Minority Health Conference on Saturday, April 21 at 10 am
mhc_-_color_brochure.pdf |
m_h_c_--youth_conference.docx |
There is a special track for youth. Youth can register at this www.eventbrite.com link. Download the flyer below at the link above.
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Minority Health Conference on Saturday, April 21 at 10 am
PACG is a co-sponsor of the Minority Health Conference. Please come yourself and invite friends in the immigrant, refugee, and minority communities. Adults can register at this www.eventbrite.com link. Use the brochure above to invite people.
There is a special track for youth. Youth can register at this www.eventbrite.com link. Download the flyer below at the link above.
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What You Can Do Now - Call Your Members of Congress to Lower Prescription Drug PricesThe escalating costs of prescription drugs are a major driver in the increasing cost of health care, including insurance premiums. The pharmaceutical industry has developed effective methods for blocking or delaying the introduction of lower cost generic alternative medications which contribute to this problem.
The good news is that bills have been introduced in this congress to help alleviate the problem and encourage the timely approval and production of generic drugs. This “CREATES Act” has bi-partisan support in both houses. Senate Bill 974 is co-sponsored by Senators Grassley, Durbin, Leahy and 17 others. HR 2212 has 15 co-sponsors so far. Now is the time to contact Senators Grassley and Durbin and thank them for their support of this legislation and encourage them to work for its passage. It is also crucial to contact Senators Ernst and Duckworth and ask them to co-sponsor and support the Senate bill -- and to ask Representatives Bustos and Loebsack to co-sponsor and support the House bill. Senators Grassley and Leahy have published an excellent description of the issue and the major provisions of the CREATES Act. You can read about the CREATES Act here. Don’t delay. Contact your Senators and Representative today! Grassley, Leahy: It’s time to empower generic drug makers to bring down pricesU.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Patrick Leahy in STAT News
In Vermont, Iowa, and every other state across the country, people are fed up with the high cost of prescription drugs. Prices continue to skyrocket as companies making brand-name drugs restrict competition by refusing to share samples of their drugs with companies aiming to make generic versions or refusing to negotiate a shared safety protocol. This is an abuse of government regulations that are intended to protect patients and ensure drug safety. These practices punish patients and worsen illnesses. Families, businesses, government programs, and other payers in the health care system must bear the added, unnecessary costs that accrue when a generic is shut out. Lawmakers across the political spectrum, including President Trump, agree that Congress needs to act to rein in spiraling prescription drug prices. We can start by cracking down on abuses by companies making brand-name drugs that engage in tactics to artificially delay the development of generic alternatives. These stifle competition and keep prices artificially high. It is no wonder that hardworking Americans feel like the system is rigged against them by corporations that are seizing any opportunity unfairly restrict competition and reap monopoly profits long after patents expire. Some — not all — companies that make brand-name drugs limit release of their products to prevent access to samples as a way to delay the development of generic versions. These tactics block more-affordable FDA-approved generics that save patients — and taxpayers — money at the pharmacy counter. When a generic manufacturer is not able to buy drug samples, it is impossible to do the careful testing that’s needed to ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve the medication. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has rightly called these tactics “unfair and exploitative” and “in direct conflict to our broader public health goals.” Cancer patient David Mitchell testified before Congress about one company’s efforts to deny a generic company’s access to samples of Revlimid, a lifesaving cancer treatment. Access to samples of the drug has been at issue since 2009. If it were not for this ongoing abuse of the FDA’s safety programs, a generic alternative could be available to David and other patients as early as next year. Because there is no generic alternative, the cost of Revlimid has remained artificially high and has actually risen fourteen times since this abuse began, from $9,853 in 2010 to its current price of $18,546 for a 28-count bottle. This is just one example out of more than 150 complaints that the FDA has received from generic manufacturers. To end these anti-competitive tactics, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers — including Republican Sens. Mike Lee (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.), and Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and Dick Durbin (Ill.), have joined us to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act. This bill is supported by a broad and politically diverse coalition of 68 organizations representing hospitals, physicians, patients, employers, and unions. AARP, Families USA, Freedom Works, and Heritage, to name just a few, have endorsed this common-sense legislation. The public also agrees: Recent polls show that 84 percent of Americans support the CREATES Act. Our bipartisan bill targets anti-competitive behavior that keeps prices artificially high, such as when companies withhold drug samples from generic manufacturers or refuse to negotiate a shared safety protocol. Both steps undermine the FDA approval process and block potential generic competitors from creating less-expensive alternatives. Companies making brand-name drugs that stand in the way of the CREATES Act wrongly claim the legislation will lead to frivolous lawsuits. This is a red herring. Our bill is narrowly tailored and would only allow eligible product developers seeking to develop a medicine to sue, only after receiving FDA authorization. Trial lawyers will have no standing to sue under our plan. Another baseless argument we have heard is that counterfeit product developers who do not intend to develop a drug will take advantage of the CREATES Act in order to seeks damages from a brand-name company. Wrong again. Under the CREATES Act, court challenges are only allowed based on continued delays after the FDA has certified the safety and the brand has refused to release samples. The significant costs to submit protocols to the FDA also discourages this behavior. These arguments do not hold up against the clear and limited remedies available under the CREATES Act. Conservatives who support the CREATES Act appreciate that it lowers drug costs by quickly bringing parties to the negotiation table under the threat of litigation instead of a drawn-out regulatory action. The act is not a drastic measure, but allows the generic development process to proceed as intended by Congress under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Companies making brand-name pharmaceuticals need only to negotiate in good faith and provide the samples for testing on market terms to avoid a lawsuit. This bill offers Congress an opportunity to take meaningful action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It would save $3.8 billion in federal spending over the next 10 years and many billions more in costs to consumers. The CREATES Act is a sensible, efficient, market-based way for generic drug manufacturers to address the delays in developing generics without jeopardizing patient safety or creating lengthy battles in the courts. There is no question that pharmaceutical companies should be compensated for their important work developing lifesaving treatments. But they should not be allowed to use predatory practices to cling to their patents and delay the development of generics at the expense of their customers. Congress has a straightforward and fully bipartisan chance to actually do something to wind down the upward spiral of drug prices. Enough talk. It’s time for real action. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley represents the state of Iowa. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy represents the state of Vermont. What You Can Do Now - Get Active on an IssueGet together with other activists to make a difference on an issue. Join one of our active Issue Forums, or start your own Issue Forum. Email one of the facilitators below to get involved.
Civil Rights - DACA or Immigration - contact Margie Mejia-Caraballo Civil Rights - Restorative Justice or Juvenile Justice Reform - contact Jane Duax Environmental - contact Shirley Johnson Health Care Reform - contact Frank Samuelson Want to start your own Issue Forum? - contact Alta Price PACG also needs people to work on the following committees:
Call Members of Congress and tell them to resist any efforts to undermine provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Ask them to find bi-partisan ways to strengthen the ACA.
Background information: Enrollment for 2018 in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) reached 9 million Americans when open enrollment ended December 15. Many of those enrolled lived in states that voted for Donald Trump. This was achieved in spite of the fact that the administration shortened the enrollment period by 50%, and cut 90% of the funds for publicity and navigator assistance. The new tax law will eliminate the mandate that everyone should be insured; however, the other important health care provisions of the ACA remain intact. The ACA is still the law of the land! This confirms the polls indicating that public support for affordable health care has grown substantially over the past year, now reaching well over 50%. This should make our legislators realize that they need to preserve and strengthen health care, instead of repealing or undermining it. It is time for Democrats and Republicans to work together to broaden coverage, strengthen the insurance marketplaces, expand Medicaid, and cut the costs of health care -- especially the rapid escalation of prescription drug prices. Now is the time to write and call your Senators and Representatives and tell them to work on bi-partisan legislation that will begin to accomplish these goals that are so important for all Americans. As candidates campaign this year, make sure that they make clear their policies on health care. And vote accordingly! Sample Script: I’m [your name], your constituent from [City, State]. I am one of the majority of Americans who support the many ways that the Affordable Care Act has benefited (me, personally and) many of my fellow citizens, especially our most vulnerable brothers and sisters. Congress should resist any efforts to undermine the law by cutting funding or reducing Medicaid and work to find bi-partisan measures to strengthen the insurance marketplace and improve access to good health care. Thank you for passing the message along to my Senator/Representative. Iowa: Senator Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744 Senator Joni Ernst (202) 224-3254 Representative Dave Loebsack (202) 225-6576 Illinois: Senator Tammy Duckworth (202) 224-2854 Senator Dick Durbin (202) 224-2152 Representative Cheri Bustos (202) 225-5905 Extra Credit – Ways to Do More to Protect Health Care:
Download the Need Health Insurance flier for yourself, to give to your friends, and to post around the community! A Spanish translation is also provided.
Here Are 5 Facts You Need to Know:
Also, QC Navigators Can Help You To Sign Up
Information provided by the Health Care Reform Forum of Progressive Action for the Common Good - www.pacgqc.org
Sample Letter to the Editor on Proposed ACA Replacement
It is a tribute to the power of right wing propaganda that many in this country believe that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and “Obamacare” are two separate entities, even though they are just different names for the same law. As a consequence, people say they dislike Obamacare but support many of the ACA’s provisions, such as the ban on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. If the ACA is replaced with the GOP plan just released, not only the 20 million additional people the ACA covers will be hurt. The plan also places programs such as Medicaid and Medicare in danger, with federal funding cuts achieved in part by transferring “block grants” to the states, potentially to provide reduced Medicaid services. Medicare copays and deductibles are projected to increase. Proposed tax-free vouchers to help the poor will not be adequate unless they are generous enough to enable the purchase of decent plans and are indexed for medical inflation. And health savings accounts will only benefit wealthier Americans--how can anyone else afford to save enough to cover the cost of even relatively minor illnesses? Given what we know so far, the proposed legislation would result in loss of coverage for millions and impose financial penalties and decreased coverage for the poor while benefiting the wealthy. The ACA must be improved, not repealed and replaced. Every other civilized country has implemented a comprehensive health care delivery system. Why can’t we? Dr. Peter Metcalf Bettendorf, Iowa Health Care Reform ForumAs the Congressional effort to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act moves to the Senate, we progressives need to tell our senators to dump the draconian House bill which will cause 24 million Americans to lose their health insurance, reduce Medicaid for the most vulnerable, and give tax benefits to the wealthy and corporations (among other things). Tell your senators now to repair and strengthen the ACA, not replace it.
When the House and Senate bills move to the conference committee, we will evaluate that result and again have the opportunity to contact our representatives and senators with our opinions. In the meantime, our Health Care Reform Forum is beginning an effort to raise awareness and understanding about a major factor in the ever-rising cost of health care: the rapidly escalating prices of prescription drugs. We have begun to submit a series of letters to the editors of the Quad City Times and the Dispatch/Argus, and we plan to include them in this newsletter. We hope they will help you to better understand this multi-faceted issue and to share this information with others. We need to tell our legislators that the pharmaceutical industry has shown that it cannot resist putting profits over people; therefore Congress must act in the public interest. Here is the first letter in this series. PRESCRIPTON DRUG PRICING One factor in the rising cost of health care, and therefore of health insurance premiums and copays, is the rapid escalation of prescription drug prices. Some medications have seen price increases of several hundred per cent over a few months or years. Many new drugs are priced much higher than the costs of development, testing, and bringing them to market. Protected by patents, and promoted by advertising, drug companies charge whatever the market will bear. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable in our economy. But these escalating prices are paid for by the patients who need these treatments and by the insurance companies and government agencies that pay the bills. President Trump raised this issue in a meeting with pharmaceutical CEOs. Other politicians, Congressional committees and health care experts have also raised the alarm. Since drug companies can’t resist using all the “tricks of the trade” to raise prices and profits, only our government can bring some rationality and fairness into the system. But so far it’s all talk and no action. One simple first step toward addressing this problem would be for Congress to change the law that forbids Medicare from negotiating prices with the drug companies. Private insurance companies, the Veterans’ Administration, and most governments around the world negotiate drug prices. Medicare should also. Tell your representatives and senators to act now to let fairness, competition, and market forces, rather than monopolistic practices, set the prices of our prescription drugs. Frank Samuelson [email protected] Heath Care Reform ForumOur government has a long history of regulating prescription drugs for safety and effectiveness. We need to tell our representatives that it's time to address drug pricing. Here's why:
Wonder why health care costs in the USA are almost twice as much as they are in other developed countries? Follow the money from the pockets of the paying patients to the coffers of Big Pharma. One major reason for the higher cost of health care and insurance premiums is skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Among the most profitable industries in the U.S. economy, pharmaceutical companies benefit from legal protections and from monopolistic and marketing practices that enable them to set prices without relation to the costs of production or a competitive marketplace. Recently one company bought the rights to the drug Daraprim and overnight hiked the price 5000%, from $13.50 to $750. Another bought the right to sell the life-saving drug, Epinephrine, in a two pack dispenser and raised the price 650% from $94 to $608. These two examples reflect an industry wide trend that has caused loud complaints from the public and congressional committees. In 1940, Congress created the Food and Drug Administration in response to a lethal mistake by a drug company that caused 100 people to die. The FDA now protects the public by assuring that all drugs are proven “safe and effective” before they can be marketed. Prohibitively high prices of life-saving medications are deadly to the public. Let's tell our congressmen/women and senators to protect us by regulating the costs of pharmaceuticals so they will be available and affordable for all of us. Clara Caldwell Rock Island The Health Care Reform Power of Three Action PlanHere are some actions YOU can take to save the Affordable Care Act in the next....
3 HOURS Spread the word: The ACA - The Affordable Care Act is actually called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The name “Patient Protection” is also used. We prefer these to "Obamacare." Share this message with a friend or family member and/or post on social media. 3 DAYS Internalize the deep principles underpinning the ACA:
Start to become comfortable with a few main talking points - AND DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY DETAILED POLICY POINTS:
Call your senators and representatives in both main political parties to let them know you support keeping the ACA and the principles behind it.
3 WEEKS
3 MONTHS
3 QUARTERS OF 2017 Remember that we are all human beings who are likely at some point(s) in our lives to need quality, affordable health care: if not this year, then next year or ten years down the road. What we reasonably want for ourselves and those for whom we care is no different from what others feel and want today. Quality, affordable health care for everyone in this country is not yet a reality, but the ACA has brought us closer to that goal and it is worth fighting for! |
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