The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) held its 2023 Virtual Capitol Hill Briefing. At this annual event, NHCOA addressed health disparities affecting diverse adults and presented its 2023 Status of the Hispanic Older Adults Report (SHOAR). Given that Hispanics/Latinos constitute one of the fastest growing older adult population in the United States, it is critical to discuss how they can age with dignity with the best possible health. That is why these Capitol Hill Briefings become more than necessary every year.
The results of this Report provide recommendations for local, state and national leaders to better address the health disparities facing Latinos in the U.S. This year’s recommendations focused on osteoporosis and widespread health disparities among the Hispanic/Latino communities. And it also highlighted the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) urging better benefits for Latinos in access to medications for obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and updated COVID-19 treatment options. Read this year’s SHOAR here.
In this regard, Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of NHCOA, emphasized during the session that “we stand here today to advocate for key legislation in Congress to rectify the Prescription Benefit Manager (PBM) situation. The PBM legislation is of utmost importance. We call upon Congress to ensure that the program serves its original purpose, benefiting those it was meant to help.”
The 2023 Virtual Capitol Hill Briefing reaches a broad audience interested in understanding solutions to their health and quality of life issues. Among them are policymakers and community leaders who share NHCOA’s commitment to improving the lives of Latino older adults and caregivers in the U.S. For instance, Jorge Lambrinos, a member of NHCOA’s Board of Directors and part of this year’s panelists, said, “In terms of access to healthcare, Latinos continue to lag in many areas. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is hard for Latinos, with the highest rate of death related to the virus. It is important that the treatments available to treat key conditions, including COVID-19 are available and accessible to everyone, including Hispanics.”
This year’s edition served as a window to broaden the discussion on topics such as considering the reallocation of funds for dignified treatment of the wide range of health risks, as well as emphasizing the importance of continuing to fund and prioritize research and treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In addition, the inequities that exist in the disease of osteoporosis were addressed in relation to improving education, screening, and treatment of this disease that is increasingly affecting Latinos.
Furthermore, NHCOA applauds the bipartisan passing of the Modernizing and Ensuring Accountability of Pharmacy Benefit Administrators (MEPA) Act by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and urges Congress to continue to work together to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for those who need them.
Finally, in this edition, we thank the panelists who joined us for their participation: Oscar Ramirez, co-partner of Fulcrum Public Affairs; Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of NHCOA; Jorge Lambrinos, Chairman of NHCOA’s Board of Directors; Yarissa Reyes, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Alzheimer’s Association; Robert “Bob” Blancato, NHCOA’s Board Member; Michael C. Irizarry, Deputy Clinical Officer at Eisai; Steve Postal, Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA); Christina Pacheco, NHCOA’s Director of Development and Policy; Gelila Selassie, Senior Attorney at Justice in Aging; Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO at MANA, A National Latina Organization; and Hector Cabrera, Associate Medical Director at Premier Health.
The event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors: Lilly, PhRMA, Pfizer, Verizon, Better Medicare Alliance, Eisai, Elevance Health and Novo Nordisk. We greatly appreciate their support.
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