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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2016)
Page 2 The Skanner January 27, 2016 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Opinion Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher African Americans and the Affordable Care Act Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor T Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Arashi Young Donovan M. Smith Reporters Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2015 MERIT AWARDS WINNER The Skanner has received 20 NNPA awards since 1998 The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 he passage of the Af- fordable Care Act (ACA) promised to improve the delivery of healthcare services in America — espe- cially for historically disad- vantaged communities that suffer high rates of chronic illness. The ACA has begun to deliv- er on that promise, but work still remains to ensure all who need healthcare in the most prosperous nation on earth can receive it. Healthcare.gov is now avail- able for the open enrollment period through Jan. 31, 2016. It’s imperative that members of the African American com- munity take advantage of this opportunity to access the cov- erage and care they need. Some of the greatest gains in reducing the number of uninsured people in the U.S. have been realized in the Af- rican American community, which has seen a 30 percent increase in those with health insurance. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly 8 million African Americans now have access to critical preventive services, including mammograms and flu shots. The benefit is extended fur- Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH NNPA Columnist ther for adults whose chil- dren up to age 26 can remain on their parent’s health insur- ance. That includes some 500,000 African Americans. Now, our focus turns to edu- cating and mobilizing groups where more work needs to “ though their overall exposure to cigarette smoke (the prima- ry risk factor for the disease) is lower. These rates are pri- marily attributed to afford- ability and limited access to care. Thanks to the ACA those limitations to care have been lifted. For those living in poor and minority communities, cost has always been a ma- jor barrier to care. However, access to care is now more broadly available, thanks to an expansion of Medicaid in many states, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly 8 million African Americans now have access to crit- ical preventive services, including mammograms and flu shots be done, in particular with African American males. Within this group, 43 per- cent suffer from high blood pressure, compared to nearly 34 percent of all white men. And black males are more than 30 percent more likely to contract lung cancer, even and health insurance subsi- dies for millions of individ- uals and families. In fact, ac- cording to HHS, if more states took advantage of these provi- sions, upwards of 95 percent of African Americans would qualify. Unfortunately, some states remain reluctant to participate, so access to cov- erage is limited to some who need it most. Another barrier to health insurance is lack of informa- tion. Therefore, our job — yours and mine — is to help spread the word about the ease of signing up for insur- ance using Healthcare.gov. For those who have used the program before, it is import- ant that they review their pol- icy to see if it still meets their needs and fits within their budget. For those would-be first-timers, take them by the hand and lead them through the site. The Affordable Care Act has begun to meet its goal of revitalizing our healthcare system and making it more accessible and affordable to all Americans. As we make our way through this latest enrollment period, our mis- sion is to ensure more Afri- can Americans have the in- formation they need to make informed choices about their healthcare. Ultimately, we know this will help lead to a higher overall quality of life. Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, is the president of Healthcare Operations and Chief Oper- ating Officer for Ascension Health. info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2016 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar RSS feeds SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Go to TheSkanner.com Black Love and Unity Should be the New Normal I f ever there was a time we needed to turn back the hands of time and return to a place where there was a strong sense of Black love and Black unity, that time is now. I remember growing up and listening to songs like “Say it Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud,” by the phenomenally talented and extremely gifted James Brown. I watched the movie Get on Up, which chronicled the life and career of James Brown. In the movie, the part of the movie where he introduced the song to America stood out to me. The power of those eight words -- “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” -- gave Black people a newfound self-confidence in 1968 that they had not had before. That is an example of Black love and Black unity. I remember walking through the halls of my ele- mentary school, and witness- ing my African American male principal lead our pre- dominately African Amer- ican student body in an em- powerment chant, whereby he told every student to chant, “Black is Beautiful.” There was something about knowing that there was noth- ing wrong with me making that declaration for the whole world to hear, and know- ing that I was special. There Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA Columnist was something about feeling supported and protected by someone else who looked like me and who could relate to me and my experiences. That is an example of Black “ Black people are not quit- ters. Black people are cre- ative. Black people know how to be resourceful. If history has taught us anything, it’s that us working together collaboratively in love and unity is the only way that Black people are going to progress and achieve peace and equality in this country. As a people, we must stop showing hatred toward one another. At the heart of most issues, conflict and hate-filled It is time for us to start effectively communicating with one another -- with a foundation of Black love and Black unity leading the way love and Black unity. Those were the days, but many of us feel we can’t re-establish the type of Black love and Black unity we once displayed and embraced. It’s time to return to Black love and unity. Let’s refer to it as “The New Normal.” We need to revisit this men- tality amongst ourselves and watch what happens when we make the decision to reinstate something that has helped make our communities great once before — economically, socially, politically, emotion- ally, spiritually, etc. actions in the Black communi- ty, is a lack of love and a lack of unity. It is time for us to start effectively communicat- ing with one another -- with a foundation of Black love and Black unity leading the way. As a people, we must both, have a LOVE for God and once again UNITE ourselves to God. As a people, we must both, LOVE our community and once again UNITE as a com- munity. As a people, we must both, LOVE our people and once again UNITE as a people. As a people, we must both, LOVE our youth and once again UNITE to teach our youth and help bridge the gap between them and our elders. As a people, we must both LOVE our history and once again UNITE our minds with the knowledge of our history and embracing our culture. Once again, it is time for us to return to Black love and Black unity – that is, if we re- ally want to see our commu- nities return to the strength, pride and prominence it once experienced. Without Black love and Black unity, the Black race as we know it in America is doomed. Let’s make a deci- sion to make Black love and Black unity “The New Nor- mal” right now and moving forward. Jeffrey L. Boney serves as Associate Editor and is an award-winning journalist for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is a frequent contributor on the Nancy Grace Show and has a daily ra- dio talk show called Real Talk with Jeffrey L. Boney. He is a Next Generation Project Fellow, dynamic, international speak- er, experienced entrepreneur, business development strate- gist and Founder/CEO of the Texas Business Alliance. If you would like to request Jeffrey as a speaker, you can reach him at jboney1@forwardtimes.com.
