Tag Archives for Bob Blancato

National Groups Call for Making Pneumonia Vaccines Available to Age 50 and Over Adults

Published in RINewsToday on October 21, 2024

Within days, a loose coalition of 21 advocacy groups are pushing for the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which meets on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, to lower the routine age-based recommendation for all pneumonia vaccines to age 50. 

These groups, working on behalf of millions of older Americans, immunocompromised, underserved patient populations and consumers, see the value of increasing the accessibility of effective vaccines for respiratory viruses. 

 ACIP’s October agenda may include a vote on lowering the routine, age-based recommendation for pneumonia vaccines to add those ages 50 to 64 to the existing two groups in the age-based recommendation, those under 5 and over 65.

 According to Bob Blancato, Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), CDC typically holds three ACIP meetings each year with one occurring in February, one in June and one in October. “The upcoming meeting is especially critical because we are right in the middle of respiratory season, so any change they make to their recommendation can greatly benefit older Americans while the threat of pneumonia is very much still circulating in our environments,” he says.

“Also, just given the fact that there are only three meetings a year, it is important that the committee take the opportunities to improve policies during each meeting so we aren’t further restricting access to protections that so many in our population will benefit from,” adds Blancato.

This coalition, composed of aging, consumer, health and multicultural advocacy groups, calls for federal policies that support the well-being of older adults that remove barriers to accessing innovative and effective vaccines, given the real benefits they offer in preventing serious health outcomes, says Blancato.

 Preventing Pneumococcal Disease in Adults

According to CDC, pneumococcal pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections (sepsis) kills tens of thousands older Americans each year, including thousands of older adults age 54 and over.

CDC estimates that 150,000 older Americans are hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia each year.  About 1 in 20 individuals who get pneumococcal pneumonia will die.  The death rate is higher for those individuals age 65 and older.

Persons surviving pneumococcal meningitis can suffer from hearing loss, seizures, blindness, and paralysis, says CDC.  For those afflicted with pneumococcal bloodstream infections, treatments require hospitalization, often requiring weeks or months of treatment before returning to normal activities.

Getting conjugate and polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines can reduce a person’’s chance of contracting or dying from pneumococcal disease, notes CDC.

 Protecting the Older At-Risk Ethnic Population

 The Oct. 15 letter to ACIP, co-authored by the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), National Caucus and  Center on Black Aging (NCBA) and the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), stated that lowering the age would increase vaccination rates for at-risk ethnic populations.  Over 53 percent of Black, 41 percent of Hispanic, 50.2 percent of Asian Americans have been vaccinated for pneumonia, compared to 69 percent of White adults, noted the correspondence. It also stressed that by offering a vaccine to persons ages 50 to 64, who experience a decline in their immune system, would receive protection while their immune systems are still able to produce a robust response.

 “It has been over three years since ACIP first presented data at the June 2021 meeting showing that lowering the age-based recommendation would improve vaccine equity,” said NANASP’s Blancato. “There is no reason to delay this further,” he says.

“Too many Black and Hispanic individuals face chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, due to lack of preventable health care early in life. Far too many are already sick by the time they are currently eligible for pneumococcal vaccinations,” said Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), “Getting more adults in these populations vaccinated at a younger age is a great step forward in vaccine equity”.

“I’ve had pneumonia and it knocked me out for nearly three months,” said Karyne Jones, President and CEO of National Caucus and Center on Black Aging (NCBA). “I contracted the disease when I was 64 – I know first-hand the value of getting younger people vaccinated against this deadly disease.  I ask members of ACIP to fully support lowering the recommendation to age 50 for all adults for all available pneumococcal vaccines.”

In addition to the group letter, an online petition organized by NANASP has garnered more than five thousand signatures from Americans across the nation.

“As we begin the respiratory disease season, our policies should be about promoting protection versus limiting across to vaccines.  The support for lowering the age-based recommendation is clearly there so now is the time for ACIP to act,” continued Blancato.

If ACIP lowers the recommended age of providing vaccinations to persons age 50 and over, commercial plans and Medicaid would be mandated to cover its cost.  Medicaid plans would be required cover the costs for low-income recipients as soon as the recommendation is approved by the CDC Director – like for Medicare Part D plans.

By offering coverage of pneumococcal vaccinations, to persons ages 50 to 64, would offer critical protections to these individuals before their immune system wanes.  This cost-effective approach would reduce serious illness, ultimately reducing hospitalization and death. 

The CDC should streamline and lower the age recommendations for routine pneumococcal vaccinations, starting at age 50.  It’s a no-brainer decision. 

Here is a listing of groups signing correspondence to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs; National Caucus and Center on Black Aging; National Hispanic Council on Aging; Alliance for Aging Research; ALS Association; American Public Health Association; American Society on Aging; COPD Foundation; Generations United; HealthHIV; HealthyWomen; National Alliance for Caregiving; National Consumers League; National Grange; National Hispanic Health Foundation; National Minority Quality Forum; Sepsis Alliance; The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; USAging; US Black Chambers, Inc.; and Vasculitis Foundation.

House Select Committee on Aging has new life

Published in RINewsToday on July 29, 2024

Just a month ago, the Washington, DC-based Leadership Council on Aging Organizations (LCAO), a coalition of 68 national nonprofit groups committed to representing seniors in Congressional policy making, formally endorsed Cong. Seth Magaziner’s (RI-2) H. Res. 1029, reestablishing the House Select Committee on Aging (HSCoA).  

The freshman congressman picked up the baton from former Cong. David Cicilline, who resigned his seat and now heads the Rhode Island Foundation.  The former Congressman had introduced a resolution to bring back the HSCoA during the 114th-117th Congresses.

At press time, Magaziner’s resolution, introduced on Feb. 23, 2024 (with 26 Democratic co-sponsors and no Republicans on board), has been referred to the House Committee on Rules for mark-up, and if passed, will be considered by the full House.

LCAO endorsed Cong. Magaziner’s 213-word resolution in a June 25th letter. H Res. 1029 amends the Rules of the House to establish a HSCoA.  Although the panel will not have legislative jurisdiction, it’s authorized to conduct a continuing comprehensive study and review of a myriad of aging issues, from income maintenance, poverty, housing health (including medical and research, welfare, employment, education, recreation, to long-term care.

If passed, the Magaziner’s resolution would authorize the HSCoA to study the use of all practical means and methods of encouraging the development of public and private programs and policies which will assist seniors in taking a full part in national life and which will encourage the utilization of knowledge, skills, special aptitudes, and abilities of seniors to contribute to a better quality of life for all Americans.

Finally, H. Res. 1029 would also allow the HSCoA to develop policies that would encourage the coordination of both governmental and private programs designed to deal with problems of aging and to review any recommendations made by the President or by the White House Conference on Aging in relation to programs or policies affecting seniors.

LCAO Calls for Passage of H. Res. 1029

“As we all age together as a society, we see the need to find solutions as demand grows for paid and family care workers, along with finding opportunities to address retirement security. Addressing these demands in a fiscally responsible, bipartisan manner deserves greater attention, understanding and public engagement, says LCAO Chair Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance of Retired Americans, in a June 25 letter written to Cong. Magaziner endorsing H. Res. 1029.

In the endorsement letter, Fiesta explained that while authorizing standing House Committees “perform exemplary oversight and legislative functions over matters within their respective jurisdictions, the HSCoA would have an opportunity to more fully explore a range of issues and innovations that cross jurisdictional lines, while holding field hearings, convening remote hearings, engaging communities, and promoting understanding and dialogue that would contribute to the solutions that present themselves as the number of older people in our nation increases.”

Looking back, LCAO’s letter noted that HSCoA, under Chairman Claude Pepper, closely worked with standing committees, in a team effort and a bipartisan manner, holding many joint hearings with them and helping to pass the end of mandatory retirement, 359-2 in the House and 89-19 in the Senate.”

Additionally, HSCoA “worked to protect Social Security, expose nursing home abuses and set transparency standards, expand home health care benefits as a way older people could often delay or avoid the need of entering into long-term care facilities, and so much more,” said Fiesta, noting that The Ways and Means, Education and Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Space, Science and Technology were other committees that benefited from the partnership,” Fiesta said.

Finally, Fiesta stresses that HSCoA would also “complement the strong bipartisan work of the Senate Special Committee on Aging which has effectively promoted member understanding on a range of issues, including the concerns of grandparents raising grandchildren, elder abuse and fraud, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older Americans and their families, the importance of financial literacy in planning for retirement, and the costs associated with isolation and loneliness.”

Magaziner talks turkey about H. Res. 1029

“Older Americans have worked hard their entire lives, and they deserve to retire and age with dignity,” says Magaziner, noting he became the primary sponsor of H. Res. 1029 because it “ensures that seniors in Rhode Island and across the country have their voices heard, needs met, and can enjoy their golden years with peace of mind.”

Magaziner was recently on parental leave and was unable to meet with former HSCoA staffers and aging advocates. He notes, however, that “my staff was able to listen to and gain valuable insight into the successes of the Committee and its role in fighting for America’s aging population.”  

According to Magaziner, his staff is working hard to tell other offices about the benefits of the proposed Committee and will continue to look for ways to raise the profile of this resolution to encourage other Members to become co-sponsors. “I am proud that this resolution received the recent endorsement from the LCAO, along with other prominent organizations including the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, AARP, Alliance for Retired Americans, Social Security Works and Meals on Wheels America,” he said, stressing that the support of advocates is important to encouraging House lawmakers to cosponsor the resolution. 

Magaziner stresses that getting bipartisan support for H. Res. 1029 is important to him.  “I’m ready to work with anyone, from either party, to deliver results for Rhode Island—and that includes finding common ground on important legislation like H. Res. 1029,” he says.  “There’s still room for bipartisanship, and ensuring we address issues for seniors across the country should be an area where we can all agree,” he adds, calling on his Republican colleagues to work together with Democrats to move our country forward.

If not this year, push for next Congressional session

But with 98 days left before the upcoming presidential election, can Magaziner push H. Res. 1029 across the goal line?

With the House beginning its 6-week August recess, Bob Blancato, former Staff Director of the, Subcommittee on Human Services, urges voters to ask their lawmakers to support H. Res. 1029 if they are not a cosponsor. “Find them at public events and raise [the importance of their support], he suggests.  

Blancato sees the importance of Cong. Magaziner sending another “Dear Colleague” letter to House lawmakers in soliciting cosponsors. “They should also target some of the House Caucuses, such as the bipartisan Congressional Woman’s Caucus and the Assisting Caregivers Caucus,”  he recommends.

According to Bob Weiner, former Chief of Staff, House Select Committee on Aging under Chairman Claude Pepper (D-FL), the timing to push this resolution is after the upcoming presidential election.  “Most important will be to hit the ground RUNNING at the start of the next Congress, with the agreement by Cong. Magaziner to introduce the first new session day, and give him and the allied groups and supporters the immediate opportunity to build cosponsors at that time,” he says, stressing that the count for the next Congress begins in the next Congress, which could well be a different party majority. “This is a terrific resolution which can have significant impact helping older Americans to protect and build their health and livelihoods, he adds.

Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) and a long-time member of the LCAO, agrees with Weiner’s assessment.  “Historically, the House Permanent Select Committee on Aging served as a unique venue that allowed open, bipartisan debate from various ideological and philosophical perspectives to promote consensus that, in turn, helped facilitate the critical work of the standing committees.  We believe that issues affecting seniors would be best advanced by the re-establishment of such a Committee in the House. Reestablishing a Select Committee on Aging in the House would also complement the strong bipartisan work of its counterpart in the Senate.”

“As was emphasized in the LCAO endorsement letter, we need Cong. Magaziner to tactfully work for bipartisan support of his House Resolution — a commitment he made to the voters in a 2022 campaign press conference that I attended,” says Vin Marzullo, former federal civil rights & social justice administrator and a Board member of Senior Agenda Coalition.

“Additionally, since the Magaziner resolution has less than half of the cosponsors obtained by former Cong. Cicilline, both the Congressman and his staff must step up their outreach efforts to Congressional members on the floor, related House Committee Chairs, House Caucuses, & the House Minority Leader,” he said, noting that grassroots efforts led to the support of Cong. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus”, stated Marzullo, also a former AARP RI President.  

For details about the HSCoA, go to https://rinewstoday.com/congressman-magaziner-takes-baton-on-bringing-back-house-aging-committee-herb-weiss/.