By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-7) and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) are teaming up on a new push to provide relief to those suffering from chronic lung conditions. Both members of Congress have put forth their own versions of the Affordable Inhalers and Nebulizers Act to drive down the cost of inhalers, nebulizers and other treatments that families across the country depend on.
Rep. Mfume told the AFRO that it was important for him to draft this legislation because residents in Baltimore have been greatly impacted by asthma.
“My office did an extensive study a couple years back about asthma in Baltimore and we found asthma ranks the third highest cause of hospitalizations of children under the age of 15,” said the congressman. “It was just clear that this legislation should find its genesis here in Baltimore, which has the highest rate of asthma in the nation, and we wanted to do something about it.”
The congressman went on to state that Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by asthma.
“Black Americans are one-and-a-half times more likely than white Americans to develop asthma, five times more likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die from complications. When those realities collide with the cost of treatment, families are left with impossible choices,” he stated.
“We wanted to ensure that families in Baltimore and all across the nation had access to lower costs to be able to purchase the medicines and the devices – in this case – that would allow them to breathe, to survive and ultimately to thrive,” Mfume continued.
The bill seeks to cut costs for all Americans suffering from asthma. It would require private insurers to cap out-of-pocket expenses for inhalers and nebulizers at $15 a month for Medicare Part B and Part D beneficiaries as well as those with private coverage. It would also create a similar cost-sharing program for uninsured people, limiting a 30-day supply of inhaler products to the same $15 cap. Under the legislation, Medicare would be required to cover inhalers, medications, and necessary equipment like durable medical devices at that price point.
Mfume told the AFRO he was encouraged when Alsobrooks arrived in the Senate and immediately recognized the urgency of the issue.
“I mentioned this to her and she quickly decided that it was important that she would put in place the Senate companion bill,” said the Democratic congressman.
With identical legislation moving through both chambers, the lawmakers hope to fast-track the measure to the president’s desk.
Alsobrooks told the AFRO that the statute is a part of a broader fight over health care access and affordability.
“I’m committed to fighting for our health care. That goes beyond just fighting these immoral and callous Medicaid cuts,” said the Maryland senator.
“I’ve introduced the Affordable Inhalers and Nebulizers Act to make sure no Marylander, or any American for that matter, has to live in a world where they have to decide between rent, groceries, and being able to breathe,” she added. “I’ve introduced the bipartisan U-FIGHT Act to fight for women’s health care to have adequate research, so women no longer have to suffer in silence. And I was the first senator to call on RFK (Robert F. Kennedy) Jr. (U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services) to resign or be fired. I’ll keep doing it too and I will stay in this fight because our health and safety is too important.”
Mfume told the AFRO that he feels “strongly about the bill” and hopes that it gains bipartisan support so that it can pass in the House of Representatives and the Senate.