A 2,000 Mile Saharan Dust Cloud Is Approaching Texas and Florida
There, it will turn the sky a dull gray during the day and possibly provide some dazzling sunsets. And if the winds mix it down to the surface, the grit will make people sneeze, wheeze and plead for relief from the allergens and grime.
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Millions of Floridians could lose Affordable Care Act coverage as federal tax credits set to expire
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is on track to become unaffordable for millions of Floridians who rely on the health insurance coverage. Federal tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year, and healthcare advocacy groups say thousands will be forced to drop their health insurance if Congress doesn't extend the funding. "Most people on ACA have not had insurance for a long time and I'm one of them," said Francoise Cham. Cham said she didn't have health insurance for 25 years before the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, came along. She's a single mother and self-employed. Now she's worried that she won't be able to afford her health insurance anymore. Rates are expected to rise and premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year. Those currently lower her payments to about $80 a month. "Being 63, I am in between. I got two more years to go for Medicare and as a woman of color, heart disease, anything can happen between now and two years," said Cham. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy nonprofit, estimates that out-of-pocket premium payments will increase by roughly 75 percent without the tax credits. "Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 2.2 million Floridians will be priced out of the marketplace, meaning our uninsured rate as a state will double actually up to 9 percent overall," said Scott Darius. Darius is the executive director of Florida Voices for Health. He said Florida has the highest ACA enrollment in the country, with 4.7 million people in 2025—that's over 1 in 5 Floridians. He said the changes could impact everyone's health insurance rates. "As insurance companies kind of game out what they're charging folks, they're calculating that there is this influx of people who don't have care and quite frankly, because we're talking about the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, there also tends to be unhealthier outcomes," Darius said. Cham hopes Congress will vote to extend the help. "It's a necessity, it's not even a luxury," Cham said. Other organizations, including the Florida Hospital Association, have spoken out. In an email to CBS Miami, President and CEO Mary Mayhew said: "Today, more than 4.7 million Floridians have health insurance coverage because of the federal marketplace and the essential premium assistance. This innovative private health insurance model is the difference between timely access to health care and going without. The critical premium assistance through the federal marketplace is promoting employment and easing the financial burden of health insurance costs on Florida's small businesses. The success of the marketplace cannot be ignored, and Congress must act to preserve and protect this private health insurance model that is so vital to ensuring timely access to health care services for millions of hardworking Floridians." Congress is still on recess. With open enrollment for health insurance beginning on November 1, Darius said they expect to have a better idea as that date gets closer.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Watches Issued For Northern Leeward Islands
Erin continues to move into warmer waters and is expected to become a major hurricane over the weekend. The track continues to pull the storm slightly closer to the Caribbean, so some impacts are possible, some of which could be significant. The East Coast, The Bahamas and Bermuda will need to continue to monitor Erin over the coming days.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Erin tracker: Forecast to strengthen into 1st Atlantic hurricane of 2025 by Friday, latest projected path prompts watches for northern Leeward Islands
There is still uncertainty about what impact Erin may have on states like Florida on the U.S. East Coast, NHC forecasters say. Tropical Storm watches are now in effect for parts of the northern Leeward Islands as Erin is expected to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season by Friday, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. Erin formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Monday and is strengthening as it moves westward. The NHC said there is still "a greater than normal uncertainty" about what impact it could have on states like Florida on the U.S. East Coast, as well as the Bahamas and Bermuda. But forecasters remain confident that Erin "will be a large and powerful hurricane over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean this weekend." Where is Tropical Storm Erin, and what is its path? As of 5 p.m. ET Thursday: Erin was located 790 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. It is moving west at 17 mph. "A turn toward the west-northwest is expected tonight, with this motion expected to continue into the weekend," the NHC said. "On the forecast track, the center of Erin is likely to move near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend." The storm is expected to bring areas of heavy rainfall starting late Friday across the northern Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as southern and eastern Puerto Rico. Rainfall totals could range from 2 to 4 inches, with up to 6 inches in isolated areas, which could lead to flash or urban flooding and cause mudslides and landslides, the hurricane center said Thursday. What are the chances it will intensify? Tropical Storm Erin is expected to strengthen in the next day or so and is forecast to become a hurricane by Friday, forecasters said. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach at least 74 mph. Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, ranging from Category 1 to Category 5, with 5 being the most severe. A storm is considered a major hurricane when it reaches Category 3 strength, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph, according to the NHC. Watches and warnings in place As of 5 p.m. ET Thursday, these are the following advisories in place, according to the NHC: Tropical storm watch in effect for: Anguilla and Barbuda St. Martin and St. Barthelemy Saba and St. Eustatius Sint Maarten A 'tropical storm watch' means tropical storm conditions are possible in the areas within the next 48 hours. How is hurricane season shaping up? The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through the end of November, has a 50% chance of being above normal. Last week, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration slightly updated the number of expected storms to 13-18 (estimated at 13-19 in May), five of which could become major hurricanes (with winds of more than 111 mph). A typical hurricane season averages 14 named storms. We're currently about halfway through this year's hurricane season, and there have been five so far: tropical storms Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter and Erin.
