DACA Recipients Need Healthcare Too
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Happy Thursday Advocates
I would like to encourage comments and suggestions from you if you have time. If there is a special topic you’d like to see please let me know. Please use the comment button below. Some of the topics in work are rural healthcare, healthcare in prison and MASA (Make America Scientific Again). Note, we have 2 actions today.
Science News
Yesterday we discussed cancer and the need for novel treatments. Here is at news stories in that vein I wanted to share.
Skin Cancer Vaccine Trials
Reuters has announced late stage trials for a skin cancer vaccine (link to the story) will be underway shortly. Moderna and its partner Merck announced yesterday that they had begun enrolling patients in a late-stage study testing their personalized mRNA-based skin cancer vaccine in combination with the immunotherapy Keytruda.
Data from a mid-stage study in 157 patients had shown that the vaccine combination cut the risk of recurrence or death by 44% in patients with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, when compared with Keytruda alone.
Pharmacy Benefit Managers in the Senate
The Patients Before Middlemen (isn’t that cute) bill passed out of the senate finance committee yesterday. It makes a first stab at reining in the egregious practices of Pharmacy Benefits Managers - but only for Medicare Part D. Here is a link to a description of the bill. IMHO - NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
However, Senator Sanders bill, S. 1339 the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, passed out of its committee and has advanced to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. We reported on this bill a couple of months ago. It is not perfect but is far better than others so far. It forces PBMs to report annually to the plan sponsor data about PBM services including the amount of prescription drug copayment assistance funded by drug manufacturers, a list of covered drugs billed under the plan during the reporting period, and the total net spending by the health plan on prescription drugs. PBMs also must provide plan sponsors with a supplementary report every six months with specified information about drugs that were dispensed under the plan by pharmacies that are wholly or partially owned by the PBM.
Second, the bill prohibits spread pricing. Under the bill, spread pricing occurs when a PBM charges an insurance plan (or an insurance plan charges plan participants) a price for a prescription drug that exceeds the price paid to the pharmacy for the drug.
Finally, PBMs must remit to the plan sponsor all rebates, fees, alternative discounts, and other remuneration received from a drug manufacturer.
The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of these requirements and provides funding for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of Labor to implement the provisions of this bill. Here is a link to it. Of course, with Universal healthcare we would’t have to have this discussion would we?
ACTION
Contact your Senators and tell them it is time for Pharmacy Benefit Managers to stop fleecing the public. Pass S. 1339 the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act. Their contact info is below in the resources section.
Here is a RESISTBOT if you like. On your cell phone text the phrase SIGN PDWYTJ to 50409 to send this message:
“I am your constituent and I see that S. 1339, the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, has advanced to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Please do everything in your power to get it to a vote and enact it. It is a commonsense bill that will help protect all of us from Pharmacy Benefit Managers cheating and fleecing us and the entire drug supply chain. Thank you.”
DACA and Healthcare
DACA is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival. It recognizes that some children were brought to the US as minors and protects them from deportation. There are some rights to which they are entitled while here. They can work and pay taxes, they can get a drivers license in some states (marked that it is not suitable as a federal ID). They are not allowed to get most benefits, though. They can get health insurance, if their employer provides it. They are not eligible for ACA plans or Medicaid yet.
In April HHS has proposed to interpret “legally present” to include DACA recipients. since the government has already decided they have a right to be here. Sounds like it to me. The HHS rule is planned to go into effect in November. They would then be eligible to purchase ACA health insurance and if necessary be have access to Medicaid. This is good public health policy. There are about 130,000 legally present in the US and about 10% would be eligible for Medicaid. The healthier we keep people, the healthier all of us are as a population. That’s a lesson from the pandemic.
The reason this is important is that a few days ago the Republican-led House Oversight committee decided to hold hearings on the rule change. Here is a link to a YouTube video of Representative Katie Porter (CA) at the House Oversight committee discussing DACA and healthcare. And h ere is a link to a Commonwealth Fund article on the subject. Here is a link to the Oversight Committee website - the language they employ is highly opinionated and distasteful to me but I include it for completeness sake. They are trying to somehow link this to a border crisis (which also does not exist since there are new rules on amnesty applications) and would like to preclude HHS from implementing the rule.
It’s another example of cruel Republican politics taking advantage of children for political gain and it stinks on ice.
ACTION
Contact your Congressperson and tell them you want them to vote against any measure that would STOP the HHS rule allowing DACA recipients to purchase ACA health plans or have access to Medicaid. This is just good public health policy and I know we all want that. Their contact info is in the Resource section below.
Or use RESISTBOT. On your cell phone text the phrase SIGN PYZDIW to 50409 to send this message:
“I am your constituent and frankly I am quite upset about the Republican-led House Oversight committee hearings addressing Health and Human Services allowing DACA recipients to purchase Affordable Care Act insurance or to obtain Medicaid, if necessary. There are only 13,000 that might need Medicaid. These young people are legally here, they can work, pay taxes and are precluded in so many cases from getting health insurance. Public health works best if everyone has access to health care. We learned that during the pandemic. I want you to vote against any measure that would STOP the HHS rule allowing DACA recipients to purchase ACA health plans or have access to Medicaid. Thank you.”
RESOURCES
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water Resistbot write up