News Release

HHS Secretary Visits African-American Churches to Highlight Role of Medicare Drug Benefit in Reducing Health Disparities

Sunday Sign up Events Kick Off Last Week of Enrollment Before the May 15th Deadline

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today visited a number of predominantly African-American churches to encourage sign up for the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to stress the importance of drug coverage in prevention and treatment of diseases that disproportionately affect minorities. Noting that 30 percent of African Americans have diabetes and 71 percent suffer from hypertension, Leavitt said the prescription drug benefit could go a long way toward reducing health disparities.

�This Sunday is a good time to love your neighbor, and honor your father and mother, by signing them up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit,� Leavitt told African-American pastors and congregations.

�Before the new Medicare prescription drug benefit became available, many African-American seniors lacked drug coverage that could prevent and treat diseases that disproportionately affected their families and communities,� said Leavitt. �We are pleased that enrollment to date is high among African-Americans, with 70 percent already covered, and we are reaching out to the rest in places where they live, work, play, and pray.�

Leavitt visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., as well as churches in Indianapolis, Ind. and Tallahassee, Fla.

The Sunday sign-up events are part of an intense week of activity to sign up seniors before the May 15th deadline. More than 1,000 Medicare events are planned nationwide, along with newspaper advertising, and public service announcements by Laura Bush and Bill Cosby.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: May 9, 2006