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Pfizer, AmeriHealth Caritas Officials Talk Health at NNPA Conference

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Dr. Kevin Williams, the chief medical officer for Pfizer Rare Disease, addressed the conference during a Pfizer-hosted breakfast presentation titled, “African Americans and Heart Disease – New Research Breakthrough: Announcing 2020 Partnership between Pfizer and NNPA.” At a later session titled “Future of Medicaid and Medicare: Healthy You, Healthy Us – What is Managed Care and How Does It Advance Health Equity,” AmeriHealth Caritas officials said it was important to gain a greater understanding of the different ways managed care organizations address key social disparities.

Published

5 years ago

January 27, 2020

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Health – particularly that of African Americans – was a significant topic during the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) annual Midwinter Training Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

In separate sessions on Friday, January 24, 2020, officials from Pfizer Rare Disease and AmeriHealth Caritas spoke of the importance of being vigilant about health.

“I want to shift gears and talk about transthyretin cardiomyopathy,” stated Dr. Kevin Williams, the chief medical officer for Pfizer Rare Disease.

Dr. Williams addressed the conference during a Pfizer-hosted breakfast presentation titled, “African Americans and Heart Disease – New Research Breakthrough: Announcing 2020 Partnership between Pfizer and NNPA.”

“Transthyretin cardiomyopathy is a disease characterized by the buildup of abnormal deposits of a protein called amyloid in the body’s organs and tissues,” Dr. Williams stated. “Most people are unfamiliar with the disease itself, which often impacts the peripheral nervous system and organs such as the heart, kidney, GI tract, and eyes.”

Dr. Williams stated that the disease primarily affects the heart and is defined by restrictive cardiomyopathy and progressive heart failure. The prevalence of transthyretin cardiomyopathy is presently unknown, with many patients being misdiagnosed with other forms of heart failure, Dr. Williams noted.

An estimated 1 percent of those with transthyretin cardiomyopathy is diagnosed, and there are no approved treatment options, Dr. Williams stated.

“Education is vital to increase awareness and understanding of transthyretin cardiomyopathy, which may potentially help to identify people with the disease earlier, thereby shortening their diagnostic journey,” Dr. Williams stated.

“It’s critical that we do more as a community to elevate the understanding of this disease and progress forward in improving the diagnosis and care of those affected. Part of how we can do this is by digging deeper and asking the right questions,” he stated.

Dr. Williams noted that Pfizer Rare Disease is working closely with health care professionals and advocacy organizations to help make a difference in the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as transthyretin cardiomyopathy.

Dr. Williams said Pfizer’s partnership with the NNPA in 2020 will focus on this illness.

“We want to really raise awareness for this particular form of heart failure,” Dr. Williams stated.

At a later session titled “Future of Medicaid and Medicare: Healthy You, Healthy Us – What is Managed Care and How Does It Advance Health Equity,” AmeriHealth Caritas officials said it was important to gain a greater understanding of the different ways managed care organizations address key social disparities.

They said many of those disparities disproportionately affect African Americans and other people of color.

“So many things affect our health, including violence and environmental racism,” stated Jawanza Keita, the national director of corporate communications and media relations for AmeriHealth Caritas.

Keita gave the example of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, which is predominately African American and is situated near the Delaware River, where pollution is rampant.

“We look at the environmental issues and how that impacts our well-being,” Keita stated. “So much of your health is not tied to clinical care, and we have to be cognizant of what we ingest.”

Health literacy, food insecurity, and transportation to medical facilities, for example, are markedly more prevalent among the same high-risk member population than all others, stated Keith Maccannon, the director of marketing and outreach for AmeriHealth Caritas in D.C.

When compared to all other members, 34 percent of high-risk members reported a lack of health literacy; 23 percent experienced food insecurity; and 23 percent lacked transportation to medical facilities, Maccannon noted.

He noted the presentation had five key takeaways, including the need to screen for social determinants of health, creating a broad array of support and services to address the social determinants while decreasing barriers to access, leveraging strategic partnerships, and the need to continuously improve and innovate.

“AmeriHealth Caritas’ values are rooted in the community,” Maccannon stated. “Healthy communities are key.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Recently Approved Budget Plan Favors Wealthy, Slashes Aid to Low-Income Americans

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts

Published

14 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown

BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

The new budget framework approved by Congress may result in sweeping changes to the federal safety net and tax code. The most significant benefits would flow to the highest earners while millions of low-income families face cuts. A new analysis from Yale University’s Budget Lab shows the proposals in the House’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Resolution would lead to a drop in after-tax-and-transfer income for the poorest households while significantly boosting revenue for the wealthiest Americans. Last month, Congress passed its Concurrent Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2025 (H. Con. Res. 14), setting revenue and spending targets for the next decade. The resolution outlines $1.5 trillion in gross spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in tax reductions between FY2025 and FY2034, along with $500 billion in unspecified deficit reduction.

Congressional Committees have now been instructed to identify policy changes that align with these goals. Three of the most impactful committees—Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means—have been tasked with proposing major changes. The Agriculture Committee is charged with finding $230 billion in savings, likely through changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Energy and Commerce must deliver $880 billion in savings, likely through Medicaid reductions. Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Committee must craft tax changes totaling no more than $4.5 trillion in new deficits, most likely through extending provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Although the resolution does not specify precise changes, reports suggest lawmakers are eyeing steep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid benefits while seeking to make permanent tax provisions that primarily benefit high-income individuals and corporations.

To examine the potential real-world impact, Yale’s Budget Lab modeled four policy changes that align with the resolution’s goals:

A 30 percent across-the-board cut in SNAP funding.
A 15 percent cut in Medicaid funding.
Permanent extension of the individual and estate tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Permanent extension of business tax provisions including 100% bonus depreciation, expense of R&D, and relaxed limits on interest deductions.

Yale researchers determined that the combined effect of these policies would reduce the after-tax-and-transfer income of the bottom 20 percent of earners by 5 percent in the calendar year 2026. Households in the middle would see a modest 0.6 percent gain. However, the top five percent of earners would experience a 3 percent increase in their after-tax-and-transfer income.

Moreover, the analysis concluded that more than 100 percent of the net fiscal benefit from these changes would go to households in the top 20 percent of the income distribution. This happens because lower-income groups would lose more in government benefits than they would gain from any tax cuts. At the same time, high-income households would enjoy significant tax reductions with little or no loss in benefits.

“These results indicate a shift in resources away from low-income tax units toward those with higher incomes,” the Budget Lab report states. “In particular, making the TCJA provisions permanent for high earners while reducing spending on SNAP and Medicaid leads to a regressive overall effect.” The report notes that policymakers have floated a range of options to reduce SNAP and Medicaid outlays, such as lowering per-beneficiary benefits or tightening eligibility rules. While the Budget Lab did not assess each proposal individually, the modeling assumes legislation consistent with the resolution’s instructions. “The burden of deficit reduction would fall largely on those least able to bear it,” the report concluded.

Stacy M. Brown

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A Threat to Pre-emptive Pardons

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process.

Published

15 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

President Trump is working to undo the traditional presidential pardon powers by questioning the Biden administration’s pre-emptive pardons issued just days before January 20, 2025. President Trump is seeking retribution against the January 6th House Select Committee. The Trump Justice Department has been tasked to find loopholes to overturn the pardons that could lead to legal battles for the Republican and Democratic nine-member committee. Legal scholars and those closely familiar with the pardon process worked with the Biden administration to ensure the preemptive pardons would stand against any retaliatory knocks from the incoming Trump administration. A source close to the Biden administration’s pardons said, in January 2025, “I think pardons are all valid. The power is unreviewable by the courts.”

However, today that same source had a different statement on the nuances of the new Trump pardon attack. That attack places questions about Biden’s use of an autopen for the pardons. The Trump argument is that Biden did not know who was pardoned as he did not sign the documents. Instead, the pardons were allegedly signed by an autopen. The same source close to the pardon issue said this week, “unless he [Trump] can prove Biden didn’t know what was being done in his name. All of this is in uncharted territory. “ Meanwhile, an autopen is used to make automatic or remote signatures. It has been used for decades by public figures and celebrities.

Months before the Biden pardon announcement, those in the Biden White House Counsel’s Office, staff, and the Justice Department were conferring tirelessly around the clock on who to pardon and how. The concern for the preemptive pardons was how to make them irrevocable in an unprecedented process. At one point in the lead-up to the preemptive pardon releases, it was a possibility that the preemptive pardons would not happen because of the complicated nature of that never-before-enacted process. President Trump began the threat of an investigation for the January 6th Select Committee during the Hill proceedings. Trump has threatened members with investigation or jail.

Oakland Post

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Reaction to The Education EO

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking a higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college.

Published

15 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

There are plenty of negative reactions to President Donald Trump’s latest Executive Order abolishing the Department of Education. As Democrats call yesterday’s action performative, it would take an act of Congress for the Education Department to close permanently. “This blatantly unconstitutional executive order is just another piece of evidence that Trump has absolutely no respect for the Constitution,” said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) who is the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee. “By dismantling ED, President Trump is implementing his own philosophy on education, which can be summed up in his own words, ‘I love the poorly educated.’ I am adamantly opposed to this reckless action, said Rep. Bobby Scott who is the most senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

Morgan State University President Dr. David Wilson chimed in saying “I’m deeply concerned about efforts to shift federal oversight in education back to the states, particularly regarding equity, justice, and fairness. History has shown us what happens when states are left unchecked—Black and poor children are too often denied access to the high-quality education they deserve. In 1979 then President Jimmy Carter signed a law creating the Department of Education. Arne Duncan, former Obama Education Secretary, reminds us that both Democratic and Republican presidents have kept education a non-political issue until now. However, Duncan stressed Republican presidents have contributed greatly to moving education forward in this country.

During a CNN interview this week Duncan said during the Civil War President Abraham “Lincoln created the land grant system” for colleges like Tennessee State University. “President Ford brought in IDEA.” And “Nixon signed Pell Grants into law.” In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush which increased federal oversight of schools through standardized testing. Meanwhile, the new Education EO jeopardizes funding for students seeking higher education. Duncan states, PellGrants are in jeopardy after servicing “6.5 million people” giving them a chance to go to college. Wilson details, “that 40 percent of all college students rely on Pell Grants and student loans.”

Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) says this Trump action “impacts students pursuing higher education and threatens 26 million students across the country, taking billions away from their educational futures. Meanwhile, During the president’s speech in the East Room of the White House Thursday, Trump criticized Baltimore City, and its math test scores with critical words. Governor West Moore, who is opposed to the EO action, said about dismantling the Department of Education, “Leadership means lifting people up, not punching them down.”