i j j i o r t l a t t f c © b s e r v e r __________________________________December II, 2002
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C i n r i n D ir e c t o
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Charles H. Washington
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Health Plan Cuts Hurt Those Least Able to Pay
by
Roy Innis is chairman of the
Congress of Racial Equality, a
national civil rights organiza
tion.
R oy I nnis
As managed care plans shift more
o f their costs onto the backs of
consumers, minorities are on no
tice that they will face added bur
dens.
With rapidly rising health care
costs, health insurers are launch
ing new cost sharing initiatives.
‘C o s t- s h a r in g ’ is code fo r
uninsuring or underinsuring the
poor and the sick. These health
plans have devised new and insidi
ous ways to shift costs by drop-
ping coverage of an entire class of
prescription drugs as soon as one
drug in the class is taken over-the-
counter.
The result: poor people and the
chronically ill will have to buy these
drugs out-of-pocket.
WellPoint Health Networks and
Aetna have both stated they in
tend to drop coverage or raise co
payments of all prescription-only
non-sedating antihistamines as a
result of Clarkin being approved
for o v er-th e-co u n ter sale last
It’s often easier
to pick out the
vehicle . . .
2151 N.W. Front Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209
(503) 299-4539 • (888) 900-8559
www.willamettefcu.com
Pleuse send> our cdtiirial m aterial
Io neus<" |M»rtlainl<»bsener.c<tin
Save Northeast Portland Programs
For an answ er you can trust,
le t your cred it union help!
P illili l l l i ^
Federal Credit Union
HMOs may be doing
tremendous harm to families
who need these plans the most.
better ta the (SLditer
than the financing!
WILLAMETTE
place. For an HMO to push these tional burdensome costs shifted
month.
costs
on to poor and sick members, onto the plans’ enrollees, HMOs
For A frican-A m ericans and
causing
them to not get the right will force patients to self-medicate
other minority groups, where there
medications
and miss school or work, by buying their drugs over-the-
are higher-than-average propor
just
to
increase
their own profit mar counter, effectively severing ties
tions of those with allergies and
between minority patients and their
gin
is
reprehensible.”
lim ite d
re so u rc e s,
th is
treating
physicians.
Health
plans
may
save
money
in
‘uninsurance’ could have immedi
ate and dangerous implications. For
many minority groups, serious al
lergies interfere with work and
school
and, II
if not property
properly man-
scnooi diiu,
iu<ui-
1
1
x
-Z*
• 1 •
aged, lead to asthma and other se-
vere respiratory diseases.
What happens when low-income
families, sometimes strugglingjust
w
— Roy Innis, Congress of Racial Equality
to get by, are told they have to buy
these drugs out-of-pocket? They
HMOs were created to help, not
either go without these medications the short run by cutting their anti
or they buy cheaper, sedating anti histamine coverage. But in the long- hinder accessibility to the best
run, HMOs may be doing tremen medical care possible for those in
histamines.
Minority children need every ad dous harm to families who need our society most in need. HMOs
vantage they can get in and out of these plans the most — those with should not attempt to maximize prof
school. Their parents need every chronic respiratory conditions or its by minimizing health care access
opportunity to get ahead in the work- other illnesses. Not only are addi- for poor people.
Dear Jefferson Caring Community At-Large:
tionately hit hard by these cuts if they are passed in ’
On behalf of our JCC Steering Team, I am encour
relationship to other parts o f Multnomah County.
aging you to email or call our Multnomah County
There is still tim e! We encourage you to write email fc
Serving all who live, work, worship or attend school in the
Commissioners regarding the following proposed
and/or hard mail letters to Chair Diane Linn, Commis
Portland communities o f Arbor Lodge, Boise, Bridgeton, Buckman north o f S.E.
Hawthorne, Cathedral Park, China Town, Concordia west o f N .E. 33rt Avenue,
Concordia University, Downtown Portland, East Columbia, Goose Hollow,
Humboldt, Irvington west o f N.E. 17th Avenue, Kems, King west o f N.E 24th
Avenue, Laurelhurst west o f N.E. 32nd Avenue, Northwest Portland, Northwest
Industrial Portland, Old Town, Overlook, Pearl District, Piedmont, Portland
Community College-Cascade Campus, Portland Slate University, Portsmouth, Sabin
west o f N.E. 24th Avenue, St. Johns, Sullivan’s Gulch west o f N.E. 20th Avenue,
Sunnyside west o f N.E. 20th Avenue, University o f Portland, University Park,
service cuts and your concerns.
sioner Serena Cruz as well as all other commissioners.
Vernon, and Woodlawn.
The Jefferson Schools Uniting Neighborhood
Center at Jefferson High School may be eliminated.
Three Touchstone Program positions tliroughout
Below are the websites where you can weigh in and
comment on the above mentioned:
• Diane Linn: diane.m.linn@co.multomah.or.us
the county may be eliminated.
The very effective Diversion Program and the
•LisaN aito:lisa.h.naito@co.multomah.or.us
Youth Investment Program may be drastically cut or
•M aria Rojo deSteffey: district 1 @co.multomah.or.us
•LonnieRoberts:lonnie.j.roberts@co.multomah.or.us
be eliminated. This will effect the Northeast Commu
nity and Family Service Center Programs located at
Self-Enhancement, Inc.
African Americans are dying
at higher rates than whites from
smoking related diseases.
North and Northeast Portland will be dispropor-
Please Respond Today!
Donna Purdy.coordinatoroCJefferson
Caring Community Steering Team
Forced Sterilizations Bring Apology
Governor declares atonement for law that stood for 66 years
Every year about
45,000
African
Americans
die
from
smoking related
diseases.
< I
on’t have to...
*
Prevention works, it's never too
late to quit. Ask your doctor about smoking
related diseases today.
It’s our right.
“T he tim e has com e to apolo
V irginia Gov. M ark W arner in
(AP) — G ov. John K itzhaber
formally apologized last w eek M ay erected a m em orial to the gize for m isdeeds that resulted
for the state’s past eugenics laws first w om an sterilized under eu from w id e sp re a d m isc o n c e p
that led to the forced sterilization genics and he apologized for tions, ignorance and bigotry,”
V irginia’s participation in eugen said K itzhaber, w ho also pro
o f hundreds o f O regonians.
“To those who suffered, I say ics, calling it “a sham eful effort.” claim ed Dec. lO as H um an Rights
K itzhaber served on the joint Day in O regon.
the people o f Oregon are sorry,”
T he law w as based on the
Kitzhaber said during a ceremony com m ittee that helped repeal the
pseudoscientific
in me
governor s » -----------------—--------------------------------------------------------------
the governor’s
m ovem ent
office. “Our <
called eugenics
hearts are heavy
that sought to
for the pain you
prevent people
endured.”
.
considered “un
G irls in re
fit” or “defec
fo rm s c h o o l,
tiv e ” from hav
people in mental
ing children.
- Gov. John Kitzhaber
institutions and
---------------- ~
A fter 1967,
poor women se-
lected by w elfare w orkers were O regon law in 1983, when he the O regon law w as chiefly used
to sterilize those with m ental ill
among the m ore than 2,500 O r was serving in the Legislature.
ness or m ental disability.
Dozens
o
f
people
crowded
into
egonians subjected to steriliza
The goal o f the eugenics laws
tions under a law that stood from the governor’s ceremonial office,
including several w ho had been was to eventually w eed out any
1917 to 1983.
T he apology by K itzhaber the victims of forced sterilization, one considered “feeblem inded,
m akes him the second governor to hear Kitzhaber acknowledge insane, epileptic, a habitual crim i
to atone for a state’s eugenics the events that “darken the history nal o r sexual pervert w ho is likely
to becom e a m enace to society.”
of our state institutions.”
law s.
phe time fras come fo apologize
fo r misdeeds that resulted from
widespread misconceptions,
ignorance and bigotry.
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JS
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2800 N. Vancouver Avenue-Suite 100
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Phone: 503-413-1850
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