In April, Progress acquired DataRPM, a maker of cognitive predictive maintenance technology, and is currently focusing on incorporating cognitive technology into its strategy.

One Identity, an identity and access management (IAM) company that operates under Quest Software, debuted a standalone partner program, One Identity Partner Circle.Targeting systems integrators, consultants and resellers, the program offers support for selling One Identity's IAM products. Support and benefits include deal registration and incentives for resellers, influencers and delivery partners; technical tools, training and delivery enablement; and a new partner portal.

One Identity was established as an independent business under Quest Software after equity firm Francisco Partners and hedge fund manager Elliot Management acquired the Dell Software Group last year.

Market Share is a news roundup published every Friday.

Read about cybersecurity companies that have launched channel programs

Find out about the combined Verizon/XO channel program

Learn about Seceon's MSSP program

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Tornado strikes Dinwiddie – Progress Index

Posted: at 3:30 am

Storm leaves significant property damage in its wake

McKENNEY A tornado that ripped through southern Dinwiddie County early Friday morning left hundreds of trees downed and cut a swath of property damage ranging from shattered windows to collapsed barns throughout the area.

First it was the roar of the wind and then you heard the sounds of the trees crashing down, said George Marshall, whose home sits squarely in the tornados apparent path along Baskerville Mill Road near its intersection with Route 40 just west of McKenney.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, no injuries had been reported, McKenney Fire Chief Ryan Townsend confirmed.

Marshall and his wife Emily were already awake when the storm swept through the area just before 7 a.m. on May 5.

We knew something was brewing, he said. But by the time the couple received the tornado alert, it was too late: not a minute after, Marshall said, the storm was upon them.

It sounded like the old proverbial freight train without the clacking, he said. Ive never actually heard it before.

Without a basement, the couple took shelter with their two dogs in the only place in their home that didnt have an exterior window: a closet.

If wed had more warning, we would have left here, said Marshall. But, he added, there wasnt enough warning.

Just before 1 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service confirmed that the damage seen in the area was consistent with an EF-1 tornado, a classification applied to tornadoes whose winds range between 86 and 110 mph. The weather service also reported damage from straight-line winds.

On the ground, a path of destruction and debris could be traced down Baskerville Mill Road and Old White Oak Road near their intersections with Route 40, as well as for several miles along Lew Jones Road. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped off midway up the trunk, and downed power lines were tangled for more than a mile in the fallen branches and damaged fences that edged the road.

Weve got a lot of wire to put back up, said Dave Breeden, an electrical worker with C. W. Wright, a company hired by Dominion Virginia Power to repair the lines in the area. Well be out here after dark.

Numerous buildings also showed the impacts of the storm. A barn at the site of the former Roberts Feed Center collapsed entirely, as did a small shed on the property. Portions of multiple structures' roofs were torn off and scattered throughout fields, with one twisted piece found wrapped around a tree roughly a quarter mile from any buildings. The Marshalls home suffered several broken windows, roof damage where a tree struck the building and other problems such as a wrenched-off railing, while a utility trailer that had been anchored near their garage was flung about 30 feet away.

Its just remarkable that some of these people didnt lose their home, said Dinwiddie Extension Agent Mike Parrish.

Although McKenney suffered the worst damage Friday morning, storms affected the entire Petersburg-Richmond metropolitan area, producing more than 4,000 power outages.

School buses were delayed in some areas, and in Chesterfield, tornado warnings led officials at several secondary schools to invoke shelter in place protocols as a precaution. The heavy rain also led Prince George and Colonial Heights to cancel baseball and softball games scheduled for Friday night.

The timing of the storms also significantly snarled morning commutes. A tractor-trailer crash on the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Prince George County backed traffic up around Exit 41 about a mile and a half. Fallen trees blocked Cox Road, Namozine Road and Vaughan Road in Dinwiddie, while flooding impaired roads in Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George.

In McKenney, cleanup efforts were in full swing by late morning, with dozens of electrical workers, tree-cutting workers and emergency responders on site.

Several of those affected expressed amazement that while the storm wreaked such havoc on property, it left the population unharmed.

Weve had three of these, but this is by far the worst Ive seen, said Nicholas Howerton, the grandson of the collapsed barns owners.

George Marshall voiced similar feelings.

Ive been through hurricanes, Ive been through typhoons in Southeast Asia, but never anything quite like this, he said.

Staff writer Michael Buettner contributed to this report. Sarah Vogelsong may be reached at svogelsong@progress-index.com or 804-722-5154.

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IAEA chief ‘concerned’ about North Korean nuclear progress – Deutsche Welle

Posted: at 3:30 am

In an interview withGerman daily"Sddeutsche Zeitung" on Friday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano expressed real worry aboutNorth Korea's nuclear advances.

"We have indicators that the nuclear program is progressing as announced," Amano said.

"All the evidence tells us that North Korea is taking steps forward. And that makes us concerned," he said, adding that the security concerns extend beyond the immediate pacific region.

Read more: UN Security Council hears tough talk on North Korea's nuclear program

The IAEA promotes the peaceful use and development of nuclear energy for non-military purposes. Though its inspectors have been banned from entering North Korea since 2009, Amano said satellite images enabled agency experts to draw their conclusions.

Satellite imagery showing an apparent resumption of activity at a nuclear test facility in North Korea

Growing concern in an intensifying conflict

The IAEA's vocal concern adds to the intensifying conflict surrounding North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Since 2006, the internationally-isolated nation has undertaken five atomic tests, two of which occurred in the past year, according to the country's own statements. In addition, North Korea has been repeatedly test-firing ballistic missiles, all in violation of UN resolutions.

The last such missile, test-fired at the end of April, broke apart shortly after launch.

Read more: North Korean test-fires ballistic missile, breaks apart after launch

Tension has ratcheted up in 2017, and in the past weeks, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un threatened Japan, South Korea and the west coast of the United States with a possible attack.

In response, US President Donald Trump has sought to exert greater pressure on Pyongyang since taking office. He recently warned a "major, major conflict"with the rogue nation was possible and has not ruled out military action.

However, earlier this week, the US president unexpectedly said he would be prepared to meet with Kim under certain conditions, calling the potential meeting an honor.

Even though Trump has increased pressure on North Korea, he would be open to meeting with North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un.

Shifting alliances?

Trump has been courting American allies in the Pacific, including through recent phone calls with Thailand and Singapore, in an effort to strengthen the alliance against North Korea. And on Thursday, the US House of Representatives voted to impose new sanctionson Pyongyang as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Southeast Asian governments to continue isolating North Korea.

North Korea's latest aggressive action and rhetoric may alienate the country's last ally: China. In a statement made Wednesday to the North Korean state news agency KCNA, Pyongyang warned Bejing not to test "the limits of our patience further."

China has increasingly called on its neighbor to end provocative missile and atomic weapons tests. The country's leader Xi Jinping and Trump have also discussed managing North Korea's nuclear program in an April face-to-face meeting and telephone conversations.

North Korea's nuclear ambitions may draw Trump and Jinping closer together

cmb/rt (dpa, AFP)

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The Upton Amendment to the ACA Repeal Bill Will Have Almost No Effect – Center For American Progress

Posted: May 4, 2017 at 3:09 pm

House Republicans are proposing to invest additional money in bad policy. Moderate members have been offered $8 billion more in the American Health Care Act, or AHCA, that could help fund high-risk pools for people with pre-existing conditions, a policy that has failed to provide adequate health coverage in the past. With the deal, up to $138 billion could go to high-risk pools under the AHCA, but that additional $8 billion would subsidize just 76,000 more people.

The high-risk pool plan is an attempt to cover up for another provision in the bill, via an amendment by New Jersey Rep. Tom MacArthur (R), that would allow states to easily waive protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions in the individual market if they experienced a gap in coverage.

The Center for American Progress found that the $130 billion of funding already in the AHCA would be insufficient to sustain even a small high-risk pool. Supposing the size of the pool was about 5 percent of the small-group and individual markets, the AHCA would need to provide a total of $327 billion to offer moderately subsidized high-risk pool coverage for those 1.5 million people. The current version of the AHCA falls $200 billion short of that, and the $8 billion promised to House Republican moderates would fill in just 4 percent of the funding gap.

Suppose that the high-risk pools enrollees would receive Affordable Care Act-like benefits, including limits on out-of-pocket costs, no rating based on health status, coverage of essential health services, no annual or lifetime limits, and a subsidy that covers 68 percent of the average premium. We start our calculations by assuming that the average high-cost enrollee has annual claims of $32,108, the average in the Affordable Care Acts transitional Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. We then subtract the consumers share of medical costs from the total claims cost and add health insurance companies administrative overhead. The resulting premium for the AHCA high-risk pool would be $31,000 per year. A 68 percent subsidy would be $21,000hardly generous considering that the consumers share of the premium would be $10,000.

Two moderate Republicans, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), have reportedly been promised that the AHCA will put an additional $8 billion toward high-risk pools over five years, for an average of $1.6 billion in funding per year. The money could be limited to states that choose to waive pre-existing condition protections. Assuming moderately generous premium subsidies of $21,000 per year for high-cost coverage, the Upton amendment could help cover 76,000 enrolleesa tiny fraction of the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.

The full $138 billion would subsidize about 700,000 people annually, including the 76,000 from the Upton amendment, in a high-risk pool. But if roughly 5 percent of current individual market and small-group enrollees needed coverage through the high-risk pools, more than 800,000 people with high-cost health conditions would still be left without protection or affordable coverage. We show estimates by state in the table below. We assumed that states which outlawed health-based rating in the individual market would not waive pre-existing condition protections under the AHCA and would therefore be ineligible for Upton amendment funds.

Note that our estimates have made generous assumptions about the maximum funding available for the AHCA high-risk pool. For a full $138 billion toward the risk pool, money would need to be redirected away from other AHCA programs, including promotion of preventive services; the federal invisible risk-sharing program; and maternity care, newborn care, mental health care, and substance use disorders. The entirety of the bills Patient and State Stability Fund would need to be dedicated solely to the third option in its list of possible purposes: reducing the cost for providing health insurance coverage in the individual market and small group market to individuals who have, or are projected to have, a high rate of utilization of health services.

House Republican leaders have been presenting the latest ACHA plan as a deal: In exchange for moderate Republicans in the House backing the MacArthur amendment, they sink more money into high-risk pools. But as often happens in trade-offs, there would be winners and losers. Even if the Upton amendment wins votes, the staggeringly large funding gap could leave many Americans with pre-existing conditions stranded outside the high-risk pool without affordable options for coverage.

Emily Gee is a Health Economist at the Center for American Progress. Topher Spiro is the Vice President for Health Policy and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

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