Delaware

Delaware House OKs bill to review hospital budgets

Published

2 years ago

April 27, 2024

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Delaware House OKs bill to review hospital budgets

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This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Legislation creating a hospital cost review board passed the Delaware House Thursday after a long and contentious debate that frustrated members of both sides of the aisle.

Speaker Valerie Longhurst’s bill passed 21-16 on a near party-line vote, with three Democrats, Reps. Sean Lynn, Stell Parker Selby and Sean Matthews voting in opposition. After more than three hours of debate, Democrats took a short break, came back into session and then used a procedural maneuver to end debate and force a vote on the bill. Some lawmakers said they were disappointed with how the debate on the bill was handled.

“It’s an embarrassing day,” House Minority Leader Michael Ramone said. “It’s a sad day, and I’m very sad to be a part of this legislature.”

The measure aims to rein in increasing health care costs in the First State by requiring hospitals to submit their budgets to ensure they’re in compliance with government spending benchmarks. The hospital cost review board bill is based on a similar board Vermont created to curb health care costs.

Under Longhurst’s proposal, the board would review each hospital’s budget annually. If a hospital fails to meet spending benchmarks, it would be required to develop a performance improvement plan. Once a hospital meets spending targets for three consecutive years, the board would release it from the performance plan oversight. When a hospital successfully meets its budget goals for three consecutive years, it would no longer be required to participate in the budget approval process.

“This legislation is not about punishing hospitals, but rather ensuring our constituents are able to access quality and affordable health care and to put a system into place to slow down the skyrocketing costs that we have experienced in Delaware,” she said.

The board would consist of seven members, six of whom would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The executive director of the Delaware Healthcare Association would be the seventh “non-voting” member.

Longhurst argued that the only year the benchmark had been met was in 2020 due to COVID, when fewer people were accessing regular medical care.

“Every other year, health care spending has far surpassed the benchmark we set for this date, including years with over 11% growth in health care costs,” she said.

2021 saw an 11% increase as more people resumed health care visits they had put off during the pandemic, according to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ third annual benchmark trend report.

Gov. John Carney set a spending benchmark in 2018, which was an aspirational goal for annual per-capita-rate health care spending growth. The 3.8% benchmark took effect in 2019. It’s since fluctuated to various percentages below 4%.

Opponents of the legislation have said it substitutes political judgment for hospital experts’ expertise and doesn’t focus on cost drivers such as prescription drugs, workforce shortages, and insurance companies. Newark-based ChristianaCare, Dover-based Bayhealth and Lewes-based Beebe Health have recently spoken out in opposition to the board.

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Delaware

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

RADNOR, Pa. – Authorities say a Delaware County school employee is accused of traveling to Texas to sexually assault a minor he met online.

What we know:

Michael Robinson, 43, was taken into custody near Radnor Middle School where investigators say he worked as a paraprofessional.

Investigators believe Robinson traveled to Tyler, Texas in the summer of 2024 to meet a minor he had connected with online.

Robinson, according to U.S. Marshals, allegedly sexually assaulted the teen over the course of a weekend.

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Prosecutors in Smith County, Texas charged Robinson in December with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under 15-years-old.

Robinson is being held at a Delaware County jail where he is awaiting extradition to Texas.

What they’re saying:

U.S. Marshals in Pennsylvania said Robinson’s arrest shows that “sexual predators will always be pursued relentlessly.”

The Radnor Township School District said Robinson has been placed on leave and will not have contact with students.

“Parents of the limited number of children to whom the employee was assigned were contacted by the administration immediately.”

The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement and has “no information indicating misconduct involving district students.”

Crime & Public SafetyDelaware CountyNews

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Delaware

Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Published

21 hours ago

February 26, 2026

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Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Rehoboth Beach has canceled the upcoming 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge as the Sussex County resort town continues dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s snowstorm, organizers of the annual Special Olympics fundraiser said on Feb. 26.

“Rehoboth Beach is navigating significant challenges because of the snowstorm,” a Special Olympics Delaware email announced. “At present, the boardwalk and all beach crossings remain snow covered and many sidewalks throughout downtown Rehoboth are as well.”

The plunge and 5K had been rescheduled to March 1 after severe weather conditions in late January caused it to be moved from its original Feb. 1 date.

The plunge will not be rescheduled for this year.

Last weekend’s storm brought nearly 2 feet of snow to parts of Sussex, closing hundreds of roads when trees and wires were downed. There were also power outages across the county, including Rehoboth Beach which had to restore power to its wastewater treatment facility.

Plunging for a cause

The polar bear plunge is one of Special Olympics Delaware’s more popular fundraisers, drawing more than 4,000 participants last year.

In recent years, the event has been bringing in more than a million dollars for Special Olympics Delaware. Last year, plunge events drew $1.3 million, just shy of the record-breaking $1.5 million raised in 2024.

Alex Seymore, Special Olympics Delaware’s director of digital media, said the organization had already raised more than $1 million from this year’s event.

“We expect a small impact,” Seymore told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “But again, we’re showing that we’ve raised over a million dollars.

He added they are reviewing how the cancelation will impact them and their services.

“It’s been just a couple hours, so we’re not completely positive how it will impact things in the long run,” he said. “We’re thankful for everybody that’s helped raise this money through this time.”

What is still occurring

While the plunge and 5k and been canceled this year, there are other indoor events that will continue as scheduled:

Feb. 27

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Feb. 28

noon to 2 p.m. Fire & Ice in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Restaurant chili contest.
4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

President Donald Trump touted his Trump Accounts for kids platform during his State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, months before the savings account program goes live this summer.

Roughly 63% of parents open bank accounts for the newborns and young children according to The Financial Brand, showing that in general, opening a bank accounts for your child is a good idea.

But what, exactly, are Trump Accounts for kids, and does it make sense for you to open one for your child? Here’s everything you need to know.

Trump Account for kids explained

The IRS explained in a memo Trump Accounts will be available for any children under 18, with $1,000 seed money available for newborns and very young children.

That account will be seeded with federal government funds.

“A Trump account is a type of traditional individual retirement account that is established for the exclusive benefit of an eligible individual and that is designated at its establishment as a Trump account,” read the IRS’ Trump Accounts memo. “Upon an election under the pilot program, $1,000 is paid by the Secretary to the Trump account of an eligible child.

“An eligible child means a qualifying child who is born after December 31, 2024 and before January 1, 2029, who is a U.S. citizen, and for whom no prior pilot program election has been made.”

The Trump Accounts website confirms parents do not need to make a contribution, but can deposit up to $5,000 a year into the interest-bearing account.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in comments published Jan. 28 a single $1,000 deposit into a Trump Account at birth should grow to an estimated $500,000 by the age of retirement.

When will Trump Accounts for kids lunch, and can I apply in Delaware?

Trump Accounts for kids will go live on Monday, July 5, and parents in Delaware are allowed to apply for the nationwide offering when it opens.

Until then, you can visit the Trump Accounts website to add your name to the email list to get an update when the service goes live.

The IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury released Trump Accounts guidance you can read before opening an account.

Problems with Trump Accounts for kids

While opening a Trump Account for your child may seem a good thing, TIME uncovered a few problems with President Donald Trump’s namesake account service.

“The program may be open to every child, but its benefits will flow overwhelmingly to families with the means to contribute thousands of dollars a year. What could have been a leveling tool instead risks becoming a widening wedge between the haves and the have-nots,” read a portion of TIME’s take. “For a family living paycheck-to-paycheck that is unable to add anything beyond the government’s $1,000 seed deposit, the balance reaches just $5,839 by age 18. “

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies echoed much of that sentiment, and said Trump Accounts for kids will have the opposite effect from its stated goals.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

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