Coalition takes Biden to task for falling short...

anniversary of the 1965 historic “Bloody Sunday” march for voting rights through Selma, Alabama, Biden issued executive order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting.” The move was intended to expand voter registration opportunities in federal agency programs.

Two years later, at a March 2 press briefing, members of the coalition offered a new report, “Strengthening Democracy: A Progress Report on Federal Agency Action to Promote Access to Voting,” assessing the work of 10 federal agencies in implementing Biden’s order.

Three are “on the right track,” the report found, but “most have either made minimal progress on their initial strong commitments or have left important opportunities on the table.”

Were they to “integrate a high-quality voter registration opportunity for the people they serve,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, of the Leadership Conference, those agencies “could collectively generate an additional 3.5 million voter registration applications per year.”

She continued, “While state after state imposes more barriers to the ballot, a divided Congress gives us little hope for restoring and strengthening the voting rights we so desperately need… Not since the Jim Crow era have we seen such opposition to freely casting and accurately counting our ballots.”

McCurdy added that “with legislation stalled for the foreseeable future, we are looking to the Biden-Harris administration to do everything within their executive power to protect the right to vote.”

Registering Native American voters

Jacqueline De Leon of the Native American Rights Fund noted Native American voters are “uniquely situated to benefit from this executive order.”

Although “Native Americans do not regularly interact with state agencies, such as the DMV, where many Americans are provided with the most meaningful registration opportunity,” she said, the situation is different when it comes to federal agencies “in a government-to-government capacity and in fulfillment of their treaty rights.”

The Department of the Interior was one of just three agencies of the 10 covered in the report deemed “on the right track” for providing high-quality voter registration services at two universities it operates.

At the other end of the spectrum, Indian Health Services was rated

“falling behind” for showing “no signs of follow-through” on its initial commitment to offer registration to its clients: “2.5 million of the most underserved Native Americans yearly,” De Leon said.

De Leon commended the Department of Veteran Affairs’ pilot programs in Kentucky, Michigan and Pennsylvania and its nonpartisan information about registration and elections on its website. Treasury, by boosting voter registration access at IRS tax preparation clinics and training staff in the process, also got an “on the right track” designation.

Meeting eligible voters where they’re at “One of the single most impactful actions that the Biden administration can take under this executive order,” said Laura Williamson, of Demos, is for the Department of Health and Human Services to improve the voter registration element of its website healthcare.gov. Millions of people use the website annually, she said.”

For these people to be able to vote, she said, “is integral to the agency’s mission. HHS itself has found that voting is a social determinant of health.” Although HHS initially vowed to integrate voter registration into its site,

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And the groups are pressing the IRS to crack down on nonprofit hospital systems that withhold financial assistance from low-income patients or make aid cumbersome to get, another common obstacle KHN documented.

“Every day people are having to make choices about housing and clothing and food because of medical debt,” said Emily Stewart, executive director of Community Catalyst, a Boston nonprofit leading the effort. “It’s really urgent the Biden administration take action to put protections in place.”

Among the more than 50 groups supporting the initiative are national advocates such as the National Consumer Law Center, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Nationwide, 100 million people have health care debt, according to a KHN-NPR investigation, which has documented a crisis that is driving Americans from their homes, draining their savings, and preventing millions from accessing care they need.

While some of the debt appears on credit reports, much of it is hidden elsewhere as credit card balances, loans from relatives, or payment plans to hospitals and other medical providers.

The scale of this problem and its toll have spurred several national and state efforts.

Last spring, the White House directed federal agencies to work on relieving medical debts for veterans and to stop considering medical debt in evaluating eligibility for some federally backed mortgages. California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and other states have enacted new laws to expand consumer protections and require hospitals within their borders to increase financial aid. And the three largest credit agencies — Equifax, Experian, and Transunion — said they would stop including some medical debt on credit reports as of last July.

But many consumer and patient advocates say the actions, while important, still leave millions of Americans vulnerable to financial ruin if they become ill or injured. “It is critical that the CFPB take additional action,” the groups wrote to the federal agency created in 2010 to bolster oversight of consumer financial products.

The major credit rating companies, for example, agreed to exclude only debts that have been paid off and unpaid debts of less than $500. Patients with larger medical bills they can’t pay may still see their credit scores drop.

The groups also are asking the CFPB to eliminate deferred interest on medical credit cards. This arrangement is common for vendors such as CareCredit, whose loans carry no interest at first but can exceed 25% if patients don’t pay off the loan in time.

Collection industry officials have lobbied against broader restrictions on credit reporting, saying limits would take away an important tool that hospitals, physicians’ offices, and other medical providers need to collect their money and stay in business.

“We appreciate the challenges, but a broad ban on credit reporting could have some unintended consequences,” said Jack Brown III, president of Florida-based Gulf Coast Collection Bureau, citing the prospect of struggling hospitals and other providers closing, which would reduce care options.

Brown, a past president of ACA International, the collection industry’s leading trade association, warned that more medical providers would also start demanding upfront payment, putting additional pressure on patients.

To further protect patients from out-of-pocket costs like these, many advocates say hospitals, particularly those that are exempt from taxes because they are supposed to serve the community, must make financial aid more accessible, a key demand in the group’s letters. “For too long, nonprofit hospitals have not been behaving like nonprofits,” said Liz Coyle, executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Watch. Charity care is offered at most U.S. hospitals. And nonprofit medical systems must provide aid as a condition of being taxexempt. But at many medical centers, information about this assistance is difficult or impossible to find. Standards also vary widely, with aid at some hospitals limited to patients with income as low as $13,590 a year. At other hospitals, people making five or six times that much can get assistance.

The result is widespread confusion that has left countless

Biden administration urged to take more...

federal agency to strengthen limits on how much nonprofit hospitals can charge and to curtail aggressive collection tactics such as foreclosing on patients’ homes or denying or deferring medical care.

More than two-thirds of hospitals sue patients or take other legal action against them, such as garnishing wages or placing liens on property, according to a recent KHN investigation. A quarter sell patients’ debts to debt collectors, who in turn can pursue patients for years for unpaid bills. About 1 in 5 deny nonemergency care to people with outstanding debt.

California ex-caregiver charged with child sexual abuse believed to be in PH

A FILIPINO former caregiver is wanted by the FBI for allegedly molesting children in Manhattan Beach, California, and may be hiding in the Philippines.

Edgardo Feralin Dormido, Jr., 48, was charged in Los Angeles County in and 2015, with five felony counts, including oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger and forcible lewd act on a child.

The Manhattan Beach Police Department requested the help of the FBI as Dormido, a former caregiver, is believed to have fled to the Philippines, and he may still have family and associates in Los Angeles.

“Charitable institutions, which have other methods of collection available to them, should not be permitted to withhold needed medical care as a means to pressure patients to pay,” the groups wrote. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Officials believe that Dormido, Jr. fled the country on July 13, 2015, flying from Los Angeles International Airport to Taipei, Taiwan and then to Manila.

Last June, Dormido was federally charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest, FBI officials said.

Authorities released his photo to generate leads in the case. He has black hair, brown eyes, weighs 130 pounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Anyone with information about Dormido’s whereabouts is asked to contact their local FBI office or nearest U.S. Embassy. A monetary reward may also be available for anyone with information. Los Angeles’ local field office is located at 11000 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1700 LA, CA 90024, and can be contacted at 310-4776565. (ManilaTimes.net)

Airport screeners to wear body cameras...

PAGE 1 well as immigration officers.

“The OTS agreed to punish erring personnel and to put in place measures to stop the illicit acts of its staff,” Romualdez said.

The OTS leadership, according to Romualdez, proposed the use of body cameras to monitor in real time the activities of airport security personnel as well as immigration officers. g

Are we done with masks? Three experts review...

changing their advice over time as they work to keep up with the latest scientific research.

Masks are ‘not magic’

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, led off the session by describing the challenges of conducting mask studies in the first place, whether in a health environment or in the community. “You can’t monitor people about their mask-wearing behavior all the time. That’s certainly something you can’t do, and of course (masks) have to be worn correctly,” he said.

While many researchers have looked at multiple physical measures to prevent people from catching a virus, the Cochrane reviewers evaluated studies that compared just three interventions: surgical masks, N95/P2 respirators, and hand hygiene.

Based on the results they were uncertain whether masks help to slow the spread of viruses but decided hand hygiene “may help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Schaffner said. Yet he also pointed out that in most cases, mask wearing was accompanied by social distancing, and… “in certain communities, we were in a lockdown. we stayed home. So, we did all those things more or less simultaneously. And it’s hard – impossible really – to determine what proportion of the reduction we saw on COVID was due to the mask itself.

As for his own advice, Schaffner emphasized that “masks are not magic.” But he said that people in high-risk groups may start wearing them again next flu season. “They will offer another layer of protection to protect me, a highly vulnerable person, from acquiring an infection from others.”

No more mask mandates

“I don’t think we can impose mask mandates on the public anymore,” said Dr. Monica Ghandi, Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Chief of the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at UCSF in San Francisco.

Gandhi noted a Danish mask study where no mandate was in effect at the time, and two others in Bangladesh and Guinea-Bissau where entire villagers wore masks. The study found “there was very little effectiveness” in wearing masks.

During the Delta surge, Orange County, California did not impose a mask mandate but nearby LA County did. “And there was no difference in transmission or death rates. Very importantly, the vaccination rates made all the difference,” Gandhi said.

The most important thing people could do during the pandemic is to get vaccinated, Gandhi advised. “I think we have to keep it a choice for the masking.”

Gandhi’s recently published book, Endemic, is about the politicization of public health policy. She said that closing schools during COVID was a politically driven decision and “not good for children in the Blue States, because the Red States kept their schools open.”

Dr. Mina Hakim, a pediatric specialist at South Central Family Health Center in Los Angeles, offered a similar view about masks from “down in the trenches.”

“The results of the study were clear in that surgical masks, N95 masks, did not make a difference in the transmission of Covid or the flu,” Hakim said.

“The mask is a small piece of a much bigger shield that we have against COVID. I would use the bigger piece of the shield, which is a vaccine, and I would not recommend masks for the general population,” Hakim added. Like Schaffner and Gandhi, he recommended masks for vulnerable populations.

Kids and masks

He said the Cochrane review looked at a few studies that were specifically for children, and those results were even more definitive.

“Kids are the worst at keeping things on. You’d be lucky if you have a kid with their pants on at the end of the day let alone having a mask on that increases humidity, increases difficulty of breathing, and it’s just overall uncomfortable,” Hakim said.

They’re constantly touching things, wiping their nose, taking their mask off to eat and drink. They share pencils and pens that have been in other kids’ mouths. And teenagers are horrendous at being compliant, Hakim added.

Like Schaffner and Gandhi, Hakim recommended wearing masks for vulnerable people.

“If we could provide masks particularly to those high-risk people, I think that might … increase the trust because we’re not imposing the masks on them, but making them available, so that people feel more comfortable and reassured that it’s a good thing to do,” says Hakim.

All three speakers agreed that as studies like the Cochrane report reveal new findings about the efficacy of preventive care, these should not diminish public trust.

“One of the most difficult things for the general public to understand is that we will give you our best advice today but if we learn something tonight, we may have to change that advice tomorrow, and that this is an ongoing process,” Schaffner says.

(Peter White/Ethnic Media Services)

Coalition takes Biden to task for falling short...

Williamson said, “that was well over a year ago and it hasn’t happened. It must.”

Along similar lines and “critical to the entire executive order,” she said, is the General Services Administration’s vote.gov website.

Despite the GSA being specifically singled out in the executive order to modernize and improve the site, which many other agencies use in their voter registration efforts, “unfortunately, it’s just not all that user-friendly, or fully accessible to voters with disabilities and limited English proficiency.”

The Justice Department’s Marshal Service, which oversees people in federal pretrial custody, and Bureau of Prisons have both made “modest initial efforts” to ensure that eligible people in their custody have access to registration and voting, Williamson said, “but both agencies have more work to do to meet the mandate. Voting is a right, not a privilege.”

Terry Ao Minnis, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, echoed De Leon’s comments about Indian Health Services, one of three agencies deemed “falling behind.”

So is the Department of Education, which, besides not following through on modest commitments made in response to Biden’s order, should add voter registration information to its FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process, the report suggests.

In the 2020-2021 cycle, FAFSA had 18 million student applicants, including 84% of all black students, 74% of Latino students and 68% of Asian American ones – “many of whom are young people not registered to vote,” Minnis noted.

And the report estimates that another 60,000 voter registrations could be added annually through the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Service, which is unique among federal agencies, Minnis pointed out, in its routine interactions with people who by nature of becoming new citizens are both eligible to vote and unregistered.

“To close out,” said Adam Lioz, of the Legal Defense Fund, “we need to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and we expect the administration’s strong voice in that fight. We appreciate the progress agencies have made and we implore the administration to finish the job on a clear and urgent timeline.”

(Mark Hedin/ Ethnic Media Services)

Marcos on son Sandro’s birthday: ‘You will continue to shine’

by CATHERINE S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, March 7 took to his Facebook to greet his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos, on his special day.

Sandro, eldest son of the president, celebrated his 29th birthday on Tuesday.

In a statement, the president expressed confidence that his son will continue to shine and inspire others.

"Happy Birthday, Sandro!

We have no doubt that you will continue to shine and inspire those around you!" the president said.

Sandro, who was born and raised in Laoag City, is now senior deputy to Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe of Zamboanga City, whose primary function, aside from being the spokesman of the majority bloc, is to direct the deliberations on the floor.

As senior deputy majority leader, Sandro will be a member of the House Committee on Rules, which deals with the Rules of the House of Representatives, Rules of Procedure Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings, Order of Business, Calendar of Business, the referral of bills, resolutions, speeches, committee reports, messages, memorials and petitions, and the creation of committees inclusive of determining their respective jurisdictions.

The younger Marcos had said that he was excited to take on his new job.

"I am very excited. I want to learn as much as I can. It feels weird to be here, not as a staff member but as a congressman," he said during the seminar for new lawmakers.

"I want to build on my twoyear experience in the House," he added.

Prior to his foray in politics, Sandro served as member of the legislative staff of then House Majority Leader and now Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was his mentor on the daily grind at the House during the 18th Congress. Sandro also served as an economic consultant of the Province of Ilocos Norte under Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc. Among his tasks was ensuring the swift and smooth distribution of food and other assistance to the people of Ilocos Norte, including Covid-19 recovery assistance program for sari sari store owners, food packs and fishing gears to fisherfolks, tablets to aid students in distance learning, and many others. He has been instrumental in providing livelihood opportunities to thousands of Ilokanos who were most affected by the sudden loss of income and livelihood amidst the continuing pandemic. 

DOLE, DOH, DepEd, other agencies express support for Sogie equality bill

MANILA — Different national government agencies on Tuesday expressed their support for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (Sogie) equality bill during a House hearing on Tuesday, March 7.

According to Rep. Geraldine B. Roman, 12 hours have already been devoted to listening to resource persons both for and against the current House version of the Sogie equality bill, which is the unified version of House Bills 222, 460, 3418, 4277, 5551, 6003 and 7036.

“The Department of Health supports the house bills which seek to protect the fundamental rights of all individuals against any form of discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sexual characteristics,” said Adriel Pizarra, a medical officer speaking on behalf of the Department of Health (DOH).

According to Pizarra, the passage of the bill will only enforce the existing health laws and DOH policies.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also backed the bill, as it also has measures that protect a person from gender-based discrimination in the workplace.

“This is really an opportune time to further strengthen the DOLE’s thrust in ending discrimination in the workplace,” said DOLE Officer Donnalyn Calipay.

The Technical Education And Skills Development Authority shared the DOLE’s stance, with the authority’s Clefford Pascual assuring “ the agency’s readiness to provide support should this bill be passed into law.”

According to Suzette Ganaban from the Department of Education (DepEd), the agency also supports the Sogie Equality Bill.

“With the emphasis on the education sector, the enactment of such bill will provide much needed support for DepEd’s advocacy promoting antidiscriminatory practices in schools and offices,” said Ganaban.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that it is ready to enforce the bill if it is