Dec. 21, 2014

Restraining the Cost of Prescription Drugs
By Congressman Elijah Cummings

 

Congressman Elijah Cummings

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Federally approved generic drugs are critically important to the health of the American people.  These federally regulated, lower-cost generic drugs now account for 86 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in the United States, saving Americans billions of dollars every year and reducing our nation’s healthcare costs.

In recent months, however, and sometimes virtually overnight, some generic drug manufacturers have increased their prices to our pharmacies, hospitals, and consumers by hundreds and even thousands of percent.  Confronted by sticker shock, too many Americans who need these drugs cannot afford to purchase the medicines that their doctors have recommended.

To better appreciate the urgency of this problem, consider just a few examples.

The retail price for the tablet form of albuterol sulfate climbed by more than 3,000 percent between November 2012 and June 2014.  Since I must use the inhaler version of this prescription drug for an asthma condition, I know how important it is for people with lung conditions.

Likewise, many of our neighbors use a drug called Digoxin to treat their heart conditions.  In 2012, this drug cost 11 cents per tablet, but in June of this year, the price per tablet had risen to $1.10.

Why did this happen?

In 2012, three companies were manufacturing Digoxin, but one stopped producing the prescription drug.  One of the remaining companies, Lannett, responded to the reduced supply by increasing its price for Digoxin by more than 1000 percent.

The trade association that represents generic drug manufacturers contends that price spikes like this are rare.

Yet, during a hearing on rising generic drug prices held by Vermont Senator Bernard Sanders at which I testified, we also received testimony illustrating that the problem is far more broadly based.

According to Pharmacist Rob Frankil of the National Community Pharmacists Association, “about a year ago, pharmacies began noticing a rash of dramatic price increases for many common, previously low-cost generic drugs.”

The negative impact upon patients has been profound, especially for those who are uninsured, on Medicare (and in the prescription drug “donut hole”) or in high-deductible insurance plans.

Industry experts contend that there often are multiple, unrelated forces that can lead to substantial price increases – like drug ingredient shortages, industry “consolidation,” and production slowdowns due to manufacturing problems.

Although these are important contributing factors, we should not forget the example of Digoxin and the price spike imposed by its manufacturer, Lannett.

Lannett CEO Arthur Bedrosian reportedly told investors that “We are an opportunistic company.  We see opportunities to raise prices.  Competitors drop out of products.  There are shortages in the marketplace that sometimes drive it.”

In short, the reason that Lannett increased its price for Digoxin by more than 1,000 percent was because the company could get away with it – and the American public is being victimized as a result.

Our challenge, however, goes beyond responding to heartbreaking examples of individual hardship.  We all have a stake in the rising cost of healthcare – and prescription drugs are a major part of those costs.

We all contribute to Medicare and, through our tax dollars, to the Medicaid, Tricare, and Veterans health care programs.  Moreover, the premiums that we pay for private health insurance plans will reflect – sooner rather than later – excessive price increases by drug manufacturers operating in quasi-monopolistic environments.

“If generic drug prices continue to rise, then we are going to have people all over this country who are sick and need medicine and who simply will not be able to buy the medicine they need,” Senator Sanders has observed.

I must agree.  That is why I have been working with Senator Sanders and others to investigate the source of these extraordinary price spikes in generic drugs and craft a legislative solution.

For example, although federal law requires manufacturers of “brand name” prescription drugs to pay rebates to Medicaid when they increase the price of their drugs more quickly than inflation, generic drugs like Digoxin are exempt from this requirement.

Proposed legislation that Senator Sanders and I have proposed – The Medicaid Generic Drug Price Fairness Act [S. 2948, H.R. 5748] – would remove this exemption insofar as the Medicaid system is concerned.

We believe that closing this loophole is an important first step in limiting the impact of huge price increases in generic drugs on taxpayers.

Congress should also enact the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act [S. 117 / H.R. 1102] that would permit  and direct the Secretary of Health and Human services to negotiate the prices that Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans pay for all prescription drugs – just as our government currently does for our Veterans Administration Health Plan.

I accept that companies that manufacture prescription drugs deserve to receive a reasonable return on their investments.  Yet, when the public’s health is endangered, we reach a point where free enterprise can turn into unwarranted profiteering.

It is time that the American people are allowed a stronger voice in the cost of their healthcare.  When the free market fails to restrain excessive price spikes without any apparent justification, congressional and regulatory oversight is justified.

Congressman Elijah Cummings represents Maryland’s 7^th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.

 

Dec. 21, 2014

Cuba: It's About Time!
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - At President Obama’s first inauguration, my sister (Bettye LaVette) sang “A Change is Gonna Come” with Bon Jovi.  Well, change has come!  President Obama just made the insightful move to normalize relations with Cuba!  Say what they will, his critics cannot say he doesn’t keep his promises. He is still receiving major pushback, but he is doing what he promised voters he would do.  He doesn’t just talk.  He acts!  What a refreshing difference between Congress and the President!

The embargo of more than 50 years has done nothing to resolve U.S. differences with the Cuban government, and has only hurt the Cuban people.  Now, President Obama has announced plans to re-open a U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.  In the words of Vice-President Joe Biden, this is a big ####### deal!

Although both are too young to actually remember the corruption of the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, sexual deviance/debauchery, and criminal connection with the Mafia (We still have our share!),  allowed in Cuba under his rule, Senator Marco Rubio and Soledad O’Brien—both of Cuban descent -- have vastly different outlooks about re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Senator Rubio wants to continue Cold War tactics that’ve failed the interests of the United States and the general population of Cuba.  He opines that, “All this is going to do is give the Castro regime, which controls every aspect of Cuban life, the opportunity to manipulate these changes to perpetuate itself in power.”  He holds onto to these antiquated views despite the fact that as far back as 2009, a Washington Post—ABC News survey told us that two-thirds of the American people supported restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba. That number has increased.

On the other hand, Soledad O’Brien, whose mother is Cuban, puts a human face on the harm of the embargo.  She tells the sad story of her mother having to miss the funerals of five of her siblings because of the restrictions on travel to Cuba through the years.  How truly sad this is when our diplomatic policies fly in the face of our "family values" rhetoric.

What the President did will normalize family contact between Cubanos on the island with those residing in the U.S.  His actions won’t heal over 50 years of denials, hurt and unimaginable pain, but the act goes a long way in preventing such tragedies in the future.

The embargo cannot be completely lifted until Congress takes reasonable action, but I applaud President Obama for opening travel and trade opportunities, education and artistic exchanges, family visits and more. Unfortunately, lifting the embargo will not be an easy task; history and traditions influence the objections of many legislators who stand in the spotlight of hypocrisy as they demonstrate little difficulty in dealing with larger nations with more resources, yet worse human rights records. Their righteous indignation ends where BUSINESS begins.

Reality should tell us there are no perfect nations.  Our own battles with police-community relations, gun tragedies, racism, gender discrimination, immigration issues and congressional relations demonstrate that we have a long way to go before we can cast stones.

For those who’ve not been able to accept the fact that a brilliant, compassionate, courageous Black man is our President, it’s obvious that we have a very long way to go.  As a Black woman belonging to a group that’s traditionally discriminated against by nearly every segment of our society, I have not given up hope that we can do better.  With all the hatred and meanness of spirit we’re witnessing now, we’re not beyond repair and not beyond becoming that shining light on the hill—but we have work to do.  We just need enough good people rising up to say and do what is right.

(E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.  www.nationalcongressbw.org and www.efayewilliams.com.)

December 21, 2014

The Race Factor: What Color Was Jesus?
By Joey Matthews

This depiction of Jesus, called "Jesus of the People"
was painted by artist Janet McKenzie. In 1999, it won the
National Catholic Reporter’s contest, seeking a "new image of Jesus".
Following the competition, this winning image was featured on the
front page of the Richmond Free Press.

Editor's Note: At the close of  "National March Against Police Violence" in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 13, the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant declared that Jesus is Black. "Hollywood didn't get the memo. Jesus is Black," he proclaimed as he announced Black Solidarity Sunday, encouraging people to wear Black to church the next day to send the message that "Black lives matter." This unrelated story, featured recently in the award-winning Richmond Free Press, hashes out the oft-occurring discussion on the historic race and complexion of Jesus. 

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

 (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Tis the season for depictions of baby Jesus and other biblical figures in movies and plays, on cards and in churches.

In response to a Richmond Free Press query, several Richmond, Va.-area faith leaders said it’s time to convey the truth — that pictures of a White Jesus with long flowing locks adorning the sanctuaries of many churches are not accurate. Nor is the portrayal, as in many Christmas plays and re-enactments, of a White baby Jesus surrounded by a Caucasian Mary and Joseph and White travelers from afar coming to worship him in Bethlehem.

Further, those faith leaders said, it’s time for Hollywood to get its act together as well. They point to the latest Hollywood movie, “Exodus,” featuring a cast of mostly White actors, including Christian Bales as Moses, in which people of color are relegated to lesser roles such as servants of the pharaoh.

“The use of mostly Caucasians for the movie ‘Exodus,’ and as the historical Jesus, is historically incorrect and a fabricated myth,” said Dr. Michael A. Sanders, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church on South Side Richmond. “The Bible and authentic biblical scholarship have proven so.

“From a public policy perspective,” he added, “It justifies unequal and unfair treatment for certain people, especially African-American men. This pervasive attitude and practice has prompted a national protest to show that ‘Black men matter too!’ ”

The Rev. Phoebe A. Roaf, rector at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on North Side, stated, “People relate to images that are familiar to them, either because they look like them or they have always seen things presented in a certain light. It’s an emotional choice and subconscious for many people.

“Many of the famous depictions of Christ come from European painters in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, who painted Christ to look like that period of time,” she added. “Anyone who has been to the Middle East knows that Semitic people are darker and have curly hair, so I am most comfortable with images of Christ that look Semitic.”

She noted, however, that Christmas provides the opportunity to focus on the significance of Jesus’ birth, not so much on the color of his skin.

The Rev. Delores L. McQuinn, associate minister at New Bridge Baptist Church in Highland Springs and a state delegate representing Richmond, shared the view that “Exodus” only mirrors the majority of Hollywood biblical films that historically have reflected a pro-white slant.

“Mostly white casts — and in some instances all White casts — are typical for Hollywood’s mode of operation,” she said. “Many people have expressed that it appears to be a deliberate effort on behalf of Hollywood to not shine positive light on people of color.”

She said those misrepresentations have rallied the black church to “celebrate our culture, educate our people, commemorate our contributions and convey the message that we matter to God, and He will continue to use us.”

She said she expects to see more accurate images and portrayals of Jesus and other figures as public awareness grows and calls increase for historical truths to be told.

Larry Bland, a Richmond gospel music icon, said he is perplexed that some churches with black congregations portray Jesus as Caucasian.

“With the vast amount of information we now have that substantiates Jesus’ skin color being other than white, how black churches can continue to perpetuate this incorrect image is beyond my comprehension,” he said.

He reasoned: “Why waste time trying to describe what Jesus looks like. Clearly, those of us of faith — black, white, red, yellow, brown — believe that we are made in his image. And so, if there were a picture of him, it would have to be all-inclusive, whatever image that would be. Why waste time trying to create a picture that is, obviously, way beyond our comprehension.”

Dr. Lance D. Watson, senior pastor at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County, sounded a bah humbug note to those who depict biblical characters in European-centric fashion.

“Historically, both Jesus and Moses share the commonality of being born into cultures shaped by African heritage and history. Yet both figures are often recast in the image of Western Europeans,” he stated. “This is historically inaccurate and all of us, regardless of our ethnicity and culture, should be concerned that history is accurately reported and conveyed to future generations. To distort it for whatever reasons does not change it.”

Dr. Charles Shannon, president of Faith Leaders Moving Forward, who pastors Mount Level Baptist Church in Amelia County, seconded that point.

“Ancient depictions of Jesus greatly differ from today’s figures, actors in Hollywood and those used in many churches despite the race of the congregation,” he said.” Careful study of the historical Jesus described in the book of Revelation 1:14-15 — and archaeological and temperate zone data readily available via Google search — could not be clearer that Jesus was a black man.

“For both Blacks and Whites, things are slow to change to reflect a true description of Jesus — and other Biblical figures — based on history and reality versus today’s biased depictions done to suit whatever purpose and profit motivations,” he stated. “As a society, we have come a long way and have a long, long, long, way to go.”

The Rev. F. Todd Gray, pastor at Fifth Street Baptist Church on North Side Richmond, said he’s not surprised by the overwhelmingly White bent of Hollywood films such as “Exodus.”

“It is as old as Charlton Heston as Moses, Liz Taylor as Cleopatra and as recently as Ewan McGregor as Jesus in ‘Last Days in the Desert,’” he said. “It is important to try to be more historically and ethnically accurate, but it is more important that our people see themselves reflected as participants in the human and divine drama.

“Right now, we have much more pressing issues than Hollywood’s casting,” he added.

The Rev. David J. Stanfill of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in the East End said, as a white pastor of an African-American Roman Catholic parish, he tries to best represent those he serves.

“Almost all of our artwork at the parish is done from the black perspective, which I feel is very unique and special. Our baby Jesus is black. Our crucifix was hand carved in Africa,” he said.

The Rev. Shay Auerbach, pastor at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on South Side, serves a predominately Latino congregation. “Actually, we have to remember the white baby Jesus itself is an accommodation,” he stated. “Historically, Jesus would have been Palestinian, probably not blonde and blue-eyed.

“When Christianity got to Europe, it was natural for them to want a Jesus that looked like them. Of course, through colonialism, that white Jesus was taken to the Americas, Asia, and Africa,” he said.

He concluded, For Christmas celebrations among Latinos today, baby Jesus has a variety of skin tones “ranging from White to Black.”

Editor's Note: The Mckenzie image of Jesus was added to this story by the Trice Edney News Wire.