Well that was a very wet week! Driving on the LA Freeway on Wednesday felt like going through a carwash. I still find it ridiculous that the roads in Los Angeles don’t have reflective paint or cats eyes to mark the lanes. I tweeted the Mayor a few months ago to ask why, but never did get a response. If any of you have friends in high places, can you have a word?
We have experienced the coldest February in 60 years, with some parts of LA even got a smattering of snow! The most recent storm was spectacular with the most incredible display of lightning that I’ve ever seen. It was right out of a Hollywood movie. According to meteorologists at EarthNetworks.com, 20,249 combined in-cloud and cloud-to-ground pulses were detected!!
The upside is that it eases our drought worries, the downside is that heavy rain can cause terrible mudslides. I hear that several of the canyon roads have been hit this week. Local fires stations are offering free sandbags. To check your local supply visit dpw.lacounty.gov/dsg/sandbags.
Meanwhile Britain is currently experiencing unseasonably warm weather with last month dubbed ‘Flaming February” by the tabloids. Hey, UK, can you give us back our sunshine please?
With spring almost upon us it’s time to get our your calendars out as we have a few dates that you will want to make a note of: the clocks changes in most of the USA this Sunday, March 10th, but don’t ‘Spring Forward’ in the UK until March 31st, which also happens to be Mothers’ Day in the UK. (May 12th in the USA). The LA Marathon is scheduled for March 24th so expect the route to disrupt the entire city. Plan on either heading east, staying at home or going to the beach extra early! The race starts at Dodger Stadium and runs through DTLA then across to Los Feliz, hits Hollywood at Mile 10 then ends in Santa Monica. I
If any of you are participating this year please do let us know.
Lastly, it’s tax time. The deadline is Monday April 15th. If you don’t feel prepared you can file for an extension but don’t leave it until the last minute as the IRS website is notorious for crashing due to the huge amount of visitors. The IRS have lots of advice on filing your taxes and also supply links that enable you to do it for free. The website is too long for a newspaper column but you can find it by visiting irs.gov or visit this column online at British-Weekly.com.
Visit https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free
I am always a bit afraid to do my own taxes; I am not quite confident enough to know if I am doing it correctly, so I pay someone to prepare my taxes for me. There are lots of member recommendations on our Facebook page, but feel free to email us at info@britsin.la if you have any questions.
Another important date quite a few of you seem to have missed was December 21st 2018; which was the cut off to sign up for health insurance for 2019. The open enrollment window was actually extended this period, but I completely appreciate how easy it is to miss or forget. I’ve been here over 20 years now and the American healthcare system is probably the only thing that still makes me feel like a ‘foreigner’. Every time I think I have got to grips with it, the rules change. There aren’t a lot of options if you don’t currently have coverage. If you have had a life changing event such as having a baby, getting married or losing health coverage you should qualify for a ‘Special Enrollment Period’, you can check your eligibility on CoveredCa.com. Native Americans and people eligible for Medicaid/CHIP can enroll year-round.
Many states offer short term limited coverage. Unfortunately, California has banned these plans as they destabilize the health marketplace. But don’t despair if you are uninsured as there are quite a few free or low cost clinics and hospitals scattered around Los Angeles. Go to their website Los Angeles Department of Health at http://dhs.lacounty.gov/
Also, the Centers for Disease Control offer some free or low cost services, including mammograms and Pap smears. Visit www.cdc.gov
Planned Parenthood is another fantastic resource. Contrary to popular belief they are not ‘just an abortion clinic’. They offer a wide range of medical services, including general health care for both men and women and everyone in between. The cost is based on your income so the less you earn the less you pay. Go to www.plannedparenthood.org to learn more
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or recommendations that we can share with our readers, or feel free to post on our Facebook page. Send your emails to info@britsin.la
Stay healthy and safe!
Eileen
