Columbus, Georgia NAACP Announces 830 Million Ways to Stay Healthy.

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- One of the most urgent medical needs for African-Americans is expanding access to affordable prescription drugs. These drugs are often critical to containing our community's major healthcare problems -- cancer, AIDS, heart disease, hypertension, to name a few.

That's the one big reason why the new discount prescription drug card program from Medicare deserves our attention. But it's not the only one. In fact, there are about 830 million others.

Just look at the numbers. For the first time in Medicare's history, all Medicare beneficiaries gain access to a prescription drug benefit. That includes nearly 3.5 million African-Americans.

Low-income African-Americans without existing drug coverage will receive a $600 annual benefit in both 2004 and 2005. That's $1,200 to pay for prescription drugs. A low-income couple would do even better. They would receive $2,400 in federal support.

Medicare estimates that as a result of this new federal benefit, African-Americans are eligible for $830 million in prescription assistance.

All of this is the good news. The bad news is that while this is a big step in the right direction for African-Americans' healthcare needs, it's not enough. For starters, the federal government must expand health insurance for the uninsured, including the working poor.

This is an urgent issue for us, given the special medical needs in the African-American community. As an example, look at heart disease, which is the leading cause of death among both men and women. More than a million Americans suffer heart attacks every year. About half die from it.

Among African-Americans, the rate of heart disease is higher than it is for any other racial group. The federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that in 2000, heart disease deaths were 29 percent higher among blacks and deaths from strokes were 40 percent higher than for other groups.

African-Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have a medical condition called an "enlarged heart." This is a potentially dangerous health problem, but can be successfully treated with prescription drugs provided it is diagnosed early.

The federal government must also accept the need for greater funding for prenatal care. Better prenatal care has been repeatedly shown to actually lower overall healthcare spending because it reduces the need for tremendously expensive care of premature babies.

But it's also true that government funding can only go so far. After that, individuals must take greater responsibility for their own actions. That means getting tested for high-risk conditions such as heart disease at local hospitals or clinics. It also means taking necessary medication, rather than ignoring doctors' prescriptions.

The most common excuse many people give for not focusing on their health is that they are just too busy. But what could be more important than prolonging your life -- giving you a chance to see your grandchildren grow up and graduate from school.

With the discount drug card, for example, a typical sign-up phone call to 800-Medicare lasts about 11 minutes. And if you qualify for a $600 benefit, that works out to a rate of $3,400 per hour.

Better healthcare requires action by both government and individuals. On election day, you can do your part to change the government. But in the meantime, make the call to Medicare, get your prescription card and start living a healthier lifestyle.

Written by Clairmont Jerome Barnes, Executive Committee Health Chair, Columbus, Georgia, NAACP.