Health

OP-ED: Lives Remain In the Balance: 2019

THE AFRO — If President Trump and his Republican allies would seriously consider both their sense of humanity and the lessons of history, they would halt their continuing attacks on the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA” or “ObamaCare”) and work with Democrats to solve the health care challenges that our nation faces.

Published

5 years ago

April 15, 2019

Congressman Elijah Cummings

By Congressman Elijah Cummings

If President Trump and his Republican allies would seriously consider both their sense of humanity and the lessons of history, they would halt their continuing attacks on the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA” or “ObamaCare”) and work with Democrats to solve the health care challenges that our nation faces.

As Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass of California recently observed, Americans – and, especially, African Americans – will be seriously harmed if the opponents succeed in destroying the ACA.

A humane nation can not allow that carnage – as the lessons of recent history illustrate.

During the current national debate about health care, it is important to recall that, before the ACA, nearly 50 million Americans lacked health insurance<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/health/obamacare-health-insurance-numbers-nchs.html>, and nearly 10 million of these uninsured were African American. Women were charged more than men for the same care, and insurers could drop coverage, deny coverage, or charge 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions more for their care.

Chairwoman Bass is also correct in concluding that, on balance, the ACA has been a success.

In the neighborhood of 20 million more Americans, including millions of African Americans, now have access to quality affordable healthcare. Children can remain on their parents’ insurance until the age of 26 – and, perhaps most important of all, health insurance companies can no longer drop or deny care due to a pre-existing condition.

This is not to say, however, that we have solved all the obstacles to assuring that Americans can afford the health care that we all need and deserve. We have yet to adequately control price-gouging in the cost of our prescription drugs – and insurance premiums continue to rise at an unacceptable rate.

My colleagues and I have advanced legislation that would reduce the price-gauging by BIG PHARMA – and reforms are possible that would moderate premium increases.

For example, in my State of Maryland, insurers who originally sought premium increases for 2019 have decreased their premiums because of a state “reinsurance” plan that helps the insurers cover unusually expensive health care claims.

The President and his Republican allies should take note. If they would consider these reforms in the context of the history of this national debate, they would recall that two major forces catalyzed the health care reform process more than a decade ago.

First, even before President Obama and congressional Democrats began the process that resulted in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the National Institute of Medicine concluded that more than 18,000 Americans were dying prematurely every year because they lacked health insurance, while research from Harvard estimated the number of premature deaths at 55,000.

That avoidable annual death toll was and remains an unacceptable human cost, challenging our basic humanity as a civilized people.

History also reminds us that a second motivation for reform was the accelerating increase in healthcare costs that threatened the budgets of governments, businesses and individual households alike.

The private, largely for-profit insurance system in this country was failing to fully address these challenges a decade ago – and it continues to fail these tests today.

These considerations are why the President and Congress alike must provide the American People with the answer to a fundamental question.

Why should we continue to provide massive public subsidies to a failed system of healthcare financing when it could be more cost-effective and rational to fund healthcare for everyone in the same manner that we already fund health care for our elderly, disabled, veterans, and poor?

The answer to this question is why some of us believed a decade ago (and continue to believe today) that a single-payer system based upon expanding Medicare to everyone would be the most effective strategy.

However, as has always been the case, politics remains the art of what is possible, even if the possible is less than ideal.

Establishing access to affordable healthcare as a civil right through the Affordable Care Act was the progress that we could achieve politically back in 2010 – and the ACA remains our first line of defense today.

That is why I have joined more than 120 of my Democratic House colleagues in co-sponsoring The Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions & Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 [H.R. 1884], proposed reform legislation introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr., along with Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott and Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal.

If enacted, our bill would strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions and reverse the Trump Administration’s efforts to sabotage the ACA.

We would make health care more affordable by lowering health insurance premiums for low- and moderate-income Americans by expanding eligibility for premium tax credits beyond 400 percent of the federal poverty line and increasing the size of tax credits for all income brackets.

Finally, following the course charted by Maryland’s Legislature and other states, our legislation would create a national reinsurance program to help cover the costs of consumers with expensive medical conditions, thereby lowering health insurance premiums for everyone.

Lives remain in the balance, and the choice for the President and Congress is clear.

We can do what is both practical and humane to assure affordable health care for everyone – or we will pay for our failure to do so in hemorrhaging budgets and lost American lives. Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American • 1531 S. Edgewood St. Baltimore, MD 21227 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

Congressman Elijah Cummings

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Bay Area

Mind, Body, and Spiritual Well-Being for Women Addressed in NAACP Forum in Oakland

The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is proud to announce the upcoming “Total You – Mind, Body, and Spirit Women’s Health Forum” scheduled for April 27 at Acts Full Gospel Church. Running from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1034 66th Ave., this forum aims to provide an empowering platform for women to engage in discussions, gain knowledge, and access resources pertaining to their health and well-being.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

The panel will address various aspects of women’s health, including physical, mental and emotional well-being and relationships. iStock photo by Jorge Elizaquibel.

Special to The Post

The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is proud to announce the upcoming “Total You – Mind, Body, and Spirit Women’s Health Forum” scheduled for April 27 at Acts Full Gospel Church.

Running from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1034 66^th Ave., this forum aims to provide an empowering platform for women to engage in discussions, gain knowledge, and access resources pertaining to their health and well-being.

The forum will feature renowned experts, healthcare professionals, and advocates from Genentech, John Muir Health, Sutter Health of The East Bay, Kaiser Permanente, and the Alameda County Public Health Department.

Our expert panel will address various aspects of women’s health, including physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and healthy relationships. The forum will encompass a wide range of topics such as breast cancer, menopause, reproductive health, nutrition, mental health awareness, preventive care, and much more.

Participants will have the opportunity to attend informative sessions, interactive workshops, and panel discussions led by experts in their respective fields. Additionally, there will be wellness activities, screenings, and informational booths offering valuable resources and support.

This forum is open to women of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging inclusivity and diversity in the conversation surrounding women’s health. Whether you’re seeking information for yourself, a loved one, or simply looking to connect with other women, this event promises to be enlightening and empowering.

For more information and to register for the Total You Women’s Health Forum, please visit https://www.naacpoakland.org/ or contact Dr. Delores Thompson. WIN chairwoman at (510) 328-3638.

The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is dedicated to empowering women, and young teen girls. We look forward to your participation in this important event.

To register, go to https://www.naacpoakland.org/events/the-total-you-womens-health-forum

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Conducts Its Biennial ‘Point in Time’ Homelessness Count

Oakland, along with other cities in Alameda County, conducted their biennial ‘Point In Time’ census count on Feb. 1 to gain a thorough understanding of the size and dispersion of the homeless population in the region. The Point In Time (PIT) count is federally required by the Housing and Urban Development Department as a requirement to receive funding and resources to tackle homelessness in the area.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Abandoned vehicles on 24th and Wood St where volunteers conducted the count and surveys. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

The Point In Time (PIT) count is federally required by the Housing and Urban Development Department as a requirement to receive funding and resources to tackle homelessness in the area.

David Modersbach, Grants Manager of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless program, said that the methodology this time around was different, as this count had a much more personal “lived experience” aspect that previous counts did not have.

In 2022, the county relied more on statistical extrapolation and assumptions, but this year’s survey questionnaires allowed for details on substance abuse issues, how long someone has been living without proper housing, what resources people are in need of and much more.

“[The PIT count is] a critical opportunity for the county, Continuum of Care, and cities to understand the magnitude of homelessness in Alameda County. [The count] enables us to better allocate resources and implement effective programs to tackle this issue head-on in a compassionate and inclusive way,” Modersbach said.

St. Mary’s Center was one of the many meeting hubs across the county that hosted volunteers and community officials the morning of the count. The organization has been deeply involved in the effort to provide resources for unhoused people and others in need.

St. Mary’s is a nonprofit in West Oakland that helps seniors and preschool families with food and housing. Last year, the organization helped about 50 seniors find housing after they had fallen on hard times.

Sharon Cornu, executive director of St. Mary’s, said a lot of the older couples and individuals that come into the center have borne the brunt of the skyrocketing cost of living in the Bay Area. The most recent influx of seniors St. Mary’s has seen coming in for help has been made up of people who were evicted when the COVID-19-related moratorium on rent payment ended.

“Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the unhoused and the incredibly high cost of housing is driving them to the streets,” Cornu said.

Among the volunteers were workers with Operation Dignity, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and those living on the street find shelter, transitional housing and supportive services.

“These are our stomping grounds,” Ivan Magana, program manager for Operation Dignity said.

Magana stated that his team was extremely familiar with the people residing in the encampments they were conducting the count in since Operation Dignity made many visits to these areas while doing community outreach. He said they had even informed some of the unhoused people they knew about the count a few days prior so they would not be alarmed when the enumerators showed up early in the morning to conduct the count.

Not everyone got the memo though, as the volunteers encountered an almost violent situation around the 6 a.m. when a young woman living in a bus yelled at the Operation Dignity workers to leave her alone.

Luckily, the three-year experience Mangana has working with Operation Dignity and his knowledge of therapeutic health services, equipped him with the techniques needed to deescalate the tension. The woman soon realized who the volunteers were and apologized, he said.

Another volunteer and Operation Dignity worker, Yolanda Kirkpatrick, noted that she was initially hesitant because of the early schedule. She felt the time deterred others from participating, too.

Her prediction would come true as the hours went on and they continued to walk along 24th St in downtown Oakland and there was very little activity on the streets.

The volunteers shared similar sentiments. Although the community the people they were engaging for the count and surveys encounter tend to distrust outsiders, the PIT count was necessary for the city to receive the appropriate level of federal funds to address a crisis that is spiraling out of control in California.

A full analysis and report of the count will be made available in the summer.

Oakland Post

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Community

For Cervical Cancer Month, Medical Community Focused on Education

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable. Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

A Mayo Clinic article published last month stated that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed and die of cervical cancer, compared to White women in the U.S. 2,000 Black women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 40% die as a result.

By Magaly Muñoz

January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable.

Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.

Sonia Ordonez, an OBGYN and gynecology surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, stated that as soon as people with cervixes reach the maturity reproductive age, they should start taking preventative measures like getting the HPV vaccine. The vaccine involves a series of two-doses for people aged 9 through 14 or three-doses for people 15 through 45 years old.

“I see a lot of young women who can’t remember or may not have gotten [the vaccine] when they were younger, or maybe got one, but we can give them the series of vaccines and restart at any point in time,” Ordonez said.

She said that cervical cancer is not the only cancer caused by HPV. Strains of the virus can also lead to throat, anal and penile cancers.

Screening is also an effective way to check for cervical cancer and should be done every three years after someone turns 21, doctors recommend. It is best to start as early as possible to catch occurrences early.

Ordonez said that this cancer is also more likely found in people of color and has led to more deaths overall.

A Mayo Clinic article published last month stated that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed and die of cervical cancer, compared to White women in the U.S.

2,000 Black women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 40% die as a result.

“This disparity is not due to genetic differences among White, Black or Hispanic women, but rather related to systemic racism, access to healthcare and socioeconomic factors,” Dr. Olivia Cardenas-Trowers, a Mayo Clinic urogynecologist, said in the article.

Ordonez stated that immigrant women are also highly susceptible to the cancer, as many Latin American countries may not have accessibility to screenings or lack of insurance makes it harder for them to get tested.

Hispanic women are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 30% more likely to die from it, as compared to non-Hispanic White women, according to the Office of Minority Health.

Family medicine physician, Joy Anyanwu, stated that the pandemic contributed to hesitancy about getting cervical cancer screenings among some women. Other factors are people’s aversion to vaccines, parents not wanting to believe that their children are or will become sexually active, and doubt about the overall effectiveness of the vaccine.

“The vaccine is very safe — over 97% effective in preventing cervical cancer,” Anyanwu said. “Even if you aren’t having sex, the earlier you start would actually help.”

Anyanwu said she understands that parents might not want to ask questions about their children’s reproductive health, but it’s a mindset that can be a barrier to having important conversation about prevention or care.

To keep families their families and communties healthy, the doctor emphasized that people should prioritize keeping up with their vaccine series and going to screenings every year.